Downtown Chinook, Beyond the Pale Bar, Late September

    Niculai watched the patrons of the Beyond the Pale bar while he waited for his twin to return to the table. They were meeting an old family friend Anthony and Tomas had decided enjoy himself while they waited for him to show up. Niculai didn't know why Anthony had asked for the meeting but was willing to meet him without knowing the details. Anthony had practically raised himself, Tomas, and Rhuv after all. Not to mention was best friends with Niculai's father and his most trusted advisor. Anthony had long ago earned that right to ask for a meeting any time he wanted. He had been indispensable to Niculai when the Anvidai had moved from Europe to the States. So Niculai was more than willing to see him without a reason. Anthony having a reason just meant the meeting happened even faster.

    Around Niculai, the Humans danced and drank, trying to bury their problems in the pounding music and the bodies of those around them. Beyond the Pale or the Pale, as the locals usually called it, was a dingy, dark hole of a bar. Poorly lit with punk rock music pounding out of old speakers, located in the worst part of downtown Chinook, the Pale was popular with both bikers and punk rockers. Not that there was much of a difference in how the two groups dressed. Leather seemed to be a requirement for entrance to the Pale, a requirement that Niculai and his fighters easily met. All around him were people clad in leather, mostly black. The women in as little as possible while the men seemed to spend most of their time breaking bones and burying bodies. Niculai and his twin fit right in. The only difference being that Tomas and Niculai really were killers, they didn't just look like it. Niculai and his twin, Tomas, were members of the Ashen War-Kin. A group that had been created eons ago to protect all the sentient life of the world against the Corrupter and her creation the Undying.

     The Undying were killers that hunted his people, Anvidai and Lushidai both, seeking their extinction simply because they breathed. There was also the little happy fact that the Corrupter hated the Anvidai and Lushidai, if only because her twin sister, the Lady of Light, had created them. Although according to the traditions, they, the Anvidai and Lushidai, had been created to combat the Corrupter. Who knew which had come first, the Anvidai and Lushidai or the Undying. Niculai sure didn't. For their part the Anvidai had long ago dedicated themselves to protect the other races, which is why the Ashen War-Kin existed. The sole purpose of the Ashen War-Kin was to destroy the Undying.

    The names that Humans had used for the various countries that the Anvidai and Lushidai lived in had changed many times over the millennia. What had not changed was that the Ashen War-Kin were all that stood between the Corrupter and the rest of the world. Not that the Humans were aware of it. The one thing that both sides of the conflict agreed on was that Humans were not invited to the party. It was bad enough that so many of the vampire myths from around the world had been based on the Undying. Worse still was the fact that often the Undying went out of their way to propagate those very myths.

    The Undying had a very specific type that they looked for when inducting someone into their group, rigorous criteria that had to be met. They looked for the serial killer, Jeffery Dahmer and Ted Bundy types. The Ashen War-Kin and the soldiers of the clans that worked with them were the army, police, ambulance, and tow services all rolled into one. Pretty much any emergency service, except fire, the Ashen War-Kin and their soldiers had it covered. It wasn't like the Anvidai could call nine-one-one on most situations and keep themselves secret from the Humans after all.

    The Anvidai wanted to keep their existence on the DL for very good reasons. Just look at how well the Humans treated members of their own race. Never-mind how they would treat someone that wasn't from their species. After all, Humans had a tendency to kill the different. The Undying had a much less noble reason for their silence. They wanted to rule the world and it was much easier to control something if it didn't know you existed. The Undying had always made a point of infiltrating groups and turning the focus to controlling others. The Undying had come chillingly close to success when they had gotten control of the Vril Society during World War Two. And more recently they had infiltrated the Proud Boys. Not that that one had worked out well.

   Niculai leaned his six foot, ten inch, broad shouldered frame back. The chair groaned at the shift of weight, sounding like it was considering collapsing but was afraid to do so. His shoulder length, blue-black hair was straight and thick, more like a mane than hair that would be seen on anyone's head. Currently, the thick mass was tied back with a leather thong, black of course. You have to accessorize after all. When he got home tonight he'd let it loose, but not before. Niculai kept it tied back out of the way whenever he was out whether on patrol or not. After all, you never knew when a fight might find you and having your hair used against you was no fun.

