In restless dreams I walked alone, narrow streets of cobblestone

[interposal]

[This was supposed to be just a night off, a break from responsibilities that even the most diligent of leaders needed to take in order to refresh and be able to operate at their best. With everything going on lately, that was certainly the case for Young-ho.

Perhaps the first sign that something was wrong was the fact that there were reports of unrest in the area, and that while there hadn't been anything lately, there didn't seem to be any indication of the perpetrators being either caught or told to stand down. Being more careful was something that made sense, of course, but sometimes there are small moments that nobody could really account for, either.]

Comments

[lesinset]

I really don't want to talk about it too much.

[ Dusty rolled his eyes. In his opinion, Tarr always does not want to talk about anything. It took a lot of get him to really start, and even in their partnership there were moments that the vampire would just shut up and make faces. Well. Dusty called them faces but other people may not even be able to get a read on his expressions so easily. ]

Tell the kid. He may need to know and it's not like he will tell it to everyone else.

[ Tarr just stared at Dusty. The mage grinned even wider and leaned closer to Molly, dropping into another stage whisper. ] You know, I think that he wants me to go too. Mind if I tag along? I can help.

[ The elder huffed slightly, looking away since he knew that no matter what he said, Dusty was still going to do some gossiping. It was fine, maybe. The mage might actually figure something out and it would be easier to talk without him underfoot, butting in and being Dusty. ]

I'm not holding you here.

[interposal]

Sure, let the two grump-asses figure out whatever it is they need. You might be able to pick up on something I can't, anyway.

[ She flashes him a thumbs-up before letting out a fond huff of air at Young-ho, already getting ready to jump back down into the alleyway. ]

My bike's near here anyway, just redirect me over there and we'll be set.

[ Young-ho watches them go, shaking his head lightly before turning to face Ki-moon again. ]

As much as she likes to tease, she is good at what she does. They'll find something to help us along.

What else was Dusty talking about, though?

[lesinset]

[ She had to be good for her to have gained enough prestige to at least hold some sway among the vampires. Tarr still couldn't help the slight feeling that scraped down his spine as Dusty took off with her. It wasn't the first time his partner went off to do something somewhere that might annoy other people that then try to kill him, but it still was worrying. Humans were fragile no matter what power they had.

He took a deep breath and pushed the feeling aside. Dusty would just tease him about it if he knew anyways. ]

Ah. The fact that I keep tabs on the family line.

[interposal]

Admittedly I tried to stay out of our family's business after I was turned - it was for the better, or so I thought.

[ His lips twist into a sardonic smirk at the apparent irony at this before he looks away again, frowning slightly. ]

Not that I'm saying anything against the revelation earlier, of course. But now you do have me curious.

I know I had cousins, and my wife did have a daughter before, but - [ He makes a vague gesture with one hand, but even if he doesn't say anything past that, Ki-moon should easily get the implications. ]

[lesinset]

I understand. I was kept away by distance and by my Maker; it was one of the many reasons why I broke free so soon.

[ His sisters needed him in one form or another. Well, the one was married and it was a good match, but the other had been young and his father had been older. He didn't like the idea of him not there making sure they stayed safe as he could make them. That anger helped with weakening the hold that his clan leader held over him.

When he finally made it back home, Tarr had spent a lot of time searching records and listening in corners until he had an idea of what had happened and where the family could have gone. The records were sketchy thanks to the wars, but he finally did find them all. He had nieces and nephews, and he kept track of them. In some cases, he moved a few small pieces to make sure they stayed safe, or that they managed to survive. It had been guilt after all, but it was nice, seeing some of them grow up.

He pursed his lips at Young-ho's words, thinking over the information he had on their blood relatives. ]

There was a few cousins. I think one died childless, but the rest have had descendants. One of them is a Director of Finances in a corporation. The daughter married; I believe there were three children. Two married, and one had a same sex partner, though they did not tell their families until after they died.

[interposal]

It didn't help I've been on the other side of the world ever since I was still human.

[ There's a small sense of shame burning in his gut when he thinks about it - but he had been so out of it the first few decades that he couldn't afford to go back to Korea to see how his family had been doing since he had died. Unlike his great-uncle's maker, Young-ho's was actually fairly sympathetic to a lot of the younger vampire's plight with regard to his family - to a point.

And then came his maker's murder and his subsequent ascension as clan leader. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. ]

Is it sad that despite knowing that it would only bring about more problems, I want to see them? [ He lets out a sad laugh, shaking his head. It would just be another thing to use against him, never mind that the danger they would be involved in would be too great. It's not like Molly's relationship with her ancestor, where she knows exactly what she's getting into and fights on regardless. He's slightly jealous of them for that much. ]

[lesinset]

You had a good maker and later, you had responsibilities to deal with. It would have been strange if you had returned to see them.

[ The lord that changed Young-ho had been a good person as much as a vampire lord could be one, but he had still been very old fashioned. There was nothing wrong with that except that it probably left Young-ho with some traces of old fashioned mannerisms that were not needed among the councils these days. ]

But no, I do not think that it's sad. They are family. [ It didn't matter how long ago it was, they were still of their blood. As crazy as it may seem, they were always going to be of their blood. ] There is one thing about them that you may have guessed - the shifting we are able to do? It comes from the human bloodline.

[interposal]

Perhaps.

[ There's still time, of course. They have nothing but time, considering their existence. It's just something that he couldn't think of doing until things calmed down and more specifically, if they calmed down. ]

Though if what I've been told about sudden revelations on bloodline are to be believed, I may have to be subtle about it. [ Granted, subtlety isn't completely lost on him.

Young-ho lifts his hand and lets it shift for a moment, melding and morphing into a smaller version of the blade from earlier in the night before melting back into a normal human hand. ]

I wasn't sure, considering my maker didn't have much of a talent for shifting like I have been able to do, but that does make sense after what I've seen tonight.

[lesinset]

Mm.

[ Yes, they had time and Tarr would probably take him to visit the family, or at least what he thought was safe to visit. Maybe even show him to old burial spots or to the more modern areas for human remains. It might actually help him find a little bit of home to know that the line continued on. ]

It does help that I am traveling I suppose. It's hard for people to target something they cannot catch, though it may be reversed on me.

[ He trusts that the younger vampire wouldn't be caught easily, let alone that anyone would try to test Tarr's patience. He might not like politics or fighting, but he had a temper and no one wanted that released. ]

Give it enough time and you will shift to entirely new forms or even things that are a part of nightmares. [ And it wasn't even that as Tarr shifted to his female form, even though his voice remained the same. Then again, considering how soft and high it was naturally, it didn't break the illusion. ]

Even to this.

[interposal]

True, whereas for the most part, I've had to stay in one area to either take care of my clan or deal with council meetings. I fear I may becoming too predictable.

[ Which is something he and Molly have discussed before, it was more just a matter of figuring out how they can work against that and still let things run smoothly. ]

I've -

[ And his eyes widen slightly as Ki-moon shifts into a female body, blinking a couple times before he pointedly looks away. ]

I've done some drastic shifting, as I've told you before. Just not ... that. [ And the only reasons for that was because he needed the additional strength for fighting or to catch his enemies unawares. ]