Denial...not just a river in Egypt (Kem Only)

It had been long and long again since the self-styled Kem'Raaisu had been to Egypt. In a span of time beyond any mortal reckoning, he'd traveled the world over, an independent scholar, knowledge the only persuit endless enough to occupy such a span of time. Eventually, both circumstance and deliberation had brought him back here, to the place of his birth, and he was gratified to see that although the course of time had changed it, some things remained.

The timeless Nile still moved over the desert like a well-fed snake, her waters running deceptively deep and fast under the surface while to the untrained eye she seemed to lap lazily at the sands, tasting each grain before moving on. The Sphinxes as well, though they showed signs of weathering the centuries, still remained here. The Great Sphinx on the western bank and the Minor Sphinx on the eastern still faced each other placidly with the coming of each new dawn, embracing a small section of the Nile between their paws.

But if all this had remained the same, it wasn't at some expense. The city of Giza had crown, and throughout the years it had expanded a great deal. The pyramids, once thought to be quite well out of the way, were now close to the city's borders. The Great Sphinx had seen one or two attempts by various waves of foreigners to restore her to her newly-finished beauty. The Romans had even paved the area between her paws, and Since Kem had been here that space had even been used to perform plays.

Kem's thoughts turned inward. In the twilight he gazed over the landscape, pulling his robes tighter about him to ward off the night chill. If the city itself had changed even that much, the inhabitants' changes had been even more drastic. Years of wars and invasions had turned the Egytian people into a mix of Egypt, Persia, Rome, and even England. They no longer dressed or even looked like the people Kem had known, and in a small part of his mind he wondered if he still had any relatives living here, or if his line, like the traditions and civilizations before, had mixed, mingled, and finally died out.

When the night had passed and the sun was threatening against the horizon, Kem headed out of the city, away from the pyramids and monoliths whose beautifully chiseled hieroglyphs were like a history book to him. He'd been living in an abandoned hut just outside the city, well of the track of anyone who might be traveling to Giza. Its stone-faced mud-bricks had weathered the years well and it seemed the only reason the inhabitants had left was perhaps to move closer to the city. Kem had taken up residence there for as long as he cared to stay, unsure yet as to whether or not he wanted to delve too deeply into the events of the past.

Once he got closer to the buildings a faint smell of blood and death made it easy to tell which house to enter. The desert preserved even untreated corpses far better than more humid lands and it was possible that the body had been here for hours but he felt that it was not more than a day or the blood would have dried up only leaving a metallic scent that only a vampire could detect from this distance. This blood smelled fresher than that, still liquid and if anyone understood the subtle scents, textures and taste of blood, it would be his kind.

Seeing the body confirmed that the killer was not far ahead of him this time, hopefully he could catch this person before the next death. Squatting down next to the body, Alfarinn pulled back his hair and tied it back with a leather thong before leaning in for a closer look. Hoping for clues, perhaps even an item belonging to the killer himself. So far, though he had not been so lucky.

He was about to take out the small leather bound journal he had been using to mark down his observations and thoughts in when he heard movement behind him. Twisting around quickly in alarm, Alfarinn blinked in surprise at the sight. If he weren't so used to seeing a similar one when looking at his own reflection, then he'd expect he was seeing a ghost. No doubt the locals thought this man was wholly unnatural as they did him. A tall man pale of hair, eyes and skin, the stranger had a completely otherworldly look about him to the dark complected natives. The larger cities were used to seeing foreigners and merely thought him odd but the further away from civilization the more common the whispers of "ghost" and "demon" became. He did not doubt these same words followed this man around as well.

There were differences in their appearance upon closer inspection, Alfarinn was taller but his hair was less white and their eyes appeared to be a similar shade but this man's features had a Egyptian cast about them. Interesting, a native as pale as a northerner? He could possibly be albino but his skin did not seem to have that pinkish tone. It was something he would not be able to understand without closer examination and there were more pressing concerns.

Standing slowly, he asked

"Madu?"

"Madu?"

Kem stopped at the sound, turned quickly on the balls of his feet. A man stood there, staring at him with a surprised look on his face. Kem's first thought was that it was rare to see someone who matched him in height, and the man standing before him must top him by a bit. Peering a bit closer, he was taken aback by the fact that this stranger looked a great deal like himself. His hair was a bit darker, but his eyes were just as light as Kem's own, and his skin even paler. His features were different; more European. Kem had seen people like this in his travels, which had spanned the entire earth as far as he knew.

Just as the thoughts crossed Kem's mind, he realized there was more to this than a stranger out for an early morning stroll. His sensitive nose picked up the unmistakable scent of blood and he looked beyond this fairhaired man into the shadows of the quickly-fading night. There was a mound just behind him, and Kem's nose told him quite plainly what lay there. His eyes narrowed of their own volition and he voiced a single sibilant hiss, glancing back at this newcomer.