    Under all the leather was an arsenal of weapons. You needed specially treated weapons and/or ammo to kill an Undying. Not what you would find at the local Big Five sporting goods store. Only Ash wood or oil would kill an Undying. So the blades used by the Ashen War-Kin were treated in Ash tree oil and their rounds were hollow points that had the tips filled with Ash tree sawdust suspended in specially blessed Ash tree oil in the tip. You could incapacitate an Undying with regular weapons but not kill. And as a rule they could and often would heal any such wound not caused by Ash in some form eventually so special skills for special kills as the Ashen War-Kin say.

    The Anvidai had no such advantage. They may heal much faster than any Human ever could but any wound that would kill a Human would probably kill an Anvidai too. Thank goodness his people healed lightning fast and, as long as no salt got in the wound, without a scar. If not he and all his warriors would look like a city road map with all the scars. It wasn't unusual for at least one if not more of them to get some kind of injury just about every night. Thanks be to the Mother that most of the injuries were minor. It wasn't that his warriors were bad at fighting, it was just that the enemy was not easy to kill and was often as skilled as the warriors were.

    Niculai hated waiting, he much preferred action to all this sitting around. But for his fathers oldest friend Niculai would wait no matter how much it annoyed him. Waiting for Tomas to finish his "business" was a different story however. Some days it seemed like all his twin did was fight and fuck. All around him the Humans were using the same play book his brother did. Drinking, drugging and looking for love, if only for the night. Not that Tomas was into drugs but the rest of it was true. The lights were dim, probably more to hide the illegal activities then to lend atmosphere to the dingy place. Not that the owners of the bar would know ambience or atmosphere if it bit them on the arse. But at least the music was decent even if the speakers weren't.

    The scantily clad waitresses were good at their jobs as well as easy on the eye. Probably why Tomas liked to come here. His twin had gone off with a girl to the bathrooms that were used more for sex then they were for their official purpose. T, as Tomas was often called, was a legend among the Anvidai for his sexual exploits. For heavens sake, his twin had enough sex to rival Wilt Chamberlain. One of the scantily clad waitresses came over and Niculai ordered refills for both himself and Tomas. He knew it wouldn't take his twin long to finish what he was doing. Niculai only wondered if Anthony was going to get here before or after Tomas went back for seconds as it were.

    The waitress who took their order didn't leave right away, obviously hoping that Tomas would come back, or that he, himself, would take her back to those bathrooms. The scent of her arousal drifted up to Niculai's nose. Pass, Niculai thought, so not what I'm looking for tonight. Although if Tomas had been here, instead of indulging himself, he probably would have taken her up on what she was so clearly offering. Maybe she was hoping to be next, Niculai wondered to himself. Even if he was interested, Tomas was going to be busy when he got back. Anthony was due any minute now and he was never late.

    Anthony was head of the Garshun clan and a member of the DeNeam, the highest level of the aristocracy. One of the few that he could stand to be around without wanting to bite something, or more likely someone. Niculai was really hoping that Anthony would get here soon. Or that his brother would finish up with the girl quickly. He was getting tired of the press of Humans all around him. Niculai really preferred being out in the night, on patrol. To be honest he'd rather be outside even if he wasn't on patrol. Niculai hated being surrounded by people. It didn't matter what race they were.

    There was a disturbance over by the front door. The crowd was parting like the red sea for Moses. Niculai had to smile to himself. Anthony had arrived. He had the same affect on everyone. It didn't matter what their race was, Human, Anvidai, or Shifter, they all reacted the same way. Like a school of fish around a shark. The "don't fuck with me" vibe that surrounded Anthony reached Niculai before the male did and was a major reason why people tended to give the guy a wide berth, especially Humans. The head of the Garshun clan looked like a straight up killer. Well, at least what one would like like if the killer only dressed in high end men's couture. Not that Anthony wasn't a superb fighter, cause the male was downright lethal. No, Anthony just preferred thinking to fighting. And as the head of the Garshun clan that was probably a good thing.

