The Beginnings (mature)

The city of Rome was currently unlike all the postcards and pictures that depict the place. Gloomy, overcast, there was just enough rain to destroy the tourism that would normally enthrall the city. The streets were empty. Only a few people were bundled up, heading about on business that could not wait for the storm to pass. Daedalus was among them, A simple black travelers cloak covering his clothes and the hood his head. As always, or at least the past few centuries, his pace was slow, almost restricted. He avoided a large puddle that had formed in the cobblestone, the edges frosting ever so slightly at his passing. He noticed the ice that had started to form, and let out a sigh, consciously trying to pull the cold in. Bad enough to be exiled from his clan, hi didn't need humans to notice and start hunting him as well. With another deep breath, he continued toward the city center, not certain if he would find anything that might pertain to his past.

From her seat in the limo, Aelia admired the gloomy city of her birth. She so enjoyed rainy days because she could go outside during the day without her hood up and sunglasses on. Rome, even on a bad day, was still breath taking, but her eyes saw a different sight. She saw crowds of people rushing to open markets, Legion soldiers patrolling around the city, and noble patricians in their dyed robes riding on horseback so they would avoid the common people. Sighing, she left her vision of the past and returned to the present. The limo had halted and the door was opened for her. Grabbing her Gucci bag, she stepped out onto the streets. She thanked her driver and informed him to return in 4 hours time. He nodded, got back in the car, and drove away. She began to walk towards her destination, the Galleria Alberto Sordi, when something caught her eye. Across the street was a puddle, yet frost touched its edges. Odd, as it was summer. Looking around, she saw nothing except for a few people. One stuck out to her as not being a native. A man wearing a traveling cloak. To the eye, he appeared normal, but his scent betrayed him. She knew not what this man was, but he was not human nor vampire like her. The mall could wait. This was worth a quick investigation.

Daedalus continued to walk toward the city center only taking slight notice of the limousine as in came to a rest not that far from him and let out someone, presumably a celebrity or pseudo-noble, before heading on its way. The limousine splashed water as it went passed dousing his side. Daedalus barely noticed though. The rain had already made his clothes fairly damp and, cliche as it was, coldness hadn't bothered him in centuries. He did brush his left arm as he walked, removing the few water droplets that had started to crystallize, despite his best efforts to hold it in. He pulled his hood down even farther over his face trying to make himself even less conspicuous. He had centuries to do what he needed, and has been doing so for several already, but it is easiest if he can be unseen.

She noticed it. It was slight, and only for a few seconds, but she saw the crystals of ice form from the water that landed on him. She would have to have a word with her driver later as that was just rude. However, this was a more pressing matter. She tried to rack her brain for a manner of creature that could freeze things just by proximity, but none came to mind. She saw him go through the motions of hiding himself even more. She continued to follow him, taking note of his pace. It was very slow, as if walking to him took a lot of effort. She knew they would be coming up on a street that was rarely visited on rainy days. She would have her question answered there.

Daedalus felt the prickling on his neck, that feeling he had come to associate with being followed. The rain had cleared the streets, and practically anyone bothering to be on foot was in a great rush. Everyone except the pseudo-noble. The slight slight curve in the road allowed him to look behind without to much extra head movement and she was still behind him. Normally this wouldn't be a trigger, except she wasn't overtaking him at all. With his pace caused by his, uh, difficulties, even without being in a hurry she should have passed him already. No, she was purposefully staying behind him. It looked like this trip wasn't going to be as easy as he wanted. When he approached an alley on the side of the street, Daedalus took a deep breath and started to exhale a thick mist before darting at a near run to the alleyway.

She noticed the moment he realized that she was following him. Aelia was impressed that he even noticed. The mist that came out of his mouth had surprised her. Her vision was clouded, but she could still make out his footsteps and his exotic scent. She darted into the alley after him, speeding up once she was out of sight of the nearby mortals. She ran around him and stopped in front of him, blocking him from the other side of the alley. "Now is that any way to greet someone?" Aelia said smoothly, turning up her allure to try and calm him.

Daedalus was shocked when the woman darted out in front of him with such ease. He knew that his limbs weren't the best for fast movement, but even so she shouldn't have been able to react so fast. He was backing up, looking around for a possible way out, when she spoke. Naturally, Daedalus glanced at her when she talked, and suddenly found it difficult to look away. He was unsure if it was true compulsion, her stunning looks, or some combination, though it really didn't matter. He could feel his body easing up as it began to lust, but his mind was still mainly unaffected. "Then don't follow" he said, his voice slow and calculating, lifting his head to reveal his ancient eyes.

