Dryden hopped from roof top to roof top. With such incredible speed that no mortal eye could catch him, such was the way of the Amman. To remain hidden, to 'co-exist' in a way with the humans.

Dry needn't look behind him to see if Amara was pursuing him, he knew she was. Although she may not be able to explain it to herself, he thought, she had to follow him nonetheless.

Dryden finally stopped on the window pane that covered the ceiling of an abandoned warehouse he had visited a few times. Here he knew they wouldn't be seen, here he knew they could speak without being overheard. Perhaps even fight it out if it came to that. Finding the latch to one of the windows, he swung it open jumping inside. It was hear that he waited... and waited...

Amara followed him, glad for the ablitity of speed that came with her transformation. Still, he was much faster...probably because he was much older and she lost sight of him quickly. She was able to feel him though, because he didn't seem to be trying to hide. He had wanted her to follow, and stupidly, she had. She couldn't help it. But now, she wished that she could turn back. Too late, he had stopped and she knew he was waiting for her. She couldn't turn back now.

She stopped running. It didn't matter if she did or not. She knew where he was, and she also knew that he wasn't going anywhere. She took the few moments to compose her thoughts, to decide what questions to ask. The one plaguing her, he had not answered and she wondered why. Tonight she would find out...at least she hoped she would.

She followed him into the warehouse, jumping inside the window. She didn't really know why she cared so much. It wasn't like her, even for a bit of attention, to care so much about one person and what he thought of her...it made her angry that she cared so much and angrier still that she was angry because of it. Her mind was reeling with emotions she wasn't used to, mostly confusion. If she didn't get answers, she would continue wallowing in the state of confusion she was in and she didn't like that.

"Hello, again..." She managed to say as her eyes quickly adjusted to the absence of the moonlight. His figure now became clearer and she was able to find his eyes in the darkness. Though she knew they were blind, she also knew he wasn't.

"Why do you run from my question?"

((Hopes this made sense! Haha...so tired...))

Dryden's eyes gleamed, as steel would gleam in moonlight. Though there was no moonlight this night to reflect on any surface, no matter how smooth. Dryden found himself perched in the top corner of the warehouse, his legs poised so they supported him. He hands outstretched as he held himself in position, he could wait for an eternity.

His muscles rippled through his shirt as he strained to look at the vampire more closely. Funny, even after all this he still had no clue to her name. Well... for the moment anyway. Convincing himself it was more an act of courteousy than invasion, Dryden invoked his telepathic abilities onto the vampire who dropped through the window he himself had dropped into.

She now stood in the center of the warehouse, the warehouse that light had abandoned entirely. Even the sky, without it's moon, seemed to mock the place, as if it were to remained haunted by shadows forever. Dryden's focused on her mind, but even mroe so he had to be swift. In... out... and that would be all. Simple enough.

Dryden reached the outskirts of her mind, but before she could react to his presence, he quickly entered the confines of her mind. Even as quickly as he entered, he exited, a name not being a difficult thing to retrieve.

"Amara..." Dryden spoke the name with a deep undertone. The sound echoed in the empty building. Dryden smiled his crooked, coy smile, completly ignoring Amara's question. He was thoroughly enjoying himself... having fun before he had to get serious.

Amara watched him silently when he did not answer. She refused to grow impatient. After all, they had all night, though when daylight came, they would both have to disappear. She wanted answers before them, but for now she was content to watch him.

She back up against the wall directly across from the corner her was in and ran her fingers through her hair. She couldn't say that she wasn't angry at him for taking her human, but there were plenty more out there and she could wait until tomorrow to hunt again. For now, being here with him, observing his reaction to her...while he no doubt did the same, was enough. He made her feel like herself again, sexy and dangerous...though a bit foolish. Before tonight, she had been starving herself of blood, in a selfish and vain attempt to keep Tiara. But she couldn't very well keep her safe, or keep her at all, if she was dying. Too many days and she was starting to think she would just as well drink Tiara's blood. That was when she realized the hunger was too much. She always felt like herself after she hunted, bitchy and not a care in the world.

She looked away from him for a moment as he sat, haunched in the corner, and she began to delicately trace the tattoo on her wrist...

Suddenly she flinched, her nails drawing blood as she was distracted. Her red eyes gleamed as she looked up at him, hearing her name spoken.

"Care to keep to you own mind, please? If you wanted my name all you had to do was ask."

