Fortitudo dragged his feet along the road in a slow and mournful way, he slowly counted the minutes until sun rise and the burning death that would end his life in a ball of fire. Three hours and twenty minutes until the end all he could do to pass the time was sit on a cold bench in a seamanly desolate place in Demaitre. The only company was the painful memory of last month.

Richard was not dead that had brought him much joy to end the sadness, but Richard was not about to forgive Fortitudo that easily for the killing of defenseless mortals. Fortitudo's shoulder still hurt from when Richard punched him with his black titanium gauntlet. Richard was so angry Fortitudo was sure Richard was going to kill him, but luckily for Fortitudo he still held back.

The memory of how Richard forced his teaching back into Fortitudo in a much more brutal way then the first time Richard thought him caused Fortitudo so much pain he started to cry a quiet and unheard way. Even if he did cry out loud there was nothing to hear him not even a bird, it seamed death had scared away all life from Fortitudo as to make his last moments as horrible as it could.

Then the memory of the happiness of when Richard first thought Fortitudo came up and made it all worse. He had been so happy that Richard finally turned him and while Richard took him all over the world. Every time Richard had some sort of mission or test Fortitudo worked himself to death just to impress Richard, now it was all gone, all lost with no hope of redemption.

The sword Fortitudo won in a tournament right in front of Richard was still on Fortitudo back remembering the joy he had when he won made Fortitudo unsheathe it and throw it as far as he could down the street almost four blocks if the hour had been happier Fortitudo would be proud but the hour was full of inescapable sadness. Quickly Fortitudo sat back down and checked his watch only three hours now. All that was left was to wait.

Andriette walked by and read the vampire's troubled mind,"I don't know that Richard would appreciate you killing yourself. He seemed to care about you."
Andriette put her hands into her overcoat pockets, and walked down the street.
The sword that he'd thrown, fell in front of him,"... and you shouldn't throw pointed objects at the trees."

Th approach of another was strange, but some one who knew about Richard this must be a dream. The sun had already claimed him and his is what the after-life was like. It was a lot like the real world. He looked up at the other immortal "how do you know Richard?"

Andriette stopped,"Richard was with me only the other day." She looked at him,"How many mortals did you kill Fortitudo?"

"What do you mean with you?" As far as Fortitudo knew Richard didn't ever have sex with anyone, Fortitudo hopped that she didn't mean what thought she ment. "I killed too many."

"He helped me out of a rough spot, after a couple vampires attacked me." Andriette shook her head about Fortitudo's comment on the killings."So you'll kill yourself over the deaths?"

"No I would kill my self because Richard my sire and trainer doesn't favor me or even hates me. I thought he was dead once, but now that he is alive I am happy and sad because he hates what I have become." A few tears started to roll down Fortitudo's face yet he didn't cry out loud.

Andriette looked at her feet, What would Nicolas think of me? Of how cold I have become?. "I think I understand how you might feel."Andriette sat on the bench with him,"I don't have my sire anymore, I only had him for the first fifty or so years. My life revolved around him, his whims made the descisions for my life. I'm not sure he'd appreciate what I've become. After his death, I became quite the little murderer, I followed wars and fed off the pain and despair of others." Andriette looked at the cracked cement below her black boots,"I don't think either of us would impress our masters very much."

"True. Also we are nothing with out sires we wouldn't even be immortal." Now that Fortitudo started to think about it he would still choose this life over living as a mortal. "Our pain will be eternal because we are immortal."

"We have forever to hurt, or we can choose to live as well as we are able to." Andriette stood."As much as we may have disappointed our sires, we aren't bound to follow them forever. We are able to make our own desicions." The blond girl stood and turned back the way she'd come from. Until we meet again...

"You are right in a way, but Richard and I have been though more than you can imagine." He was a little frustrated she was going to persuade Fortitudo to not kill himself and it was just a matter of time until till she did. "So how did you disappoint you sire?"

"I let him be killed." Andriette's formerly comforting voice turned cold, talking about her sire always managed to hit a raw spot." He was my only true ally, for 52 years we hunted together. He showed me every trick he knew, he was my teacher, friend, and even my lover at times."
Andriette hung her head," The rest of his fledglings rebelled one night, I was in his coffin with him. If I hadn't been there he would have sensed them, he would have punished them. Instead I had to kill them all, all twenty-three."

"Wow that is horrible, but Richard was trainer for over 440 years and now he s me." Fortitudo stood up too. "I guess since I can still regain my sire's trust I shouldn't kill my self."

"It'd be a horrible thing to waste such a life as ours, we have the capacity to grow and forgive..."Andriette touched a flustered hand to her neck, where a small silver pendant hung."...and even to love." She looked up into the night sky and sighed,"Now look what you did. Made me go all dreamy eyed again." She laughed and turned to the other vampire.

"Sorry if I made you cry. By the way that is your name? We have been sharing very sanative subjects and I don't even know your name. I am Fortitudo Dei." Fortitudo said with a smile the night was nearing an end. He checked his watch only about one hour left until sunrise. "I think we should go soon unless you want to be ashes." His smile left his face.

The vampiress smiled,"Andriette.",in the blink of an eye the girl was gone.