It was not hard for Jada to find the coven of the Nephim in thier hiding place. She could sense them there and upon seeing the rundown church she found it immediately charming and perfect for the lovers of the shadows that the Nephim were. She stood outside for a few minutes, not in fear, merely letting herself be known to any that lie within and preparing herself for whatever lay ahead. Jada doubted that she would be met offensively, but one could never be sure.

With slow, deliberate steps Jada approached and entered the church. She smiled to herself as she walked through the old, partially decaying doors and saw what lay within. As a mortal, Jada had lived a life of luxury and exuberance, but as a creature of the night, this was what she loved. Silence and darkness met her as the doors slammed shut behind her. Scanning the shadows, her eyes had no trouble making out the old church. The little light shown was what filtered through stained glass windows, giving the room an interesting tint. Detecting no movement, Jada called out to the darkness.

"I come bearing no harm," she stated first to reassure any that she came peacefully, "Who is leader here?"

Jada sighed and seated herself on a pew about midway down the aisles. Town to town, she always sought out the Nephim coven since her own weakness and strengths were characteristic of their clan. Sitting in the silence and shadows, her mind travelled back to many different cities and times and many different building just like the one she found herself in now.

Colton was reading. Little Celeste was with him, and he was enjoying their newly acquired and limited time together. She was nearly four now, though she wasn't as little as she used to be, and had thinned out and grown out, resembling her lanky uncle more than her portly mother. Colton could hardly see his sister left in the child, and that pained him. Celeste was all he had left of Codi.

"No! I want you to read Harry Potter! Michelle was reading it and it was funny and really awesome!" She was starting to pick up on older Michelle's vocabulary, and seemed more Californian-girl-esque than her little three year old self. Did they always grow up this fast?

"Celeste, would you calm down and sit for a minute? I'm trying to find the right page! Be patient!" Colton had very little control over her now a days, as Celeste was becoming a heathen of a child. Stephen let her do whatever she wanted. He bought her whatever she wanted. All she wanted was attention, not goodies and treats, and that was the only thing Stephen never gave. That's why she started running away. The police called Colton on many a night, asking if Celeste had made her way to his apartment. The answer was always no, but Colton knew where to find her. She made her way to the very same church he called a sanctuary.

"Uncle Colton, are you gonna make me go home after this?" Celeste possessed all the same cutesy tricks she had had since birth; her puppy dog face was a piece of art, and she used it flawlessly to her advantage. Colton sighed, and nodded slightly. She whined and griped for a few minutes before Colton cleared his throat and attempted to boom over her, the candle beside him quivering in the release of his breath.

"The Boy who Lived," he started. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly nor--"

The door of the church flung open, and the wind that was held behind it rushed into the hall. The candle flickered out, and Celeste clung to Colton's knee from where she had been sitting on the floor, just in front of the first of the pews. They sat silently.

The woman called out, and Celeste, terrified, buried herself further into Colton's calf. The man slid the open book onto the seat of the pew and stood. "I am."

Celeste, understanding very little of what was going on, remained in hiding, protected by the tall, scrawny man, who had more power than he knew what to do with, though very little of it could help take her away from the man she hated, but who she trusted with all her little life.

Jada was pulled out of quiet remembrance by a voice answering her call. She smiled warmly at the lanky man who spoke, though such a smile was not truly her nature.

She could sense a human child behind him and did not wish to put this man on the offense, especially if he was the coven leader. Jada had found that people, human and vampire alike, could be very protective of weaker beings they cared for. This was not truly something she understood having never experienced those feeling over something or someone before.

"So you are leader of this place?" She reiterated her previous question while looking him up and down a bit. He did not to appear to be very old in human or vampire years, something that Jada found a bit unusual but would not question now. Answers would come in time if she sought them, but she did not truly care.

"My name is Jada, I align myself with the Nephim and I wonder if I may join here while I am in this city," She told the man, approaching him and yet keeping her distance at the same time, "I do not know how long I shall remain here though."

In the stillness of the church, a slight breeze blew through, causing Jada's formal english dress to rustle and swirl about her ankles. She looked like a ghost from another era standing there in the decrepit church.

Staring down at her own pale skin, Jada wondered if the child was perhaps frightened of her. The girl seemed to be mortal and she wondered how much the child knew of what lay around her.

Standing a few feet from the man, Jada smiled as welcomingly as possible awaiting his reply to her request. It was her nature for her smiles to be much more sly or seductive but upon meeting coven leaders she always attempted to show that she truly meant no harm or deception, using a kind of warmness that was rare to her.