She knew that she had a habit of invading people's thoughts, but it was usually something she couldn't control. Still, hardly ever did she invade the personal space of another vampire, discounting Danielle, because she didn't mind if the girl did the same to her. This man, the man that made her blood boil with anger and lust, had no right to look into her mind.

She could tell by his smile that he was enjoying this torture he was putting her threw, but the gleam in her eyes told her she didn't find it very amusing. Many times she had put a human in this situation, but it was different to have it turned on you. She hated the feeling that he could probe her mind whenever her felt like it and she wouldn't notice right away.

"Tell me, you know my name, so why don't you give me yours? It's only fair after all."

Her voice held all of the cool that she had the first time she had talked to him. Her voice was smooth and seductive, but her eyes were narrowed in anger, curiosity also lingering in them.

Dryden remained in his ceiling-corner of the abandoned building. His expression not showing that he had heard the vampire, though he had. He proceeded to push on his legs, keeping him suspended against the walls and the ceiling, he reached in of his pockets, retracting a pack of cigarettes. He removed on with the pack, and lit it with a lighter that had been stowed in the pack aw as well. His face was illuminated for a moment as he did so, his dark features showing clearly in the dim firelight. His firm square jaw, his small-framed nose, he brooding eyebrows, all of which vanished from sight as he took his first hull.

He still held the pack in his hand, replacing his arms back against the wall to support him. His eyes flickered onto Amara again. He blinked when she mentioned 'fair.'

"Hmpf." Was all he could muster, without rolling his eyes at the "youngin.'" Typical of some vampires, fair was something that did not exist in this world. Though she may one day discover that answer, in the harshest way possible, she was sure not to learn this lesson via Dryden... or would she?

In a swift motion, Dryden let his arms fall of the wall as he fell gracefully to floor beneath him. He had barely made a sound, upon getting up he threw his pack of cigarettes to Amara.

"Have one." He said with monotone, he then leaned back in his corner. His right arm lifted so he might rest his head on his hand, the other one holding his cigarrette he puffed at time and time again.

Perhaps he was overstepping his own limits, but it was like Dryden to push until he met with conflict, at which time he would usually flee. Though Dryden had telekinetic powers and empathic abilities beyond any other vampire he had come across with, he lacked in hand-to-hand combat. He usually kept some sort of weapon handy if he expected a confrontation, but he didn't particularly like physical fights anyway. He was much more adept at using his power of the mind, seemed for fitting for his personality.

"Dryden." He said without emotion. As he flicked his cigarrette, ashing it on the floor.

Amara pushed back frustration when he didn't speak or move. She wasn't one to disrupt the silence, but the point had been to find answers. She normally knew her limitations, knew her opponent inside and out. This time she didn't it, and frankly, it scared her. Even having a name to put to the man's face that she did not know would make her feel slightly at home.

He moved, surprising her, though she didn't show it. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, for the very moment she caught a better glimpse of him, though that wasn't saying much. She could already see perfectly in the dark, her eyes trained to it, years of the absence of sunlight taking their toll...

She cocked her head sideways, studying his repsonse. He obviously thought that her exuse for knowing his name was really not one at all. She knew he was right, however young she may be. She had seen the way the world worked. It wasn't just living a life as a vampire. She had been mistress of Hitler, she had worked to exterminate all Jews...of course she knew that in this world, there was no such thing as fair.

Still though, her explination seemed to satisfy him some, because he gave it to her.

"Dryden," she repeated, "Nice to finally meet you."

She pulled her eyes away from him and finally down to the pack of cigarettes she now held in her arms. She couldn't remember how it got there, but then again, her eyes had been so focused on him that she hadn't realized he said anything until that very moment.

He stood in front of her now, smoking. Well, across the room, at least. She pushed herself off the wall across from him and walked towards him, stopping about four feet in front of him.

"Thanks."

She pulled one out of the pack, slowly, as if she were deciding whether or not to take it. She always thought smoking was disgusting, but hell, she was immortal and it had no side effects on her whatsoever. It wasn't as if she had never smoked before, she just never understood why it was such a fad. She shrugged to herself and leaned down, pulling a lighter out of her boot. She carried one with her, it was the closest she would ever get to the sun.

