tampered | Log; Incomplete

"How strange of you, Boss. Thought you were more into the whole theater and art gallery thing," Daniel shrugged, but proceeded to nod. Wherever Armand wanted to go, he would follow. Quite the opposite compared to the early days where Armand would be the one to follow him.

Deep within the bowels of the said building, Dietrich had end his daily use of the laboratory. After securing his creations and inventions, the Puppetmaster cleaned his bloodied hands and changed into casual clothes to take the elevator and exit. It was comfortable to linger around Lost Technology and marionettes but he had to play with the above.

The doors of the elevator opened and the young man stepped out of it.

"Art alone isn't enough," Armand chuckled as he pushed the doors open.

"... How curious," he murmured, eyes taking in the sterile and pristine floors, in direct contrast to the peeling paint and crumbling bricks of the exterior. Then his eyes flew to the elevator as it pinged loudly, and he watched the person stepping out of it with a wary, inquisitive look.

"Boss, look! It's your twin," Daniel spoke, only to tease his companion. With a smirk set on his face, he waved lazily to the new figure. Violet eyes glanced between Armand and Dietrich, as if he was mentally comparing the two.

The new visitors of the laboratory took Dietrich by surprise. Neither looked specially intelligent to use the installations. Armand's appearance were remarkably like his.

Like staring a mirror... he mused, listing the differences in his mind. The Puppetmaster looked older with his twenty-one years of life; his hair was slick and not curly, lacking the other's reddish hue and was more pure brown.

"Oh. What a surprise," greeted Dietrich, pleasantly.

"Twins? Hardly," he scoffed, even while acknowledging mentally that there were some similarities between the both of them.

"Dietrich, wasn't it?" he smiled. "A pleasure."

There was something off with this person, Armand thought, but he didn't know what, and he wasn't too comfortable with prying his mind unless this Dietrich posed a danger to them.

"Well, he is older than you'll ever look, Boss," he continued to tease Armand--only in fun, of course.

"What are you doing here, Dietrich? Boss just wanted us to do some exploring."

"I should say, I am the healthiest of both of us," Dietrich added with a small smile. The doors of the elevator closed behind him. As he approached them, he smelled to sterile substances, sulfur, oil, steel and also... corpses, dead bodies. "Armand and his companion, Daniel. Pleased to meet you at last."

His attention turned to the violet-eyed vampire, shrugging a little. "This is the laboratory. I was conducting my own research."

His brow furrowed slightly at the odour on Dietrich, but he smiled nonetheless. "Of course, seeing as you are still living," he said.

Then in a move too quick to be seen by Dietrich, he dealt a quick, light slap to the back of Daniel's head, in retaliation for his teasing comment. Most people would have thought it beneath Armand, but he still remained a seventeen-year-old at heart sometimes.

"--Boss, you didn't have to physically attack me just 'cause you can't retaliate verbally."

As a relatively new fledgling, Daniel was quite sensitive to most odors. Even mild scented soap seemed pungent to his senses, so as Dietrich approached, the smell struck him almost immediately.

"What do you have back there, dead bodies? You smell more of a mortician than a researcher."

He approached to see how sharp their senses were. He didn't try to conceal the odor for a reason.

"You ask a lot of questions. There's something to be said about curiosity," pointed out the Puppetmaster with a wink. "I employ corpses as research subjects. Is that unheard of in your world, hm?~" Crossing his arms, he added in annoyance. "Not everyone resurrects to the next day like they claim, some stay dead and remain in the graveyard in the garden. No harm done and better than using living animals, don't you think?"

"It's quicker and less troublesome," Armand smirked slightly at Daniel.

He eyed Dietrich. "No, not unheard of certainly, although a little unusual." Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't hurt to try and read a little of Dietrich's mind, know what the blasted man was thinking...

"Or you just didn't know how to respond, Imp," he retaliated, shooting a look of mirth at the other vampire.

"Curiosity is a valuable trait in a reporter, Dietrich. I pride myself on it," Daniel wrinkled his nose at the smell, stepping backwards in hopes of evading the odor, "Understandable, but to be frank, the smell is driving me crazy."