    The clans of the Anvidai were a collection of families, more or less related but all sharing the same clan name. Even if the last name was different. Clan membership was through the maternal line whereas the last name was through the paternal line. Traditionally a male would move to his mates clan if she was from a different one. But since the migration to the new world most of the clans were stationed in and around the Pacific Northwest with smaller enclaves in other parts of the new world.

    Anthony was one of the calmest, most thoughtful people that Niculai had ever met in any race. In fact, it took almost an act of god to get a rise out of him. Not that he wasn't perfectly capable of successfully defending himself or his people. Anthony could crack skulls with the best of them. Anthony was more then capable, but his thoughtful nature meant that he prefered diplomacy to violence most of the time. Still, Niculai wished that Anthony had chosen to fight. The Ashen War-Kin's numbers were falling, not raising and had been for almost two hundred years. Yet another problem that Niculai had inherited at his fathers death.

    Thanks to his appearance Anthony rarely had to defend himself. Defending his people however was required far too often to Niculai's thinking. Tony looked like a warrior to his very bones. His preference for diplomacy was the only reason that Niculai's father hadn't put him up for membership in the Ashen War-Kin according to what Niculai had heard. Not that either of the older males had actually talked about it to either Niculai or Tomas. And while there was a constant need for more warriors in the fight against the Undying, Niculai was truly glad that Anthony was the head of the Garshun clan. With Anthony as head of one of the oldest clans, Niculai knew there was at least one member of the high council that he could depend on, and that didn't make him want to pull his hair out or grab a weapon.

    Niculai still blamed the DeNeam as a whole for his parents deaths even if the actual guilty parties had been executed long ago. The DeNeam hadn't liked the changes to the old laws that his father had instituted any more then they liked what he was doing. Both Niculai and his father had been reformers, trying to make the old laws more equitable to all of his people instead of favoring the DeNeam and the aristocracy. Certain members of the DeNeam had acted against his parents, killing them both. The killers had tried to make it look like an Undying attack but there was no fooling the Ashen War-Kin. There had been far to many discrepancies for it to have been the Undying. The guilty parties had been tracked down and dealt with. The DeNeam had clearly thought that the son would be more manageable than the father had been. And boy had they gotten that one wrong. Niculai was even more of a modern thinker then his father had been. Going so far as to move the court to the new world just before World War One. It had been one of his first acts as War Prince.

    Niculai and Tomas had originally been sent to the new world in the early nineteen hundreds by their father. The Anvidai started moving to the new world not long after the civil war had ended and their father had wanted a check to be made on those that had moved here. He also asked his sons to set up various safe places for the rest of their people in case things got to dangerous for them in the old world. Boy, his father had been on the ball with that one. Not even half a century later the Nazis and the Vril society had come closer to winning the war for the Corrupter. The Corrupter and her Undying were always looking for ways to control the Human race. They regularly used groups such as the Vril society and the Nazis or in more recent times various white supremacy or fundamantal religious groups that had been popping up. Dissent and hatred were their hallmark after all. In some ways the DeNeam reminded Niculai of the Undying. Only out for themselves, not what was good for the Anvidai as a whole. Unfortunately the aristocracy in general and the DeNeam specifically thought that they were doing what was best for their people. Or at least they told themselves that.

     Niculai's father had seen the danger to the Anvidai long before the first world war. The world had been getting crowded and the politcal enviroment was becoming more and more dangerous to Humans. It was doubly so for the Anvidai that had so much more to hide. By World War Two it was obvious that the old world was no longer safe for the Anvidai. Between the Soviets on one side and the Nazis on the other his people were caught between a rock and a hard place. So Niculai had moved the Anvidai to the new world. Too many Humans in one place was never good for anyone that had secrets to keep. Nonetheless the safest place for the Anvidai to be was in the cities. At least in cities where people kept to themselves. Cities like those found in the United States and Canada. The Anvidai had originally settled on the east coast of what would become the United States of America and Canada but had moved to the west long before Samuel Clemens had given that advice to young people. West they had gone building safe enclaves for the people as they went. For time immemorial they had stayed in villages with Humans, usually Rom. One or at the most, two families, usually from the same clan. Moving on to another village every ten to fifteen years, long before the visible lack of aging caught up to them. It was only in the cities that they could gather in larger numbers and stay for any length of time.