Jada's thoughts returned to the girl again as she thought to add a question to her previous request, "Is it alright for these matters to be conducted in the presence of the child?" She did not question his decision if he did not care, she simply did not know if he thought it proper.

Colton nodded, reaffirming his previous statement. He said no more. Before Jada even mentioned little Celeste, he was aware of the situation. He hoisted up the child, supporting her with one arm, and letting her cling to him. Celeste buried her face into his shoulder. She wasn't normally this shy. In fact, Colton was amazed that the girl hadn't even commented on the pretty gown the older woman wore. He had his theories as to why she seemed more cautious of people, but most of the blame was laid squarely on Celeste's biological father. Colton loathed the man. He could only assume that Celeste figured everyone was out to take her back to Stephen, and that's why she feared the strangers she used to love showing off for.

"The covens are world wide... Joining here means you'll be joining the Nephim all across the globe. No matter where you travel to, there are refuges for any of the covens." Colton repeated to her just what he had learned from Jason, what Jason had learned from Nicodemus, what Nico must have learned from the leader before him... Colton offered a small smile. "It's kind of binding. You sure about this?"

He did stiffen slightly as she continued approaching. Colt was very helpless here, alone and carrying around a child in need of his protection. It was made obvious that he was a vampire, and her a mortal, in the contrast of their skin tones and their breaths. Celeste looked flushed with the cold that emanated off her uncle's body, and he breathing, though slower now, came at regular intervals. His breathing had stopped entirely.

He shifted his position, making it seem like he needed to get a better grip on the girl, when all he really wanted was a buffer. He stepped back slightly, with shuffling steps that masked his true motive near perfectly. He didn't show his unease. To be quite honest, he was the world's biggest coward when it came to dealings with vampires. But this was different. It was a girl, and somewhere in his head, he still believed that, though some women could definitely beat his scrawny ass into the ground, they were more likely not to. They were also more likely to trip over long, flowing dresses on the way to an attack, and Colton had comfort in knowing that this newcomer was wearing just such a dress.

At her concern of Celeste, he smiled. "Trick from my sire." He let Celeste flop over into his awaiting arm, and held her across his chest, exposing the fact that the girl was fast asleep. "Mind trick. She won't remember anything, and she won't wake up till... Tomorrow." He said the final word with hesitation; dread, perhaps, was a better term for the reverence in his voice. She'd be back with Stephen tomorrow.

Colton laid Celeste down on the pew behind him, and stood to face the woman, keeping Celeste just out of her reach. "So... You still wanting to join?" The only sound in the church, save his soft, husky voice was the sound of a little girl, sleeping and dreaming of playgrounds and mothers that were long gone from every place but dream world.

Jada listened to Colton's response and nodded in acceptance of his words.
"I have lived amongst the Nephim everywhere I have lived at all since my death, so I supose that I am already a part," she explained herself a bit, "I find that the leaders in each town seem more at ease if you ask their permission though."

The vampiress nodded to Colton as he explained what he had done with the child. Mesmerism tricks were not new to her and she wondered why she had not realized it already. Watching Celeste sleep peacefully, she smiled. It was sincere and caught Jada off guard. She quickly replaced it with a cold sort of impassiveness.

When Jada approached the coven leader she noticed the air around him tense and thought that she saw him body grow stiff. He obviously did not trust her, but she did not blame him nor did she mind at all. Her lips curved mischeviously at the knowledge that she could still easily instill fear in a man's heart...a dead one's at that. She had no intentions of playing games with his apprehension of her, but Jada could not help the sly smile that would surely only further cause the man to distrust her.

"This church is quite lovely," she told him appraisingly, "what are the rules and living situation like here?" Jada doubted they would be anything that she could not comply with or that would turn her away from this place, but she found it neccessary to ask anyway.

((Sorry if it does not seem very long. Most everyones' posts here seem to be much longer than mine but I can't really fix that without making mine seem superfluous. I hope content makes up for length though.))

Colton nodded. "The town sects like to know how many members they're receiving. I have all the numbers downstairs somewhere..." Colton's eyes glazed slightly, leaving a blank expression on his face. He was lost in thought, probably calculating how much more work he had on his hands. Too much, he seemed to decide, and it was back to the present for him.