Aelia took one look into his eyes and saw the history that danced in them. This man was ancient, perhaps as old as she. He resisted the allure well, but none could resist forever. She kept it beating at a steady pulse, enough to keep his attention away from hostility. "Can't help it. When I see something that I like, I just have to pursue it, and you are a mystery to me, which makes you intriguing. Tell me, stranger, just what are you? You're scent is unique." She emphasized that by inhaling deeply, "Cold snow and spice. Divine. Over 2,000 years of life, and I have smelt nothing like it."

Daedalus was in conflict with himself. This woman had a calming presence to her and a physique that would make any human male stutter, and even his heart was starting to skip. Yet at the same time, he was trying to be wary of her. His scent was unique? And over two millennia? If that was true, she would be older by at least five hundred years. Against his better judgement, Daedalus chose to answer. "Phoenix." He continued to look at her, his gaze extending the same question she had just asked him.

"A phoenix, how exciting! I have only read about your kind, although the stories I've read mention them setting things on fire, not freezing them. you must be unique among your kind." She said, her curosity only growing instead of being sated. She could tell by the gaze in his eye that he wanted to know what she was as well. She figured indulging him would be her best way to find out more about this stranger. "I am a vampire. Now, tell me, how did you become as you are? A cold phoenix does sound a bit.....odd." She asked, using her allure to make her words not seem cruel as she truly was just curious. She did not want to risk offending him.....yet.

A Vampire? Daedalus grew wary at the mention of her race. He had never met one before and only going off the stories, nothing good can ever come out of this meeting. Best to keep her talking. If she is interested in me, then the odds of survival is much higher. "I was born of the flames. I know not why." He did not elaborate any further, and looked slightly disappointed at her lack of knowledge. Wary as he was, she was still old enough to have known something he did not.

"How fascinating! To be born of fire and turn into ice. I have never heard anything like it." Aelia said, trying to search her brain for any reference. She had read several books on the other mythical creatures of the world, but the Phoenix was a very rare one indeed. "What brings you to Rome, friend?" She asked, trying to learn more of his objectives. This place was still her territory, after all, and another creature here, fascinating as he was, meant potential danger.

""Yes, very." His voice held the interest of almost eight hundred years of the same thing, in other words, almost none. "I came for facts. Your age made you a good source, but it's another dead end." He turned around and made to walk away, looking ever so slightly over his shoulder to see if she made to follow.

She was impressed that he even managed to turn away from her. This one was getting more interesting by the second. However, he had no right to leave her presence just yet. "I would not walk away just yet. I have not decided if you are friend or foe, and you are the intruder here. You consider me a dead end for facts, yet you have asked me no questions. Is it right to expect me to divulge everything I know to one I have just met? You can, at minimum, escort me on while I complete my tasks today." She told him, walking smoothly to stand next time. She felt the icy chill that clung to him, but cold had not bothered her dead flesh for a very long time. She held out her arm, the skin pale and flawless even in the gloomy light, and waited for his response.

Daedalus gave her a slight glare, trying to decide on what exactly he should do. It has been years, centuries actually, since he had visited Rome. By being her escort, He would be able to learn more about the city, and possibly other sources of information, though he doubted she needed it. You do not make idle threats if you cannot back them up. He looked at her for a few more moments before letting out a sigh and moving to take the arm of the vampiress. "If you insist, I shall. As for my question, You simply answered before I asked."

Aelia smiled warmly at him, glad that she didn't have to force him to do anything. She did not trust that she could with him. She knew not the power of phoenixes, but she did not want to test it. "I said that I did not know anything off the top of my head, darling. I do, however, have contacts and connections that spread across the entire world, and most of them are in this lovely city." She told him. She lead them back to the sidewalk, turning to the direction she had originally been going. "Honey, I understand that you wish to fade away, but, next to me, that is just impossible. Might as well lower that hood so I can get a better look at you." She said, taking the nicer route instead of just pulling it down herself. Then again, it wasn't very hard for her to get men to remove any piece of clothing.

Daedalus let out another sigh, knowing that she was right about the hood. The few people on the streets almost always look in their direction, and he did stand out next to her by being locked up. Almost resentfully, he reached back to his hood, revealing his striking ice-blue hair. His markings were starting to show, a sign of him repressing his coldness, though they had yet to truly glow. "Very well. I am trying to see what, if anything, is wrong with me, and how to fix it." He focused on walking slightly faster so that she did not have to slow to a crawl because of him.