    Long ago the Anvidai had lived in villages of their own, usually no more then one clan to a village. Often an aristocratic clan head or member of the DeNeam would have a manor or castle with more than one village looking to it. This was all before the time that Humans had gotten so numerous and had driven the Anvidai into hiding, before the Undying had forced them into hiding to be honest. The advent of truly large cites had been a boon to the Anvidai though, when it became impossible for someone to know everyone or even a decent percentage of those that lived around them. The Anvidai could come out of hiding as it were and live together in clans like they had in times past. Nowadays multiple clans could live in a single city and never be noticed, not that they did. The cohesion of the clans had broken down. While most Anvidai lived in cities all over north America, they weren't grouped as clans anymore. There were families from many different clans living in any given city. This change overjoyed Niculai most of the time since it meant that the aristocrats were losing power. The DeNeam however were striking back at the change deciding that anyone that lived in their city was of their clan like it or not. This was not an opinion that Niculai endorsed. No matter how much they yellled for him to make it law, Niculai refused and always would.

    The Anvidai and to a lessor degree the Lushidai leaving the clan structure at last meant that the DeNeam were watching their power slip away and Niculai couldn't be happier. Anything that annoyed them pleased him. Although the change did make it harder to find new members for the Sages, the Walkers, and of course the Ashen War-Kin. So there were still a few roles that the clans fulfilled.  Traditionally the clans were responsible for finding any possible candidates from among their young. Thanks to the changes in their society the numbers were falling in all three groups but the Ashen War-Kin were hardest hit by it. It was still worth it as far as Niculai was concerned. They would find other ways to get new members, as would the Sages and the Walkers.

    Anthony Garshun was dressed like the aristocrat that he was. His short black hair was styled impeccably. While Anthony dressed like the rest of the DeNeam, those aristocrats would never have come into this part of town never mind the bar.  The music alone would send them running. They probably would have balked at meeting Niculai at a library. That bunch would consider anything less then the Audience hall to be beneath them. Nor were they the straight shooters that Anthony was. They prefered appearance over substance. The image of one of those over dressed snobs in a place like the Pale was seriously funny. A long muscular frame that was drapped in a stunning Versace suit that really didn't fit in with the leather and chains that the majority of the patrons of the Pale were wearing. Or with his aristocratic bloodline, those dandies tended to be on the lean side and definitely not as heavily muscled as Anthony. His fathers best friend had helped to not only raise him, T, and Rhuv but helped to train him in fighting as well.

    It's probably the first and only time a suit of any kind much less a high end one has walked into this bar, Niculai thought. "Unless it was on a dirty cop that is," he added out loud as Tony approached.

    "What?" Tony asked as he sat down at the one of chair that didn't have a drink in front of it.

    Well aparently he'd said that out loud. "Nothing," Niculai said with a slight smile.

    Anthony had been his father's best friend while he lived. The male had helped raise the twins and Rhuv. Anthony had been such a feature in their childhood that Niculai, Tomas, and Rhuv all considered him to be an uncle of sorts. What was even more surprising was the fact that not only were they not related, but they weren't even from the same clan. Something that never would have happened in his grandfather's time. One of the best results of the disintegration of the clan structure as far as Niculai was concerned. Niculai really liked and trusted Anthony and had his whole life. In fact Anthony was one of the few non-Ashen War-Kin that he trusted. Niculai had learned that lesson far too well early on in his life.

    "Thank you for meeting me Niculai," The tall dark male said quietly. "Sorry I'm late." Anthony looked around, trying to find Tomas. "I'm guessing that T's occupied?" Anthony shook his head. "I wish that I was just meeting you guys for a drink instead of a problem. It's been a while since we just hung out. Although I probably would have chosen a different watering hole." Anthony chuckled a bit as the scantily clad waitress headed their way. "Or maybe not," he added. "I can see why Tomas likes this place so much." Anthony's voice took on an appreciative note.

