A refuge for people like us (Luca's arrival: Open to anyone)

'Not so far from Catania - on the coast - is a refuge for people like us. Join us. We'll welcome you.' The man's words rang out in Luca's mind. He could've been just some drunk talking nonsense, but his wine colored eyes and the way he'd melted into the crowd said otherwise... Luca had spent the night searching after that, finally coming across a place that one might have deemed fitting. It reeked heavily of mutts, and other things that the Italian didn't particularly recognize. But, there was also something about the place that reminded him greatly of Adrianus...

Making his way through the front doors, he wondered to himself if this was really a place where the kind of he and his late maker could be found. From what he could tell, the space he'd just entered was empty for now. Though the unmistakable sounds of footsteps could be heard just beyond. Frowning to himself, Luca decided to make himself known.
"Hello...?" He called out.

Aeker hadn't left the library much since he was forced to separate from Aodh, granted it had only been a day he was already beginning to mope.

After all he was accustomed to having the Lycan around him constantly, the silence in his room was maddening, it seemed so unnatural now, something was always happening.

He found himself missing the Lycan's rather bold choice of Irish music.

The Vampire descended the stairs to the vestibule, as per usual he wore black jeans and jacket with a slate colored shirt which contrasted against his pale skin, his long silver hair cascading down his back and lapping at his ankles.

Bright crimson eyes turned to the sound of a voice, one he had not heard before, the man changed his path and moved towards it.

"Yes, hello?"

He muttered as he entered the room.

Luca scowled at the strange looking man, his hazel eyes narrowing and his nose wrinkling in disgust. If he thought that the place reeked of mutts before, then this guy must have showered in one's slobber. But at least for now, until he could find the information that he was after, he would keep his mouth shut about that...
"Where am I exactly...?" He asked.
"I was told that there was a coven of Vampires living near Catania, am I in the right place? I'm not sure given how heavily this abode smells of slobbering mongrels."

Yes, he'd used some harsh words to describe them... But given his past with Alessandro and the loathsome creatures that had torn Adrianus limb from limb before dragging what was left of him out into the sunlight just to be sure, his prejudice towards them was more than reasonable. Luca despised mutts, and he'd be damned if he was going to keep that to himself.

Aeker watched the man quizzically, his facial expressions were easily picked up on since the man made no effort to hide his disgust.

The Vampire nodded slowly, flicking strands of silver hair from his face.

"You're in the right place, but this isn't just a coven for Vampires, we house Lycans, Necromancers and Elves as well.

As such I'd advise you not to speak of them so brazenly, their numbers rival the amount of Vampires here and if you were to set them off and get yourself attacked I daresay no one would be foolish enough to try and save you."

He muttered with a small amount of distaste in his voice, he wanted to speak up and scold this man for speaking so rudely about the Lycans, his Fiancé was a Lycan, and a good man, plus Aodh's family were now his own.

But with the Fae quickly approaching he couldn't let that be known to this man in case his hatred ran so deep that he would out them to the inspectors and get them both killed.

In other words, the man before him would not care or be one to help if the aforementioned happened. He must have been close to one...
"Fantastic. The first coven that I happen come across is full of Lycan huggers." He said sarcastically, making sure to put emphasis on the proper word for the mutts.
"Sorry to come across so crass, but I can assure you that I have my reasons..."

Vaguely, Luca wondered how many mutts there actually were. It wasn't like he feared them anymore, so as long as they weren't in close quarters it shouldn't come to be a problem of any sort... At least now he knew what those other smells were. Elves and Necromancers, huh? Along with Vampires and mutts, the Italian had to admit that it was a rather odd combination.

If one of the Lycan decided to attack this man perhaps he would stop them, not in order to save the young Vampire, but to prevent making a mess in the hallway.

Aeker had to hold back a scoff at the term Lycan huggers it made it sound like they were the minority here, he wondered if this man stuck around, how he would react to learning that the Vampire Elder was once the Mate of the Lycan Elder.

A small smirk pulled at his lips, Giacinto and Aleksandr would quickly whip him into shape if they heard him talking like this.

"Everyone has their reasons for hate, it's just a shame that some people crucify and entire species based on the actions of a select few."

He replied.

Luca pulled his face into an emotionless expression, as he always did when talking about a particular subject.
"I suppose you're right, but I doubt that I will come across any m-Lyan who would change my opinion..." He replied.
"Besides, I am not condemning them alone. I belong to the flames of Hell just as much as any one of them..."

Religion. No matter hard Adrianus had tried to make him give it up, it was one of the few things that Luca had never seemed to sway from. He'd never stopped believing that he was damned in the end, or that he would Alessandro in Hell. In his mind he wasn't pointing a finger at the boogeyman like some scared child, he simply knew who his roommates would be upon arriving at eternal damnation.

"Hopefully one of the many that call this coven home may prove you wrong."

He replied, Aeker knew it wouldn't be Aodh, his Lycan was far to... well, he was Aodh, he had a very strong personality that you either loved or loathed.

"Regardless, if you want refuge here then you are welcome and I can help you find a room."

Hopefully there was a spare room that didn't have any Lycan sleeping in it, not that he was accommodating this man, he didn't want some poor Lycan stuck with a bigot of a Vampire.

"Gazie..." The younger replied.
"Though you do not have to act hospitable to me if you dislike me, it's obvious that there are personal factors contributing to your opinion as well."
It would be interesting to find out who the mutt behind the older's reasoning was... But Luca supposed that was something that he'd find out in time. He couldn't possibly be the only Vampire in the world that hated mutts, so he doubted that he would be the only one here as well.