Colt noticed her smile. He hated it the moment he saw it, too, and wasted no time in shooting her a sarcastic glance, almost daring her with his eyes. 'Come on, I dare you to try it. I dare you to lay a finger on her, and escape with whatever life you have left in you,' they said. His posture did not reinforce his eyes. The lanky Nephim leader didn't look like he could win a fight with a feather, let alone another vampire. But his determination and his paternal instinct were enough to let her know that he'd not let her get the better of him.

"Yea... It's better if the coven hall is inviting... Makes people want to visit more often. To stay..." He said nothing more, but proceeded to pick up his little girl carefully, leaning her over his shoulder slightly. "Follow me." He walked towards the back of the church, carrying his niece with ease. The Harry Potter book remained on the pew, open and unread.

Colton pushed open a door with his foot, and carefully stepped down the stairs. One by one, thud by thud, down, down, down until his footfall hit something solid. The floor. The earth. The tunnel. There was no electricity, and there was no light. His eyes were accustomed to this, and he continued onward, listening for her following steps, but not glancing back. "These are the catacombs. All doors without lit candles are available to newcomers, if you wish to stay here. Colton disappeared around a corner, with one lit candle gleaming in the darkness. He opened the door, and stepped inside. A small room, completely messy, with clothes flung everywhere and papers and books strewn over the bed. Colton pushed those aside, and laid little Celeste down, tucked her in, and walk right out again, shutting his door behind him.

"Most vampires live in the nearby apartments, but you never know when a room here comes in handy." He smiled slightly, aware now that she didn't even know his name. "I'm Colton. I guess I'll be the first to welcome you to Demaitre, and to the Nephim." He offered only a small smile. No hand, no other introduction. Just a small, well-worn smile.


((Content is all that matters. I admit, my posts are a bit superfluous, as well as a lot of people's posts on this site. It's a habit we all never want to break, because we love over exaggerating the detail. ^_^ Bear with me!))

Jada watched the leader go into a daze as he spoke. She considered what it was that drew his attention from the present moment and wondered if it perhaps had to do with the child sleeping soundly in the pew near him. Her curiosity caused her to contemplate what possible relationship they had, her being obviously mortal and he the leader of a coven, but Jada knew better than to ask. She had no intentions of invading into anyone heres private lives, including his.

The look that clearly showed disdain to the stranger standing before him and taunted her to even try whatever was on her mind did not phase Jada in the least. On the contrary, she had expected it. Vampires rarely took being challenged very lightly and she was not oblivious to the fact that her smile held a mocking tone in its cockiness. She merely shrugged it off mentally and let her posture relax perhaps even more so that it had already been, returning to her original intentions of making it clear to the man that she meant him no harm.

As Colton spoke of the church, Jada let her eyes once again take in all the details of it. The building itself seemed sound, though not everything in it did and there was a rather impressive layer of dust covering quite a bit of the exposed surfaces.

This is so very much the classic vampire lair, she mused inwardly as she trailed delicate fingers over the pew closest to herself, the sound of her long shining nails almost audible in the silence of this unholy, holy place.

Hearing his command to follow, Jada followed the man through a door and down a number of stairs. She could feel herself descending into the earth and she welcomed the coolness of the air that greeted her. In this place where the sun had never shown, she found herself feeling quite comfortable. Though there was nothing but blackness around her, Jada had not trouble navigating herself down the stair and onto the ground below. Between the footsteps she was told to follow and what her eyes could see, being so trained to the darkness, she found that any lighting would have been uneccessary and perhaps of even invaded on the peace she felt now.

As the man explained the living situation here, she just listened, surveying the hallway as he spoke. Jada waited patiently as he placed the human child in the safety of what she could only assumed were his own quarters, then smiled as he introduced himself. This smile however was not mocking of fake, just a bit tired and happy to be somewhere where she felt at home once again.

"As I have said, Colton, my name is Jada and I thank you for allowing me to join you all here," she introduced herself again continued, "I supose an apartment may be handy just in case, but I shall most likely be spending most of my time here." Taking a deep breath and reaching out a hand to touch the cool walls lovingly she added, "Yes, I think I will fit in just fine with here and as a nephim."

And it was the perfect vampiric lair. Built half a century ago, it was modeled off of old English churches, gothic in style and impressive for the then tiny town it was planted in. But impressive as it was, the size had not been large enough to sustain all the churchgoers, and it was left to rot. There's a funny thing about that, though. The old stone walls could crack and crumble, dislodge and turn to dust, but they would not rot. The wrought iron window frames, candelabras, and details in the intricate cross at the front of the church could rust and break off, but they would not rot. In the dry of the church, the alter, tabernacle, and pews were left to the termites, to the never-ending dust, but they, too, would not rot. The church was left intact for the undead. Its immortal state was left for those immortals that found shelter within the catacombs below.