She threw the pack back at him and stuck the cigarette in her mouth. She clicked the lighter, the green and red flame dancing in her eyes, illuminating her features. Her high cheekbones, the dimples that now showed as her delicate, red lips were pursed in confusion. Her eyes watched the flame for a moment, in awe of it. She had tweaked the lighter so the flame would be higher and green and now, as she always did, she couldn't stop watching it. It seemed to her that hours had passed, when really it was only a few seconds before she lit the cigarette. Then she quickly let it shut and shoved it back into her boot, inhaling deeply and letting the smoke out through her nose.

She didn't say anything, only stood there, staring past him now...her mind still thinking about the dancing flame. If there was only one thing she missed about her mortal life, it was the sun.

Dryden leaned his back on the wall. He exhaled, smoke billowing upwards as he let his head fall back in the corner of the room. Finally... silence.

Dry wouldn't be surprised if he was underrestimating the girl, but it was difficult not to seeing as their age difference was vast. She still had much to learn, but he could tell she would survive it, if she didn't let herself get too cocky. He made a mental note to himself, as an Amman, to keep an eye on her after this date.

He leaned his head back, finishing the last of his cigarrette. Taking a long drag, he flicked it away. Silence ensued between the two of them, little sound could be heard outside the warehouse walls. Some rumbling, and a bit of wind whistling through the window above that was still ajar. Words were powerful, but not more powerful than the lack of them. Anticipation, suspense, all accumilating without so much of a whisper. These were the moments Dryden thrived on. The silence, before the first move.

And the first move he made. Threatening as it would be, Dryden smiled to himself as Amara's thoughts trailed into his mind. Sunlight... the curse all vampires endured. Sunlight being a holy and pure thing in a way, casting all demons into the burned charred remains of the Abyss, where they belonged. Even though it was a terrible fate to never see light, there existed not one vampire who did not yearn to see the light that was barred from them.

Dryden, perhaps most of all, carried this grudge with him the strongest. His eyes, as well as his immortal being, would never permit him to see the rays of daylight. The only recolection he had of the sun were the days before he lost his sight. And seeing as that had been so long ago, his mind's eye did not permit him to conjure up any scene of daylight. He would never see the sun... never.

And now, Dryden smiled to himself. Hearing Amara's wish as if she had spoken it aloud. He closed his eyes, and concentrated. This little 'trick' would demand alot from him. He still stood in his corner, far from the windows that spanned the center of the ceiling: 5 metres by 5 meters. So Dryden concentrated, summoning his empathic abilities. He entered Amara's mind without her knowledge at first, but she may feel him trick her perceptions, alter her senses of touch and sight. But she would be helpless but to believe those senses, even if she was suspicious, belief being a very strong thing.

Light suddenly cascaded down from the window, onto the ground where Amara stood. Strong beams of sunlight seemed to erupt from the ceiling as if a storm cloud had been obscuring it. It now let it's secret treasure's rays beam down with magnificient light into the abandoned warehouse. Dryden still stood in shadows, so by Amara's perception, he would be safe. But she was standing directly in the center of what she would believe to be a pool of her demise.

All a trick of the mind really, Dryden played along with his act, staring at her intently, not letting any concern for her well-being be shown... thinking to himself aloud.

"Your wish is my command." He couldn't help but snicker.

Amara was starting to get used to the silence. Silence was something she had always enjoyed, and even though questions for him plagued her mind, she didn't dare break the lingering silence. Faintly the wind rustled outside and she longed to stand in it and hold her arms out, so that it could whisk her away. It was different than flying, the feeling she wished for was one that was real, much different. She wanted to be taken to a place where she wouldn't have to feel or long for anything anymore.

She hated the fact that mortal emotions still tugged on her no longer beating heart. She wanted to get rid of them. When she woke from her slumber a few nights after she was turned, she went hunting with Vontae. She remembered afterward, standing there in front of the window, her hand on it...the same way her mother had watched her go. She watched the sun fade away forever that following morning. As it rose, she watched it, until it became too bright for her to stand. She stepped away from it then and closed the black drapes, knowing then that she would never feel the warm sun on her face again...the one thing in her mortal life that brought her true joy. Mother Nature...the sun was the purest form of energy, undisturbed by human hands...

Something tugged in the back of her mind, aburptly pulling her out of her thoughts. A look came over her face, one that said she knew she was missing something but she didn't know what...