"What is this,"he murmured, his voice low and ominous. Above all things, Kem couldn't stand violence. He wasn't naiive enough to think he could prevent it, but he had claimed this tiny piece of land as his own while he was here and he wouldn't have it defiled. Loathe as he was to take any action himself, he wouldn't tolerate a murderer here.

He still hesitated, however. There was no blood on this man before him, and he'd have seen it on skin so fair. Manners warred with repugnance for a long moment, and in the end Kem decided to go with ambivalence.

"I do not know what 'Madu' is," he said, "but if you have any sense of propriety you will bury that," he gestured to the erstwhile human behind the stranger, "and go on your way. Those who take lives are not welcome here."

Kem glanced at the horizon, at the sun that was rising too quickly for his taste, and pulled himself as far into his robes as he could. Turning to leave, he suffered a bout of indecision and shook his head. Glancing over his shoulder, he muttered, "I have no great love for the sun. Follow me if you'd like to explain yourself."

He repeated himself in several different languages, just in case, and made a beeline for his temporary home. Something in the stranger's stare was odd... as if he knew something about Kem, or saw something familiar. It made him wary, but he wouldn't give the man the satisfaction of knowing he felt that way. Exposing his back to him, he walked away, shoulders rigid with distaste, doing his best to hide the growing curiosity within.

Alfarinn raised his eyebrows at the man in mild surprise before turning back to the body. He had more important things to do than to explain himself to a stranger. A short explanation would have to suffice.

"I am not the one who did this. I have been tracking the killer."

He figured he had enough time to examine the body more closely before the sun rose. That might mean that it won't be buried today as the gentleman suggested but he personally thought finding the killer would be a bigger peace to the poor dead soul. Kneeling back down, Alfarinn took out the notebook and began writing.

"I have no love for the sun either as I'm sure my complexion would attest to but I have time to finish what I started."

The bite marks, he noticed did not have any form of healing to them at all and while taking chunks out of the flesh negated the full regenerative properties of a vampire's bite there should still be some signs of it trying to work, some half healed places.. but there weren't. So either the killer wasn't a vampire or the person was dead before being eaten. Alfarinn could certainly hope the person did not live through this. Finger marks on the neck showed signs of strangulation so that seemed the likely cause of death.

It was while he was looking at the neck that he noticed a piece of rope cording around it and going into the robes. Carefully he pulled this out and noticed a strange amulet made from what looked like a crocodile's tooth with hieroglyphics on it bearing a title that while he recognized the word, he was not entirely certain as to who it signified.

Alfarinn did not get much chance to think more on it as the visions associated with the object filled his head.

The woman now dead before him coughing and laying in bed with the chills. He got the impression that this went on for several days before she asked for intervention.

He saw a worried looking man leaning over him. The hands that seemed to belong to him shook violently and he felt cold, chilled to the bone.

The worried man's hands reached out and wrapped around his neck. Alfarinn got images more than feelings but this was so strong and so odd that he could not help but feel the sense of strange peace the woman felt as she was strangled.

He shook his head to clear the images and put the amulet safely away in a pouch tied to the belt of his black robe. There was not much more to be seen here, the woman was killed and then eaten, certain parts as he noted with other cases and then left. He knew her to be sick before she died and he had wondered if a few of the others had been ill as well. One victim had his back broken and was left at the bottom of a ravine. It seemed now that these killings were mercy killings and that the cannibals were human..not a vampire at all. A part of him felt a sense of relief, not one of his own and not random killings. He did feel he should continue tracking them down if for no other reason than to understand why they did these things.

"I do not believe it was her wish to be buried. However, if this is your home then I suppose we can move her outside."

He could now turn his curiosity towards the strange man who walked in on him. The comment about not liking the sun peaked his interest and Alfarinn moved closer in order to see him better.

When the stranger spoke, Kem's attention was caught as surely as a rabbit in a snare. The man had tracked a killer here? He hadn't known. If he'd suspected any such person existed nearby he'd have kept an eye on them. Possibly two eyes. He crouched down beside the corpse and gave it a cursory glance, quickly coming to rest back on the stranger's dawn-lit face.

"So, killed by a human, but not you."

He looked back down, to the necklace the pale man had touched. Lifting it gingerly, he wrinkled his nose as he looked at it. "The Devourer," he murmured. "So they still worship the old gods."

Reaching into his mind, he sought to gain an impression from the necklace; every human, he'd discovered, left some kind of 'imprint' of themselves on his or her belongings. On this, though, there was not only an impression of the woman's emotions, but a sense of the stranger as well. The man hadn't held it long enough for it to have that much of an imprint, unless - well, unless he'd done the same thing to it as Kem just did.