    Tony took a deep breath once the waitress had left with Anthony's Patron tequila order. It was clear to Niculai that he was upset. Niculai had never seen Anthony so visibly upset. Not even during the exodus from Eastern Europe. Anthony engaging in small talk was unusual enough, but doing so when he obviously wanted to talk about something important was such an anomaly that Niculai wondered if the sun was going to rise in the west from now on. Anthony hated social small talk with a passion and would usually get right to the point but not tonight, for some reason. If Anthony needed to work his way up to whatever the problem was Niculai was inclined to let him. God knew that Anthony had more than earned it.

    "No worries Tony," Niculai said. "You know I'm always here for you. We haven't been here very long ourselves." Niculai chuckled a bit in embarrassment before continuing. "Yeah, Tomas is scratching his itch."

    A knowing look passed over Anthony's face disappearing a fast as it showed. Then he cleared his throat, his face somber. "There's something going on. Something new. I'm getting reports of people getting nabbed by the Undying, not just killed. Whole families are being taken apparently, and we don't know why." Anthony's distress was obvious to Niculai even if most wouldn't be able to tell. The ever so slightly narrowed eyes and increased resperation were a clear sign as was the scent of worry. It was sharp and vaguely unplessant to Niculai's nose. A persistent sting that wasn't going to go away. Only someone with senses as sharp as Niculai's were would be able to tell.

    This was definantly new and a very good reason for Anthony to ask for a meeting. New, with the enemy they were fighting, was never good. Niculai felt his temper start to slip. Never one for cussing, Niculai started off on a string of curses in the first language. That was definitely going to stay in his head. In the past the Undying had taken individual people for torture but never whole families. The news that Anthony had just shared wasn't just bad, it was a game changer. And Niculai needed to keep his head, not go off half cocked. This was definitely not the time to lose his temper. Instead, Niculai engaged his formidable intelligence. While not the smartest in the Ashen War-Kin Niculai had an ability to see the heart of a situation and, as a rule, find a solution.

    "That is unusual and the unusual is never good when it comes to the Undying."

   Niculai's voice dropped, almost like he was talking to himself. "I wonder what caused the change." The Undying liked nothing better then killing the Anvidai. As often and as bloodily as possible. The bigger the mess left behind the more terror they inspired. And while this could just be a new tactic. It didn't fit in with their usual M.O.. Plus the happy little fact that making assumptions about any enemy was stupid. When your enemy was as deadly as the Undying it was downright suicidal. Niculai had never considered himself to be stupid and definitely not suicidal, so no assumptions about the new trend. They needed more information about what was going on. And they needed to find a way to keep more people from going missing. So it was a waiting game and the Mother knew that Niculai was not good at waiting.

    "I don't know. But you're right. It can't be good." Anthony's reply was quiet, almost despairing. His sorrow about the losses coloring his voice. Anthony's shoulders dropped briefly before he got ahold of himself. Squaring his shoulders, regaining control of himself and his voice.

    One of the many reasons that Niculai truly loved the older male was that he truly cared about not only his own clan but about all of the Anvidai that lived in his area. Watching Anthony's distress at not being able to stop the attacks was painful to Niculai. And while the other males distress was hidden to everyone else. To Niculai, the male might as well have taken out a billboard. Only someone who knew the Clan Head well would be able to tell. Anthony hid his distress well. Niculai would never mention it though. He would never do anything that would reduce his honor or cause him embarrassment. So, Niculai kept quiet about the distress that was so very clear to him.

    Odds were that if the Undying had changed their M.O. then they were after something specific. Something other than the terror that they usually wanted. Something that they, the Ashen War-Kin needed to make sure the Undying didn't get. While this counted as a guess, it was a logical one. As War Prince, Niculai was ultimately responsible for the safety of the Anvidai, so anything that affected them was his to correct or avenge.

    The two sat in silence for a bit. The punk rock music seemed to swell in volume, eating up the words they weren't saying. It was a few minutes before either of them could speak, they just sat in silence as the music pounded and people danced and drugged all around them. Never knowing about the non Humans that sat in their midst.