Colton, twenty feet below the stone floor of the beautiful sanctuary above, nodded in response to Jada. "And apartment is sometimes necessary. If you still have living family, it's best for them to think you normal, and see you home to a place like an apartment. And mortals, under no circumstances, are allowed down here." Colton quickly realized what he had said, and amended it. "I mean, all conscious mortals. We can't have them know of and remember this place." Little Celeste would know nothing of the catacombs in the morning, so this was acceptable. He made allowances for her, and for himself, because he was the leader. He could break his rules. He was also a guardian to a four year old. He had twice the right to make allowances for himself. Twice.

"Like I said, pick any room without a lit candle by the door, or a note of extended leave." Colton leaned against his own door, careful of the candle, and making no move to actually go inside. The light bounced off his golden blonde hair and shone in his golden-flecked, brown eyes. Shadows accented his thin face and neck, making him look somewhat weaker than he was. Somewhat younger, too, though he was very conscious of the fact that he was the youngest vampire in this coven. His face still held a small, sincere smile. Friendly and naive. That was her new leader, to sum it all up. A friendly young man of 23 years of age, guardian of a nearly four year old girl who he broke rules for, because she was all he had in this world. A naive fledgling, just one year in death, leading one of the five most powerful groups of vampires in the world. And Jada would ask him no questions, when, in fact, everything she could make up in her head would make no sense in explaining the circumstances standing before her, in the dim light of a half burned candle.

Living family, she laughed inwardly at the thought. Her family was not only dead, but had been so for so long when she went one day to visit their graves in a quaint, little cemetary in London, she found a building sitting atop the very place where her parents' corpses remained. Jada blamed herself for having not bought them new tombstones and letting the ones they had crumble away but she liked the decay, it reminded her of her own age and what she was. Even when her parents did live, after she was sired she did not visit them. She was young then and glad to be rid of the rules and the petticoats. It was not till nearly a century later did she ever realize the effect of their loss on her.

Living family. That said several things about him. For one, he was young, as she would have guessed anyway. She estimated that no more than a decade could have passed without him aging and yet still carrying on with the mortal charade, yet she doubted it had even been nearly that long. Why was one so young chosen to be leader of a coven? Jada wondered it but did not truly question it, the previous leader would have surely known what he was doing in choosing the young man. She always had faith in the coven leaders. If not faith in them, who was there to believe in anyways?

Another thing the comment told Jada was who the girl was. Somehow, by some relation, she was family. It explained her presence here as well as his protective nature and the way the young one clung to him. She just hoped it was not his own child, for that could prove to have quite a few difficulties as time went on.

"Good enough," was her agreement to the rules, "Mortals can be quite troublesome." Jada winced slightly at her statement. She would not apologize and try to cover her tracks because it was indeed true, but she did worry slightly that one with mortal attachments such as him might take it the wrong way.

Walking to an unlit room a few doors down from Colton's own, Jada pulled out a lighter and lit the candle. "As good as any, I supose," She grinned. Facing Colton, she bowed lightly, "Once again, I thank you for your hospitality." To humans, Jada played games and tricks and showed no certain respect. She toyed with them and fed on them, though she rarely killed any at all. To vampires however, in real conversations her upbringing often showed through. The proper lady with all her manners, Jada really did have two completely different sides. By now she was tired and ready to turn in so she issued a simple, "goodnight," and waited for Colton's response, if any.

Colton laughed slightly at her comment of mortals being troublesome. A real laugh, but a soft laugh. Almost like he was too tired to laugh loud, but definitely thought it funny. "I agree with you there, miss Jada. This one's quite a handful, even when asleep..." A handful, because he still had to think about everything else that went on in her life while she slept. He had to think of her father while she could dream of her mother. He had to think of all the custodial papers she'd, hopefully, never have to see. Worst of all, he had to think of how much better it would have been for Codi to raise her little girl than for him to be stuck between worlds.

"If you have any questions, you know where I am..." Colton shoved his door open with a heel, and backed into it. "Goodnight." He shut the door behind him, though she would hear the door open, and the footsteps of a much heavier man leave again in a few minutes with a sleeping child. Back to the police station, to give his niece back to her father, because she wasn't allowed to live with her uncle. And he'd do that for the next week, every night, with a smile, because he didn't know any other way of giving away his last connection to the mortal world.