Kem's eyes flew up to the stranger in alarm and he could feel what color there was drain out of his face. In all of his years he'd never met anyone who could sense imprints as he did. He'd thought he was alone... could it be that there was someone else in the world who'd been damned as he had?

His hand shook on the necklace and he let go of it, dipping his hand into the sand and scouring it clean with the rough grains. By way of covering up, he began to speak again.

"That symbol is the sign of the Devourer, Ammut, the Eater of Hearts. She is a demon. Her purpose is to consume the souls of the unworthy when they come to be measured against the scales of Ma'at."

Burning with questions he had no way of knowing how to ask, Kem simply sat back on his heels. He'd been rude, and above all things he placed a great deal of importance on manners.

"I pray you may forgive my words earlier. I spoke in haste. You are no killer. At least," he glanced down at the body and gave a dry smile, "not in this case. I would be happy to assist you in finding this killer, should you require my aid. My name is Kem'Raaisu."

Alfarinn looked over in surprise as the other man took the amulet. He was about to caution him against touching it but...too late. He decided the brief time that the stranger held the item was not likely to affect it too badly.

Watching the stranger as he held the object was interesting and when he dropped it quickly into the sand Alfarinn felt he understood why. It was nothing conclusive, perhaps simply reading the name and knowing which deity it was from was enough to make one who might be superstitious, drop it. There was little reason by watching alone to assume that the man had the ability to sense objects but his revulsion while holding it did a little more to confirm such a possibility. Though again, holding an object that was just taken from a corpse might have brought that feeling on all its own... but then why touch it in the first place? Alfarinn decided that his questioning on the reasons could go around in a circular logic that got no where in his head and that it was simply a better idea to gather more information.

He nodded taking in the explanation concerning the amulet. Interesting, but an odd deity to place one's trust in.

The man's name was odd and one would hope not one he was born with but it would be impolite to remark on it. Alfarinn thought it did add to the puzzle of the man though he was not quite sure where.

"While not the most auspicious of beginnings, Well met. My name is Alfarinn Jarlsen."

He stood up slowly and brushed the sand off his robe before leaning over the woman's body and covering it delicately with her head scarf. Turning to Kem, he said.

"Someone more knowledgeable of local customs would be greatly appreciated. I can speak and read the languages of the area but there is only a foreigner's understanding of the ways. Whatever we do will have to be done tonight, I do not wish to travel in the heat of the day, though I will if I must. Shall we leave this area?"

The sun was rising soon and while experience had hardened him in many ways, he could think of better places to spend his sleeping hours than with a corpse. Alfarinn had provisions for his shelter and travel waiting for him but he was curious about Kem and his own "lack of love" for the sun.

Kem inclined his head politely when Alfarinn gave his name. As the taller man stood, Kem made a quick inscription in the sand with his forefinger, laying down the symbols for peace next to an ankh over the woman's head. He circled it with a hasty cartouche and then stood. It would do for now.

Although he burned with curiosity, he endeavored to preserve at least a facade of calm.

"You are welcome to rest a bit from your journey with me," he offered. "However, I cannot provide but a simple way-station and the city itself will no doubt hold more in the way of comforts."

Kem gestured across the trail that led from the city. "The building I stay in was abandoned long ago, but this area was once my home and I would still rather stay here than in the city. I have recently returned to Giza myself, having spent a long time traveling."

The building Kem had appropriated for his own use was indeed old, having been used as a temple once, before the ravages of the wars had reached the small village and killed the inhabitants, or driven them into Giza. In the short time he'd been there he'd done a great deal with it, for he enjoyed his small comforts as well as the next person. Two stories tall, the bottom floor was mostly full of his tools and implements. He'd been spending a great deal of time uncovering the buried hieroglyphs and the beautiful bas-relief fables that were strung along the walls of the small building. Since he required little sleep, he'd put some effort into carefully translating them, assuring that they wouldn't be lost in the sands like an overgrown hourglass. The small rooms on the upper floor of the old temple he'd made comfortable for himself. There were fewer windows in the top as well, and those few were covered at the moment with several hangings he'd gotten in the city. His belongings were simple and few, for Kem's passion was mostly his work as a scribe and translator. He was a collector of artifacts as well, but none of that had made the journey to Egypt with him. His own personal area was scattered with sheafs of music, old texts, and leather-bound journals full of translations he was working on. Kem enjoyed the small building, and even more, his privacy and having his own space.

He turned his attention back to Alfarinn and was once again slightly surprised at the novelty of having to look up, however slightly, to meet someone else's eyes. He lifted a shoulder.