"Why should something have to be wrong with you, love? Yes, I have never heard of an ice phoenix before, but that doesn't make you an anomaly." Aelia said, not liking how he felt about himself. She knew what it was like, growing up a woman in ancient Rome, to be counted out and thought lesser of, and she despised it. She found his hair to be quite striking, as did the people around them. She just turned her allure up even more to make sure their attention was on her and not him, although she was sure he would feel the effect as well. She figured he would prefer lusting over her then thinking about how other people were staring at him. She also final noticed just how much the coldness must be affecting him. She had seen that he walked slowly, but now she was seeing just how jerking and uncomfortable it must be for him.

Again, he felt his heart start to pound, and his eye's slipping to the side. She really was attracting attention, and from everyone. "Because I wasn't born this. It happened at eight hundred." He felt his gaze slip even more, and he had to consciously pull himself away before continuing. "I know not how you came to be, but you may have garnered similar thoughts when you turned."

"My making was a violent affair that I care not to discuss." Aelia said sharply, not caring for the rush of hatred that filled her blood. The sudden rush of emotion made her allure flair violently, forcing her to reel it in quickly before she cause a scene. All these years, and she still felt the same burning anger that she felt for her maker when she was under him. However, she forced herself to calm immediately, as it was not.......oh my, she just realized that she hadn't even learned this man's name. "I've not even introduced myself, how rude of me! I am Aelia Valerius, although in this day and age, I go by Aelia de Clermont. Feel free to call me Madame de Clermont, or just Aelia. I would prefer the latter." She informed.

Daedalus gave a slight nod at her, understanding the trauma that can be associated with such events. His mind shifted back to his home, the Sanctuary of the Firebirds, and how he cannot return. His exile, much like her turning it seemed, was still fresh in his mind, despite the centuries that have past. Lost in thought, he almost missed her introduction, but was able to catch the majority of it. Meeting her eyes, he responded in kind. "Daedalus Miron. Demitri to young ones."

"Daedalus, I like it." Aelia said, seeing that the name fit his clearly Greek features. The Galleria was not far from where they were walking, and, even at the current pace, they arrived in decent time. The place was not as packed as it would have been on a normal summer day, but people still darted in between stores. Aelia had the visit some of the clothing stores here and discuss options for releasing her new line of dresses that she had finished designing. As one of Rome's upscale shopping centers, this was a key location for her business. "Thank you, again, for accompanying me. I do so enjoy having someone to talk to. However, you look like you could go for some new clothes. The black robed traveler doesn't quite suit you." She told Daedalus, eying him from head to toe.

Daedalus glanced down at his cloak. It wasn't new, in fact this one was in his possession for almost forty years, but neither was it tattered or worn. He made an effort to take care of his human clothes, longed lived as he was, and this one only looked about five. As he raised his head, he noticed the look she was giving him. Her eyes had this slight glint to it, akin to an artist at his muse, or, perhaps more appropriate, a wolf on the hunt. "I don't have a choice, do I." He ended with a sigh, preparing to be whisked away by Aelia.

"You are a fast learner!" Aelia proclaimed, her musical laughter ringing from her chest. She lead him to her store, Bellezza Eterna, where she sold only clothes designed by her. She had expanded her operation to include mens clothing decades ago. Best business decision she had made. She had it all, from suits to even underwear. While she specialized in high-end couture, she understood the necessity of functionality. She took him to her selection of durable yet still fashionable clothing options. "Let's see, with that hair and those gorgeous eyes of yours, you would do well in darker blue. Will make them pop so much more. Hmmmmm." She began, grabbing different shirts, some pants, and some other options that would fit him. She made sure to pick thicker fabrics to help him stay insulated, which was something she assumed he would appreciate. She may had gone a wee bit overboard when she started picking out undergarments, but she was in her element. "Okay. Now, we go to the back for fitting. Come along, dear!" She said, pointing to wear they were going.

Daedalus stared at the ever growing pile of clothing, wondering what exactly it was that he had gotten into. Though he also realized, he really didn't have a choice. This was her territory, both the city and the store, and there wasn't much he could could influence. However, he had a practicality to him, and this shopping trip was turning into the acquisition of a full wardrobe. He finally was able to speak as she started to grab undergarments for him. "Listen. I don't need all this. I barely stay as a human. And I definitely do not need you picking out underwear for me." He didn't make any move to head in the indicated direction.