    It was Niculai who broke the silence. "Was it your people?" He asked knowing that Anthony would be equally upset no matter what clan the victims were from. Something that wasn't true of most of the other clan heads or members of the DeNeam. "Did any of them escape? How did you hear about this?"

    Niculai knew that he was asking his questions before Anthony could answer. Niculai needed to slow down and let Anthony answer his questions if he wanted to learn anything but damn was it hard to do. Humans in the hands of the Undying was bad enough, he didn't want to think about what his civilians would be going through. In the past, what little had been found after the Undying had gotten their hands on someone was barely enough to burn. Usually it was just parts that turned up and rarely even that. It was clear from the bits that were found that the damage had been done while the poor victim was alive. Niculai and his Ashen War-Kin worked very hard to make sure that as few as possible from any race ended up in the hands of the Undying. And while it was terrible if a Human was taken Niculai was mainly concerned with his own people. If it was ever a choice between the Anvidai and Humans Niculai was sorry but his own came first. Like most of his kind Niculai didn't hate Humans but he didn't particularly like them either. At best they were sheep for the Undying to slaughter. At worst they were just an induction ceremony away from being Undying themselves. Look at what they did to themselves after all. Mostly, he didn't think of them at all as generally they didn't register much on his radar.

    The Anvidai in front of Niculai took a deep, bracing breath. "The home that was hit belonged to a family from another clan, not mine, but that doesn't matter. There was one of my clan visiting them. The female from my clan got away only because they were focused on everyone else there. The killers probably didn't see her." Anthony tossed back his tequila. "There was a young hidden. Evidently his mother stuffed him in the crawlspace under the floor when they heard the attack start in another room. There was no way for them to escape unfortunately." Anthony signaled for another drink before continuing. "Nothing was said in front of the boy that would give us any clues as to what triggered the change. Not that the poor kid was in any shape to answer any questions."

    Niculai could well imagine that the young was in no shape to answer questions. Seeing anyone killed or kidnapped in front of you was traumatic enough. But having it be someone you knew? Someone you loved? No, that would be beyond traumatic. It would be a miracle if the kid managed to stay sane at all.  Distress was pouring off the guy in waves again, coloring the air with its tangy scent. Not that Niculai blamed the guy, having people you were responsible for get nabbed would do that to anyone. Niculai knew how that felt because he was feeling the same way. At least with Anthony around the poor kid wouldn't be left all alone. Even if he wasn't from his clan Anthony would make sure the little guy had everything he could ever need. Unlike some clan heads Anthony wouldn't treat the kid like a second class citizen just for the crime of coming from a different clan. Niculai wished he'd known that not all the clan heads thought that way a good seventy years ago. Then he wouldn't have made one of the biggest mistakes in his life.

    Mentally shaking himself Niculai went back to the business at hand. Now wasn't the time to think about his past mistakes. "Have you heard about any other attacks?" Niculai raised his hand stopping the male before he could speak. "Not that this attack wasn't enough."

    Niculai was fairly certain that he would have heard from the other DeNeam, loudly, if there had been. That the news of the attack had gone to Anthony's clan first had been the only piece of good news in the whole mess. Not that he wanted Anthony or the Garshun clan attacked. It was just that if it had been any other clan his phone would have lit up like a christmas tree. It also meant that he could get what little information that was available as quickly and concisely as possible, with no recriminations. Any anger would be correctly placed on the Undying, instead of using the tragedy to get more power.

    "If there have been no one's told me about it. I'm fairly sure that the topic would have come up at the last grand council meeting. Especially if any other clans had been raided. And the last meeting was last night. Pretty close to the same time that the attack was happening in fact. I'm certain that it will be the topic at the next meeting though. And I'm also certain that you'll want to be there." Anthony shook his head at the look on Niculai's face before continuing. "You will need to get ahead of the talk my boy. The DeNeam is even less fond of you than they were your father. And we both know what happened there."