"It is a simple, temporary home for the duration of my stay here," he explained. Then remembering what Alfarinn had said about someone with local knowledge, he shook his head briefly. "As I said, I have been away for some time, but I know a great deal about the area, and its people, that might help explain some of the strange things that have been happening.

"I am a scholar, and not much of a warrior," Kem pointed out, "but this murder disturbs me and I would see no more innocents harmed. If you prefer to continue straight to Giza, I shall meet you at the time and place of your choosing."

Alfarinn nodded and fell in step with Kem before thinking twice about his actions. It would have certainly been safer to come back in the evening instead of placing himself in a strange place with a person he had only just met.

He could just hear Megan telling him all about how impulsive and irrational such a decision was...and further more it could be dirty and hot! Creature comforts mattered to him a little less... only a little, but his curiosity ruled him more than his need for the trappings of civilization.

"I thank you for your hospitality."

Alfarinn hoped that Kem was a vampire as some of the signs suggested or at the very least that he could somehow manage to not look odd avoiding the daylight.

He called the nearest bird that he could find and took a band and smaller container from his robe. On a small piece of paper he wrote instructions for his human retainer that was waiting not too far away with the closed wagon that would have been his conveyance home should it have been needed.

Looking back at his new companion, he smiled.

"I normally keep a bird or two around in order to send messages by. The message will let my friend know that he can return home and not worry about me."

Alfarinn smiled at the offer of aid.

"Your assistance would be most helpful and greatly appreciated."

((OOC: feel free to assume that Alfarinn is walking with Kem should he move to his home in the next thread))

Kem raised his eyebrows slightly when one of the gulls so often seen near the Nile flew easily to the stranger, but made no comment. Alfarinn could very well have trained the bird over the years, particularly if he'd expected to be traveling this way and didn't want to draw undue attention to himself.

Kem led the way back to his temporary home, the all-too-near sunrise putting an energy into his step that wasn't usually there. The mud-brick houses of the abandoned village, half-buried in the dunes, grew thicker until they seemed to run up against the walls of the small temple.

Kem had to duck to get inside, but it was good to be back. He surveyed the inside of the temple wryly, realizing what a mess it must seem, with his tools all over the place. The mats of rushes on the floor needed to be replaced, he thought idly, making his way through the room to the small steps at the back corner.

"An old temple," he explained to Alfarinn as he mounted the steps. "It was built to worship Nut, I believe, but there is also a small shrine to Tefnut below in the back. It's part of a later addition, a well." He gave the other a quick grin. "Part of the reason this place had appeal. There is plenty of water, should you wish to use it. There's no need to go to the river."

They entered into the foremost room, and the larger of the two on the upper floor of the temple. It boasted a small table and a single chair although there was a floor-desk and another rush mat in one corner, where Kem sometimes preferred to scribe by moonlight. He had takem care to patch the few small holes in the roof, and there was a wall-hanging over each of the two small windows, adding a bit of color to the otherwise drab room. The old mud-brick walls had been restored as well, to the best of his limited abilities, and the packed earth kept the room fairly cool, as had been the intent of the original builders. There were several sets of shelves carved directly into the walls, and Kem had made use of these for his few belongings, which consisted mainly of books, scrolls, and the odd souvenir picked up from his travels. He had fashioned a temporary fireplace, and it was to this place he went first, setting up a kettle over a brazier. He only had one refreshment to offer, a particular green tea he'd picked up in his travels and developed a fondness for.

Although he burned with questions, propriety would most certainly win out for now. Kem had already been unaccountably rude once this evening and wasn't about to forget himself again. He'd entertained company enough as a scribe, but that was another thing entirely. This Alfarinn seemed to know a great deal about the area, which was odd for someone so... northern. In addition, he'd left a stronger imprint on the dead woman's necklace than Kem would have imagined possible for someone just touching it briefly.

Kem put those thoughts aside for the moment though. The more important matter was Alfarinn's news of a killer, but even that would have to wait until the other man wished to discuss it. Offering the chair and table to his guest, Kem sat easily in the corner, his back to the cool wall.

"You speak the language of this area quite well," he commented. "That is a rare thing, for the Romans' language became the most widely-used here long ago. I confess, I'm curious as to how you learned it. There can't be very many scholars left who fully understand it."

Alfarinn walked into the temple and looked around with ever increasing interest. The place was well kept and he could see the recent repairs that Kem had made. The scrolls, maps and histories incited his curiosity but he held off from looking them over through an act of will and long ingrained manners.

The tea smelled inviting though he personally would have added something with a bit more kick. That wasn't everyone's ways he understood, though a tall glass of something cool from Zone's cellar back home would have done rather well to wash down the sand and help a person forget the heat.

Alfarinn nodded his thanks and took the chair. His curiosity about his companion returned and he focused on Kem instead of the ancient abode.