"Is that so?" So they are sensitive to strong smells or is it just Daniel?

Brushing his hair a little, Dietrich was polite to move further away from Daniel. "Better now?" His thoughts were focused on testing these vampires and to classify some strengths and weakness with scientific detachment. He lack the fear for his life facing predators and the enthrallment of the undead promise of immortality as if such things never crossed his mind.

He breathed no easier; the smell was just as strong, but he showed no indication. He'd slept in worse places after all.

Curiously, he tried to pry into Dietrich's mind, eyes narrowing slightly as he sensed no emotion except detached scientific curiousity from the man before him.

Glancing over to Armand and noting his behavior, Daniel followed suit by ceasing his complaints about the odor.

"Yeah. Thanks, Dietrich." Not really, but I'll shut up.

"You're welcome," Dietrich replied smiling sweetly at Daniel. "Is there something else I could do for you? I was about to leave, see." Look for my vampire wherever he is hiding now. The Baron causes me more trouble than he's worth. Tche.

His vampire? He frowned momentarily, but smoothed his face out soon enough.

"Well Daniel?" he asked. "I have nothing to ask of Dietrich here, and if you have nothing to ask, then we shall explore the building a little."

Daniel had been around Armand long enough to know when something was irking him. But what was wrong? Had Armand taken a peek into Dietrich's head...? Dietrich didn't seem to be suspicious. Sure, he smelled of corpses, but it was due to research reasons.

"Alright, whatever you say, Boss," Daniel shrugged, though his gaze continued to linger on Dietrich.

Dietrich caught Armand's frown and tilted his head. What was wrong with his young, mirror image now? He pressed to know what exactly bothered him so. Wasn't he convincingly innocent?

"Is there a problem, Armand? Was it something I said?" he asked, smile fading into a serious semblance. He ignored Daniel, meeting the younger-looking man's eyes with an apologetic look.

"Of course not." Armand was not as excellent an actor as Dietrich naturally, but he was still adept enough at hiding what he thought or felt from people he felt had no business prying on him.

"I was merely thinking of something else. I apologize for my mind wandering."

Did Armand see something in his mind...?

Daniel would be careful to stay alert around Dietrich now. There must have been something off about the mortal, enough to catch Armand's attention.

"Hm. I understand, I'm a little preoccupied myself," Dietrich admitted, scratching the back of his head in a humble gesture. Armand was probably hiding something, but that didn't matter. His priority was another. "If you two live in the underground, could I ask you a favor? This is very embarrassing... We're almost strangers."

He looked over at Daniel, noticing that the man was shying away slightly from Dietrich, and he wondered if his companion had caught the slight frown on his face earlier.

"Certainly." He tilted his head slightly, inquisitively. "Embarrassing? How is that?"

"I don't mind," Daniel replied, absentmindedly running his had through his hair.

His expression became serious and business-like again, each muscle carefully played as the perfect picture of concern. He looked around to see if anyone was listened and, noticing they were alone, Dietrich spoke at last.

"A have a friend who has been missing for weeks. His name is Radu Barvon and he is a vampire. A 'Methuselah,'" he corrected himself, rolling his eyes for a second. "He's the one I told you about, Daniel. My co-worker. There was a series of curses that affected his personality and many want him dead after what he did under their influence. He ran away and hid since then. Those people aren't the main problem for I'm sure my Baron is strong enough to face them but--" He grimaced, catching some air to continue.

"Do you recall I told you about creatures who feed on vampires, Armand? They are here in the City; one of them targeted Radu in the past and I'll be damned to allow him walk foolishly into danger alone."

Baron? Is this same one? If so... His language does not tally with the tone of his thoughts. Armand kept his face neutral as he thought that however and nodded at Dietrich's words.

"That sounds troublesome indeed," he said. "No wonder you are worried. I will make sure to keep an eye out for him. What does he look like?"

In the back of his mind, he wished that he could communicate with Daniel without the use of words, but that privilege was now lost to him forever.