Her gaze went to Dryden. He was fine, chill in his corner, but she felt as if something was seriously wrong. She couldn't place it. Not until the very next moment. Her eyes widened as sun burst through the window above her. Her very first thought was that she had underestimated the time, it was late, but she knew that was wrong. It was still too early for the sun. Still, the beams hitting her skin were real to her. Seeing is believing. She didn't know what to do. Her frantic eyes searched out Dryden. He was in his corner, seemingly enjoying himself, enjoying her pain...except she didn't feel any pain.

Maybe, unlike the stories she heard, this death caused none and she let out a breath of air as she realized nothing was happening to her...at least nothing she could feel. She had never been afraid of death, and if she were to die, this would be the one way she would like to go. She closed her eyes, welcoming what she thought was unavoidable death...except...nothing happened. She still felt whole...and she definately had not burst into flames. The mirage lasted only a second. With no warmth on her cold skin, despite the proof of eyesite, it was hard to believe. She opened her eyes. It was gone.

Angry, she whipped her head in the direction of Dryden.
"Bastard..."

She didn't know what else to say. Part of her wanted to strangle him, not that it would do anything, and the other part wanted to take from him what he knew. She was in awe of his power, knowing now that it had been him that had done it all along. It had seemed so real...

Still, the angry part weighed out. While she wanted to scream, she kept outwardly cool, calm...she wasn't dead, but that made her even more angry. Maybe death had been what she wanted. A cruel trick to play.

"Really now? Do you have some kind of problem?"

Her eyes that had since turned to their original blue, now were slightly red with anger. She stepped closer to him, throwing her cigarette on the floor, not bothering to stomp it out.

"I don't know what it is I have done to you, but this has to stop. I don't like your little mind games...and if you don't stop them...I will."

She didn't care how much older or stronger he was against her. The bully in the school alway won out against brains. She knew, that physically, she could be stronger than him and she wasn't afraid to use that to her advantage.

Dryden's eyes flared, just as bright as his fake sunlight had before it dissipated. That didn't nearly give the effect he had been looking for... he was right, he had underrestimated her. Well, not a second time. He came off the wall, looking at her directly, he opened his mouth, showing his fangs as he let out a hiss.

"I think not." He bit the words at her as she approached him. He was still in her mind, for the time being, he could tell he could reside there for awhile without her being able to do much. But it wasn't like him to linger too long... well most of the time anyway.

He pushed again on her senses, but pushed harder this time on her sense of touch. He would make her feel this next trick. As if to make it more real, he pointed an open palm at the cigarrette but that she had thrown, the embers still glowing. A flame burst from it, and it quickly grew in intensity. Dryden himself believe his own foolery, making it seem all the more real to Amara. He broke out in a sweat as the fire's light danced and trailed towards them.

Dryden pounced upwards, and kicked the wall behind him, sending him flying over Amara to land where she had been standing under the windows. He pushed on her mind, making her see the fire spread. Like a snake, it reached the walls either side of her, trapping her in the corner. The smell of smoke reaching her nostrils, the sight of flame in her eyes, and the sense of heat upon her pale skin. Again it was fake, but he was betting that this would stall her a bit more than before.

Dryden, stood up and looked behind him. He saw a long crate, and made his way toward it. When he reached it, he didn't peer inside yet, his mind's eye knowing it was what he was looking for before he even got there. He stared back at his 'prisoner,' he couldn't help but chuckle. A chuckle that erupted into mencaing laugh, a laugh that mocked her. He would make her earn her right to know... what he knew.

Amara glared, a smile coming to her face. So she had made him angry. Good, anger made people vunerable...the only downside was that included her as well.

His eyes had flared slightly and he had come off the wall, beginning to walk towards her. She couldn't tell yet what would happen, what kind of battle this would be, but she did like the way it was turning out.

Her eyes followed the motion of his hand to the cigarette on the floor as a sudden flame began to grow. The heat of the flames made her cringe and she backed farther into the corner, content already with the absence of heat that she had lived with for 70 some odd years. But still the flames grew chasing her farther back. She didn't even notice that Dryden had managed to get out of the way, so engrossed in the flame was she. Sweat began to show on her face, making her pale skin glow. Her eyes watched the flames, little fear in them. The flames did make her uncomfortable, but they didn't scare her. She didn't let them, even as they circled around her.

Just as she had watched her lighter before, she became entranced with the flames swaying around her. Her eyes went through them, to Dryden and she winced...feeling once again that she was missing something, but he quickly lost her attention. She didn't even hear the mocking laugh that came from him. She focused on the flames once more, marveling at how they danced. Energy like the sun...