"I had the fortune of meeting a old native who had decided to travel. I love languages and scripts so he taught me his and how to read them and I taught him mine."

Alfarinn smiled in remembrance of the old Anantyan Egyptian that had taught him. Though he had sailed this way before, it was Mshai that had really given him an understanding of the languages and writings.

"He found runes to be something of a disappointment by comparison. Though he was pleased with some of our combinations and their complexities."

Taking in the scribe's desk and scrolls and knowing how far from civilization they were, Alfarinn felt he had to at least ask one obvious question.

"My pardon but this seems to be an odd place for a scribe to make a living. They are still much prized in Egypt are they not?"

There was something different about Kem that went beyond his white hair and choice of living space but even Alfarinn wasn't a fool to completely rush in, besides they had plenty of hours to idle away before the sun set again.

((OOC:He's not truly disparaging the tea.. he just has "habits" that would prefer something stronger.))

Kem was heartened by Alfarinn's apparent interest in the topic at hand. He knew he had a tendency to ramble on about his work, and as a result had become slightly self-conscious of doing so over the years. He generally didn't notice when it happened; that is, not until the person doing the listening had developed a distinct glaze across the eyes and begun to fidget in ways that could only mean Kem had delved into a level of scholarly detail that not many others would care to acheive. But then, 800 years will give you a certain patience to explore every detail of a thing.

He couldn't restrain a small smile at the fact that Alfarinn seemed well-educated enough to understand all the nuances of his studies, but he tipped his head a bit and let his white hair fall forward, hiding his expression somewhat.

At Alfarinn's question about scribes in Egypt, Kem thought for a few moments, as was his habit, before answering.

"My travels have taken me out of Egypt for a long time," he finally said. "I am back in Egypt for two reasons. The first is, of course, my desire to see my homeland again. But secondly, in addition to being a scribe, I often work as an excavator of historical artifacts. I have been associated with the University of Bologna in the city-states of Italia for quite some time now, and when my superiors learned I was to travel back here to visit, they impressed upon me their desire to have certain artifacts and knowledge brought back as well. They have supplied me with far more funds than I needed, for I would have agreed even without their help."

Kem watched Alfarinn's face as he continued. "I have received some criticism from my peers, regarding the removal of artifacts from their places of origin, but," he lifted a shoulder in a half of a shrug, "I find I would far rather see them preserved and properly researched than destroyed by time as they inevitably will be otherwise. The only way to preserve knowledge is to have it in the first place, and the only way to gain it is by figuring out the clues the people of the past have left for us."

The kettle over the brazier whistled, and Kem unfolded himself to stand and remove it. Pouring it into two cups, he offered one first to Alfarinn and then took the second, setting the kettle on a fired-clay disk on the table.

"So, my work brings me here for the moment," he concluded, "and although scribes are still very much appreciated in this country, my particular skills and areas of knowledge are also desired elsewhere. The writings I transcribe from the ruins here, I will then put into several different languages at the request of scholars from all over the world. In addition, I seem to have a knack for discovering the past of many of the artifacts we have. I believe that is also why they asked me to come here."

As he sank gracefully back into his corner, his body quite used to standing and sitting from a cross-legged position, Kem regretted he had nothing more to offer by way of refreshment. He just hoped it didn't come up in conversation, for he had no simple way to explain that his dietary needs were somewhat restricted. Wondering if his guest would prefer a different sort of drink, he couldn't help but add,

"I believe there are several tribes hereabouts who still practice the most ancient of brewing techniques. I know the inhabitants of these cities prefer a drink far different than what I enjoy. You might want to try it, if your tastes run that way. Long before any of our peoples had settled in one place, or begun to farm, they still managed to brew fermented drinks."

Kem's eyes glinted with amusement as he added,

"They made them by fermenting meat."

Alfarinn smiled as Kem explained his background, visions of someone who would be a great benefit to Evenhet dancing in his head. He didn't doubt that Evenhet could be a great help to Kem as well, they had not yet amassed the large amount of histories and treasures that Anantya horded in musty vaults away from the prying eyes of everyone else but they were working on it.

"That is wonderful! I'd love to read some of your translations some time."

He smiled and explained.

"I don't work as a translator or scribe very often unless its old Norse but I work for a company that finds artifacts and collects translations and such. If you're ever in need of work perhaps you might care to join us some time. We have a building in Alexandria and the company is Meridian Apex."

Alfarinn accepted the tea with a smile and a nod.

"Thank you."

He took care to drink it regularly but reasonably quickly, as his hands were going to make the cup grow cool far more quickly than it should. At least green tea was still a decent taste cold, unlike the black coffee he sometimes drank.

Listening to the explanation of the fermented beverage he was about to ask its name and then Kem explained what it was made of. He might drink blood but there just seemed something odd to his Northern soul about fermenting something with meat.