    Niculai needed no reminders of his parent's deaths at the hands of DeNeam traitors. Nonetheless he resented the need to go and hand hold the high council. That bunch of do nothings would want to have another of their talk-fests before they decided that it was all Niculai and the Ashen War-Kin's problem. There would be no solutions coming from that group, only issues. Niculai knew that Anthony wasn't any fonder of the over-bred fidiots. Great, he thought. Just what I need, a bunch of indignant fops wanting to know why I haven't solved a problem that I just learned about. How in the Mother's name am I supposed to solve something when I don't know why it's happening?! Some days Niculai wished that he could just get rid of the council and the majority of the DeNeam. Unfortunately his people were a conservative lot and would never go along with it because he was certain there were going to be far too many of those days in his immediate future. He was glad however that Anthony was the head of the high council as well as the head of the Garshun clan. It meant that there was at least one sane person on the council.

    Tomas arrived at the table, planting himself with the fluid grace of a predator. Tomas was Niculai's identical twin. But he wore his hair in a stylish short cut with the top spiked. The grin on his face was all about self satisfaction and sex. Sometimes Niculai wished that he had Tomas' easy way with people, especially the females. Not that he had poor luck in that department, he just did better with the Humans whose memories he stripped as soon as he left them. He was always concerned that any females of his race were only after him because of his position as the War Prince. That was what slowed his roll. It had to be. It wasn't because he was a tad shy. Nope, not at all.

    Anthony glanced over at Tomas, popping a smile himself. "So, who was it this time. One of us? A Human? Or both."

    Tomas' grin got bigger, a flash of white that was quickly hidden. No fangs in public please. "She was Human."

    Tomas didn't really care what race his fun came from as long as his itch got scratched. And from what Niculai had ever seen it was true. Niculai laghed to himself. And boy does my twin have a lot of itches to scratch, Niculai added to himself, forgetting for a moment the terrible news that Anthony had just shared.

    "So what's with the smile my brother? Is Anthony telling bad dad jokes again? Or are you laughing at me?" Tomas said, tossing his drink back.

    Tomas was always like that, self-depreciating. Always poking fun at himself, only seeming to take fighting and fucking seriously. Niculai frequently wondered if that was true. Did Tomas knock himself so much for other reasons?

    "Just an amusing thought," Niculai said signaling the waitress for another round.

    "So share. I love a good joke. Or a moderately bad one. But none of Anthony's dad jokes please." Tomas' smile was honest, full of love and humor even if it was a little tight so that his fangs stayed hidden.

    Tomas's smile and humor disappeared as Niculai filled him in on what Anthony had told him. Niculai revised his assesment, Tomas also took the safety of the race seriously. The conversation continued for about another twenty minutes. The three went over every reason for the Undying's change in M.O. that they could think of. When Anthony glanced at his watch and grimaced, both Niculai and Tomas looked at him. Identical looks of concern suddenly appearing on their faces.

     "What's up my man," the twins said in unison. Their tone of voice and words as identical as their faces. As was the slight tilt of the head. Clearly both were hoping that there wasn't even more bad news coming their way.

    Anthony chuckled at the two males. "You two will never stop doing that will you? I'm sure it still drives people crazy." His humor of and love for the two that he'd helped raise was obvious. Anthony shook his head ruefully while he continued. "I have to go meet with Gretta. She's a nice lady and I like her but her mystic crap gives me the scratch."

    The twins smiled back at Anthony in complete agreement. Gretta was the Garshun clans Walker. The Walkers ran the festivals and celebrations for the Anvidai. They also cast the protections on the businesses and homes. They were usually the most conservative people in any given clan. There were however a few forward thinkers and thankfully Gretta was one of them. Which was why Anthony and Gretta got along so well. And why the Garshun clan was, in Niculai's opinion, one of the best clans out there. Which was also why Anthony's face had a smile on it when he stood. Waving at the twins Anthony left them alone.

    The twins stayed put because Rhuv was going to meet them here. Rhuv was the third in their fighting group. As a rule, the three of them left home together but when they didn't they always met up at the Pale before going out on patrol.

    This was going to be a long night Niculai decided as he finished his drink. He contemplated ordering another, but decided against it. Not with the aggression that he was rocking tonight. Niculai really hoped that they found a bunch of Undying tonight. He was going to need the outlet and so was Tomas. Rhuv as well once they caught him up on the news. Just one fight wasn't going to be enough.