She didn't know why she did it, but she stepped closer to them, reaching her hand out to touch them. The tips of her fingers lingered in the flames. They were hot, but they did not burn. They moved in her hands, her eyes playing tricks on her, the flames taking shape in the palm of her hand. A crow out of the blackness. She gasped and then the flames were gone.

It began to dawn on her what had just happened. Except the crow she knew had not been a trick of his, it had been a trick of her own. But the flames had been his. She closed her eyes, forcing calm upon her. The idea that he could do such a thing scared her. She no longer was willing to hurt him, though bits of anger still lingered. She wanted to leave, to get away from him, afraid of what his tricks mixed with the sickness in her mind would do to her. She didn't know what to do, how to force him to leave her be, to withdraw from her mind. She couldn't feel him there, though she knew, to create an illusion like that he had to be. He was much stronger than she thought before.

If his object was to scare her, he had done it. She could feel her heart beating quickly, though she knew that too was an illusion of her own. She sank to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest. He reminded her too much of Vontae...except that Dryden's anger was more controlled. Still...

"What is it you are trying to get at?" Her voice was weak, her eyes focused on a point that was not him, "You win...is that what you want to hear? Okay, well...you win."

Dryden had gone to the crate, taking out a slender black pole. It was longer than he was tall, and would proove to be a sufficient weapon in the battle he presumed was to take place. He turned on his heal, spinning the pole around him before bending one knee and outstretching the other in a crouching stance. But what he saw before him was not what he had expected.

Amara was crouched, holding her knees to her body. Vulnerable, defeated, pitiful. Dryden was so in awe at this outward show of emotion, which wasn't common in any vampire of any age. He did not see it as a sign of weakness however, and in a show of such, he retracted himself immediatly from her mind. Leaving her thoughts to herself.

He stood up again, standing still for a moment, taking in the image. He had scared her, and she had been willing to admit it. No... this was not something he found something to pity her over, if anything he admired her even more for it.

He approached her, the pole still clenched in his hand, he walked swiftly, standing next to her. Towering over her crouched body, he smiled. He took the pole and placed in unthreatingly under her chin so that she could look at him. His gray covered eyes could not see her face in truth, though he could see into her soul, and then he spoke.

"Whenever you're ready." Were the only words he said before he turned back to stand under the window in which they had dropped in from. The girl had earned his respect, in some degree, but he still did not think she was ready for the knowledge he had to offer. The knowledge which he toyed with, not being sure to it's truth or not himself.

He had the pole poise so that he held in at a slant. It butt sitting behind his legs, being held in his left hand. He stared upwards to the stars, intent on soaring up and out. If there was a time for last words... this was it.

Amara didn't move from her position when Dryden approached her. Her eyes were everywhere, everywhere but on him. She didn't know what to feel, whether she should be angry because he had been toying with her...or whether to comply...let him be the teacher.

He withdrew from her mind. That she felt, because she was suddenly able to let her tense muscles relax. She didn't feel as if she had to hide her thoughts anymore. She knew he had been ready for a fight, and her reaction surprised him, which made her feel weak and more vunerable than she had ever felt before. Except for when it came to Vontae...

Thinking about him made her want to cry, but she never cried. She didn't love him anymore, but still she missed his company, his companionship...at least when he wasn't treating her like a slave. Most of all, she missed his lessons. She wished, once again, ever so faintly, that she hadn't left his side. If she hadn't she probably wouldn't have been put in this situation. Then again, she'd probably still be in Germany, or in Russia with him.

The cold pole touched her chin, tiltling her eyes eyes so that she had to look at Dryden. It snapped her out of her thoughts. She stared into his blue eyes, devoid of life but full of mystery. Never before had she met anyone with this much power over her mind, over her in general. He had scared her, and that wasn't an easy task. He made her tremble now, the way he stood over her. She could feel the power he held and she didn't know how to respond. She had been too cocky, she knew, but she also could admit to that.

Whenever she was ready, he has said. Ready for what? She knew the answer, but part of her felt that she would never be ready. She watched him as he walked away from her, turning his back to look up into the night sky.

Standing up, she walked over to him, standing by his side. He was ready to leave, to end this night...as was she. She needed some time to think over what had just happened.

"I'll let you know," she said softly.

With that she was gone, a swirling white mist dancing around in front of his eyes for a moment before she disappeared.