"I am willing to try almost anything... at least once."

((OOC: I meant to go more into him having to drink hot stuff quickly in the clan thread where he was drinking coffee but alas, he put it down and seems to have forgotten about it.))

Kem took in Alfarinn's words, as it dawned on him that this company of his could very well be an excellent opportunity. Working for a university was one thing, but the scholars there were ever debating the ethics and morality of excavating ancient sites. Kem had little patience for that; the way he saw it, it was far better to excavate a site, recover the knowledge you could from it, and preserve the artifacts than to have them erode away under your eyes while the entire world dithered away over what the people who lived there would have wanted. For his part, Kem didn't care if things ended up in museums or schools or someone's backyard, as long as they were properly taken care of.

It would be easy to finish his work here and have his findings sent back to Italia, and the few belongings he'd left there sent to Alexandria. It would be refreshing to work among people who had the same outlook as he did.

Even as he pondered that, face alight with possibility, he realized he must be insane. What was he thinking? It had taken him years to get the University scholars to accept the fact that they would never see their most experienced scribe by light of day, and longer still to convince them that it was merely an eccentricity. Why throw that away now and start all over again? How could he possibly explain to Alfarinn or his associates the nature of his infirmity?

'I'd love to work with you, really, but I'm laboring under the effects of an 800 year old curse. Where do you keep the fresh blood?'

Kem realized he was staring bleakly into his half-empty teacup. He mustered up an expression that he hoped looked like enthusiasm.

"This Meridian Apex sounds like an interesting place. If I ever get the time I'd be happy to help out. As it stands my superiors have quite the task-list for me. It could easily be years before I am free."

Even on the best of days Kem was an awkward liar. His words sounded hollow to his own ears. He winced inwardly, wishing not for the first time that he could simply explain the problem to his guest. That would certainly have unwelcome consequences though, and he found himself enjoying Alfarinn's company.

Shaking himself free of that train of thought, he looked at his guest's oddly pale face. The thought briefly crossed his mind that Alfarinn wouldn't be in the least surprised if he told him the truth, but that was likely the result of years of wishing he weren't alone.

Instead of saying something he'd later regret, Kem attempted to redirect the conversation to a topic that wouldn't require him to tell constant falsehoods.

"If you're interested in translations, on the shelf just behind you is my most recent one. I'm nearly finished with it, although I need to double-check a few of the pictographs."

If beating his head against the wall wouldn't have been impolite, Kem would have done so at that moment. The best he could do now was direct a stream of dark thoughts back in time to the man who'd left him this way.

Alfarinn nodded understanding to Kem about his schedule.

"I understand. Sometimes scholars can be the most demanding of businessmen."

He sighed in remembrance of past scholars in his own employ. They seemed to have no concept of things of the outside world, like travel times, translation difficulties...the need to eat and sleep.

" Well I am sure that the company will be here when you are available. Meridian tries to work with the best where possible and works around their schedules and needs, so if your scholars give you some free time and you would like to do a little side work then we would be more than happy to work with you. No pressure of course." Alfarinn smiled "Finding relics and preserving history is part of what I do for the company so I find it exciting, I hope you will forgive any fowardness on my part."

There seemed to be genuine interest in the idea of working with Meridian, unless he was mistaken, so Alfarinn felt that he wasn't being completely rude by continuing to discuss it.

"I would be delighted to see your work."

He stood and turned to the shelf behind him and carefully pulled out the manuscript. Half ignoring the images that came into his mind at touching the unfamiliar object he was struck by one that was interesting.

Kem leaned over the leather bound book writing carefully, intent on his work...by moonlight. The strength of the image suggested that it was a repeated one, something of a habit like getting up each morning and brushing your teeth, holding the toothbrush Alfarinn would see multiple images of the same action at different times laid over themselves showing the continuing nature of the action. This is what he saw in this case though very little changed in the various images. he got a sense of many nights of writing by moonlight.

Alfarinn could think of very few reasons that a scribe would not prefer the golden light of day that would provide a clearer view of the hieroglyphs that needed to be studied carefully in order to make sure you were understanding it correctly. He would admit that the pictographic nature of the Egyptian writing made it in many ways more clear than runes or the Phoenician alphabet that Europe had adopted with its simple line strokes that could be, with just the slightest mistaken mark or smudge, taken for another letter entirely. There still seemed to be more merit to working by daylight...if one was able.

Looking up Kem with the tome still in his lap, Alfarinn smiled and asked, a simple question whose reaction and answer would lead him further into solving the mystery of this pale Egyptian.

"You don't do much work by daylight, do you?"