A look of surprise quickly took hold of Daniel's features as he heard Dietrich's words--"creatures that feed on vampires."

"Wait. There are creatures that eat vampires, specifically? You've got to be joking me."

"Thank you. I don't spend all time in the underground and last time he hid, I found him here and helped him against a crazy serial killer," murmured Dietrich. "He's a few inches taller than me. Fair skin, blue eyes and his hair is so black that shines as dark blue as the sea in the night," he paused his description and added with a little humor. "If you call him vampire, he'll lash out at you immediately. Easy to recognize by his brash behavior and his bad temper."

His attention shifted to Daniel, lifting his eyebrows perplexed. "Only four in my world, but they exist. For many they have been myths and legends like vampires are in other worlds. Seems like the ones who comfortable think themselves on top of the food chain can't accept they aren't up there, after all, hm?" He shook his head. "Radu is one of the few vampires who witnessed them and is traumatized in becoming their prey."

Armand blinked. "But if he is a vampire, then why does he object so strongly to being called one? Or does he cling on fiercely to his humanity?"

He wanted to laugh at Daniel's expression, but he didn't, and settled for an amused smile instead.

"Then he must sure have one hell of a temper then, maybe even worse than Armand here," Daniel snorted, shotting a sarcastic glance at Armand, "It's just a name. This Radu fellow doesn't need to be so touchy. I mean, if Armand lashed out on me every time I called him an Imp, well I wouldn't be standing here."

Daniel shuffled his feet against the marred concrete of the laboratory; he appeared somewhat agitated at this notion of "creatures eating vampires."

"If Lestat knew he wasn't at the top of the food chain anymore, he'd throw a hissy fit."

"Mmmhmm~~ The vampires of my world never admit being 'vampires,' Armand. They have that name as taboo and choose to call themselves the noble race of true humans, the Methuselah," explained Dietrich with an amused expression. "There is plenty of conflict between the two races. Even friendships like mine and Radu's are rare. I was raised in a country dominated by humans, so the name vampire stuck to Radu's anger."

He said no word further about the Krsnik.

Armand bit back on his tongue, half-amused and half-contemptuous of that notion. "Your world's a very different place, sir," he said, crossing his arms.

"Dietrich, don't just leave me hanging here!I didn't nearly die of liver poisoning just to get eaten by some weird monster," Daniel paused for a moment, as he tempted himself with the idea of trying to take a peak into Dietrich's mind, "Just give me a clue here, so I can watch out."

"Is it? I suppose so. How is your world like, Armand?" Dietrich asked, glancing at him, interested to listen his tale and details when Daniel, again, interrupted him.

"Well..." started the Puppetmaster, approaching Daniel, dropping his voice to a murmur. "The one you have to look out is a young girl, about fourteen, who has black hair and green eyes. She will appear human, but she isn't. They are able to masquerade as human beings and only reveal their face when they attack."

"It sounds like your effort to avoid them will be quite useless, Danny, if they're like humans," Armand snerked, amused by Daniel's morbid curiousity of the Krsniks. "Aren't there four though, Dietrich? What are the others like?"

He shrugged. "I should think my world is too vast for me to summarize. I can only say it's 'normal'."

Daniel raised an eyebrow toward Armand, a dry laugh making its way from his throat, "At least I won't chase after them this time."

He backed away as Dietrich approached him, mentally noting the familiarity of this position, "Jesus Christ, she sounds like Claudia. Don't tell me she has a affinity for slashing throats"

Tsk~ tsk~ Was Daniel Molloy aware of his personal space invasion? Interesting reaction.

"I can't disclose more information without putting my life at stake," Dietrich commented, lips tugging up a smile. "Hm~ She's more fond to turn her enemies into piles of salt."

Armand wasn't adverse to people being so close to him or his fledgling, but if Daniel looked uncomfortable, then he would step in, and step in he did, moving slightly to block Daniel from Dietrich's advance in a subtle way.

"Piles of salt?" he said, brown eyes glinting with curiousity and scepticism.

Log; Incomplete

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