((OOCermission to sense Kem's stuffs...granted))

You would think 800 years would be a hell of a long time to perfect a lie, Kem thought, caught off guard by the innocent yet insightful question. In retrospect, he wondered how he'd managed to survive this long if anyone wandering by could pick up on his oddities so quickly.

Then again, Alfarinn seemed to know exactly what to ask, which was disconcerting to say the least. His thoughts quickly raced back to the man holding the pendant around the dead woman's neck... Alfarinn must be able to sense things from objects, as Kem did. How else could he know Kem scribed by moonlight?

Belatedly Kem realized he was staring at Alfarinn, with what was undoubtedly a remarkably vacant expression on his face. Expert scribe, historical preservationist, and one hell of a conversationalist too! Kem flailed around mentally for his usual excuse, but most of his good sense seemed to have oozed out of the window with the abrupt question.

Kem finally settled for a shrug, letting his hair fall forward again to conceal his expression as best he could. "Moonlight is far more relaxing than daylight. Particularly in this country, where the light of day is so harsh. Daytime is best spent sleeping in Egypt."

Well, it was true, at any rate. Kem suddenly wished he hadn't been so reclusive over the years. Perhaps then he'd have been a bit more prepared for surprises like this. A bit late to be worrying about it now, but perhaps a lesson to remember in the future...

Alfarinn nodded in understanding and he thought he did understand more than Kem thought he did. He was known quite often for his little leaps of logic and for jumping into things. He could be wrong.. but his confidence doubted it, besides if he was wrong then he would deal with that issue when it came about.

"Yes, the moonlight is lovely but I believe there is probably nothing more beautiful than the sun on the sands of Egypt. It would be a shame not to see that wouldn't it?"

Alfarinn stood and walked to the window,looking at the cloth covered fixture in contemplation. He could ask the man pointed questions, get more round about answers, which he would admit to being the wise course of action when dealing with a stranger, or he could state that he was a vampire and knew exactly what Kem was. The later though could be argued and what if the Egyptian was clanless and did not know what they called their kind? Or simply didn't believe him? He had seen it a few times in his lifetime, a wandering vampire whose maker died or left them. Alfarinn's creator had done that very thing, though she had told him what he was first and where to find one other of their kind.

Making up his mind and gritting his teeth, Alfarinn pulled open the heavy hanging just enough to reach his left hand through and out to the light of the morning sun. He regarded Kem with a look of stoic calm as he felt the blood just under his skin begin to sizzle and burn. It was not more than a minute before he brought his hand back into the room and yet it red and blistered as though it had been set on fire.

Alfarinn held it before him, seeing it start to mend before lifting light grey eyes to Kem. He watched him silently a moment before speaking quietly.

"I would tend to agree though. Daylight is best spent sleeping."

Kem, suddenly feeling a bit like a mouse under the gaze of a hawk, watched helplessly as his guest pulled aside the hanging over the window. There was really no way to ask him not to pull it back without sounding even odder than he already had, and at any rate he was sure the sunlight wouldn't reach to where he sat in the corner.

However, Alfarinn simply stuck his hand outside into the light, watching Kem with an unsettingly calm expression on his face. Kem felt his own eyes grow wide with disbelief as, after less than a minute, Alfarinn withdrew his hand from the light and held it in front of him. It was as red and blistered as if it had burned from the inside out.

"I would tend to agree though. Daylight is best spent sleeping."

Kem was up and out of the corner in an instant, hardly daring to believe but confronted with unfailing evidence. He grabbed Alfarinn's hand carefully, taking care not to disturb the reddened flesh, watching closely as it healed quickly and turning it this way and that. The observant scholar's part of his mind noted the strange coolness of the man's unburned skin while the rest of his attention remained focused on the rapidly healing blisters. Within a few minutes it was as if it had never happened. Alfarinn's hand looked perfectly normal. Pale, but normal.

Kem straightened, letting go of Alfarinn's hand and opening his mouth to speak, but no words came out. It was as if every one of the multitudinous questions he had were trying to push itself out first, and the result was a bottleneck of staggering proportions.

[You're cursed too!]

It was the first thing he thought, but in his mingled excitement and confusion Kem forgot to simply open his mouth and say something. Instead, he forgot himself entirely and his thoughts poured out. It was something like trying to catch water in a cup with a hole in the bottom, but Kem was too shocked to care at that moment.

[I thought I was the only one. I didn't think... that is, I'd heard rumors, but they were mostly fairy tales and stories to scare children by and I never thought, not at all, that I would actually find anyone else besides me who was cursed this way because it's been so long, so incredibly long, and there couldn't possibly be another like me, cursed and left to wander...]

He did finally catch himself, reeling in his errant thoughts and processing what he'd just seen again, running it over and over in his mind. He'd imagined that someday he might just meet someone who suffered the same way he did and in that scenario he always knew what questions he'd ask them. Now that the reality stood right before him though, he floundered. The only thing he could wrap his mind around now was that one pervading thought that had plagued him for the last several centuries.

He stared into Alfarinn's eyes, still afraid it was some kind of joke.

"I'm not alone..."

Half-statement, half-question, it was the only thing he could come up with. He crossed his arms across his chest to hide the shaking of his hands and simply waited to find out what happened next.




((ooc: Permission granted to get grabby!))

Kem had jumped up so quickly and taken his hand that Alfarinn had little time to reflect on the relief he felt about being right in his leap of faith. Well, he guessed he was going to live a little longer.. no crazed human was going to push him out of a window today.

Instead he had a vampire who seems to have been under the impression that he was alone in the world...and cursed. Alfarinn chuckled at the thought of that. Sometimes he believed as much himself and certainly he had wondered what fate the gods had in store for him in the beginning. Still his ways and people believed more in fate and less in curses, so Alfarinn had simply accepted his lot as something that was meant to happen. He had hoped his being immortal had been for a great cause and when he had met Ida, he had thought he was right.

Alfarinn pushed all that aside and concentrated on the man in front of him, a sender, it would seem. It would have shocked him more to have a stranger in his head if it hadn't happened so fast that he had to concentrate more on listening to what Kem sent than the newness of the connection.

His heart went out to the man in front of him, as distant as he had become( or tried to at any rate ) there was no denying the loneliness that he felt from Kem. He wondered how long the man had wandered believing he was the only one of his kind. What a horrible way to exist, to believe that you would live forever alone watching everyone around you die, that no one could possible understand your troubles and strange feelings and abilities, Alfarinn could imagine only part of that and what little personal experience with such a solitary misunderstood state was enough to make him shudder to think what the man in front of him had been through.

He smiled gently and shook his head.

"No, you are not alone."

Stepping back to the seat, Alfarinn sat down once more and looked thoughtfully at the window.

"There are more of us than people believe. If you would come with me tonight I can explain more and show you. Kem, you need never be alone again."

((OOC: Kem's feelings with permission.))

Kem was still trying to assimilate the fact that after eight centuries, he had finally found someone who was the same as he. Then Alfarinn's words truly hit and he blinked with stunned surprise.

"There are still more? More like us?"

He let that thought wander where it may, and as it meandered through his mind he came to another realization. "If there are more just like us, then there is no... undoing. No solution." He tried to find the right word, and when he spoke again his voice was flat. "No cure."

Kem already knew what the answer would be. He wanted to pound his fists against the wall at that, to scream as he first had upon discovering the nature of his punishment, but he knew what futility that was. He set his face into a mask of resolve. So be it. Better to live a half-life with others who knew what it was like, than to remain alone indefinitely. For all he knew he couldn't die, and he would have lingered in this state, alone forever, if not for meeting Alfarinn.

He couldn't countenance being alone. He was half-crazed already with the stress of constantly hiding who and what he was, the confusion of not even knowing himself exactly what he was. Alfarinn was offering him the thing he sought most, answers. More than that, though, he trusted this man, and he thought perhaps Alfarinn's offer meant safety as well. Kem was tired of running, tired of hiding, and tired of lying.

His face slowly went from resolve and determination to a more relaxed acceptance. He sighed. Oh, he was excited to know he wasn't alone in the world, but there had been a part of him that had truly hoped to be free of this curse.

Kem shook his head. Enough of that. You are being offered answers and information, he told himself sternly, and that is exactly what you've looked for for all these years. Take them with thanks and move forward.

He ran a shaking hand through his silver hair, thoughts slowly coming to rest for the time being. He looked at Alfarinn again, still amazed at the similarity - as if he'd looked into a still pool and seen a paler version of himself.

"I will help you find the killer you seek. And I will come with you, wherever you think I can be of use. I want... I need to learn more. I - would like to learn how to understand others again, and I would like to understand what I am as well. I have been too long alone."

Even as he spoke, he couldn't hold back the bitterness he still harbored over his making, the sense of complete loss he'd felt when he realized he'd been thrown into a whole new world without even a hint as to how to survive in it. Answers, he reminded himself, taking a deep, steadying breath. You will have your answers now.

"I thank you, too. I will be forever grateful to who or whatever determined that our paths should cross."

Alfarinn smiled at Kem.

"Yes fate has shown me many interesting things in my long life. It is good that we have come together. Tonight I can ask some others to continue the search now that I know they are human. We can head back to Alexandria while others continue on the trail, some of my people will be able to look both night and day. They will send word when they've found more for us to follow."

His eyes drifted closed a moment, letting him know that he would be useless for conversation soon.

"We'll have a long ride ahead of us then if you're willing."

((OOC: kind of quick, but out and will start the other one))