Though he was looking at the oddly colored man, in his peripheral vision he could see two wings clearly labeled 'Terra' and 'Aria'. Having never been inside a coven before Luca found it odd, if there were four species then why not four wings...? It was a bit confusing, and he would really rather not have stumbled into the mutt's wing by mistake. God knows how that would turn out...

"There are, but just because I disagree with your opinions does not give me the right to leave you out in the hallway to fend for yourself.

I'd rather not wake tomorrow to find out you were torn to shreds for mouthing off to a Lycan.

If you want a room follow me, if not then feel free to sleep outside."

He replied, knowing full well that if the man slept outside he would be ash as soon as the sun rose.

Aeker moved toward the Terra wing, he and Aodh lived in the Aria wing and he would rather keep this Vampire away from the Lycan, he didn't fancy his chances against the Beta.

"My name is Aeker by the way."

He added, in his annoyance he had forgotten his manners.

The Italian followed, his curiosity at the man trying to remain polite more then obvious.
"Luca." He replied.
"So... How long have you been here?" The younger asked, in an attempt to make conversation.
He obviously didn't like Luca, but that was no reason not to try and replace the silence. If worst came to worst he could always ask about the other's mutt, as it would at least be interesting to know who it was.

The mutt was probably a male, given that most of them were from what Luca had seen. Hmm... Maybe he could try and guess? If they were all a bunch of mutt huggers, at least there would be something to keep him amused. He'd never been one for being able tell anything from scent, apart from that 'wet dog' smell that all mutts seemed to carry with them. Perhaps he'd spot a visual clue somewhere on Aeker...?

Aeker couldn't help but chuckle softly under his breath, this Lycan hating Vampire's name was Luca? Idly he wondered how the man would feel knowing that he shared that name with one of Moe and Zeke's children, a young Lycan.

"Almost a year."

He replied, looking over his shoulder at the other Vampire, offering a small smile.

It felt like longer, so much had happened during his stay here, but it had all turned out rather nicely.

"I came here with my twin sister."

He added, there was no way for Luca to find out about him and Aodh, reluctantly when the two of them had been separated he was made to remove his engagement ring.

Luca froze at the mention of siblings, but quickly pulled himself together. Even after all the years it'd been, siblings were still always a bad subject for him.
"Does she look much like you?" He asked.
"I know that my brother looks nothing like me..." He mumbled afterwards.
Mentally he cursed himself for sharing a piece of information about Alessandro, no matter how small it seemed.

It occurred to him that perhaps it was Aeker's sister who was the cause of the older Vampire's disgusting wet dog smell, but it would've been unlikely given the female population of Lycans and the fact that Aeker himself was a Vampire. There was something strange about the older of the two apart from his appearance as well, some thing that the Italian couldn't pin point exactly... Maybe Aeker was a pureblood? Adrianus had spoken of them once, describing that they had always seemed a little 'off' compared to other Vampires that he had met.

"She looks a lot like, except obviously much shorter, and her eyes are golden, not crimson."

He replied as they walked down the hallway to the Terra wing, the older Vampire, opened doors and inspected each one, seeing if there were any available beds.

"Oh you have a brother?"

He asked, trying to hold polite conversation until he found the man a place to stay.

"Was he turned as well, or did he stay human?"

He asked, Aeker could tell the difference between a turned Vampire and a Pureblood, a gift from being around many of both for so long.

"He... hasn't been Human for a long time. Though I wouldn't know if he's still animate or not..." Replied Luca, trying to tip toe around the question.
Not sure if the word 'alive' would've be an appropriate term amongst Vampires and mutts. Honestly, that was about as polite as he got for conversation these days.
"What about you? Were you turned, or did you not have a maker at all...?" He asked, trying to steer the conversation into another topic.

Living with Adrianus for over 80 years had it's less than satisfying points, one of them being that up until now he'd never met formally met another Vampire apart from his maker. There were those that he might have suspected of being what they were, but for those first 82 years he'd lived a very sheltered life. Adrianus had not been a social Vampire, and it was surprising that they had even grown close. And after his death, it was a long time before Luca let his fears give way to curiosity.

Aeker nodded softly, it was obvious that they were breaching a subject that he would rather not talk about and he was more than willing to drop that line of thought.

The older Vampire chuckled softly and shook his head.
"No I wasn't turned, my family bloodline has always been vampiric, my sister and I were born like this."

He replied, the Rozen family were purebloods, a very long line of pureblooded Vampires which was coming to an end, Alexis was with Tahir and he was with Aodh, their children would be hybrids.

Born a Vampire...? The idea of blood sucking children that Luca imagined upon receiving that piece of information was rather alarming, but strangely enough... The Italian had to keep himself from prying further about the lives of purebloods. Sometimes it was just a little too obvious exactly how he was related to Alessandro, and he intended on changing that. Thinking like his mutt of a brother would certainly lead to trouble.

"Ah... Well in that case, you'd be the first that I've ever knowingly met." He confessed.
After all, what kind of trouble could that get him in? His maker was dust, and it wasn't as if anyone here would've known Adrianus in the first place.
Luca pondered for a second if it was normal to have been in so little contact with other Vampires, but quickly brushed it off as nothing. Merely considering himself paranoid, and worried about nothing again. Self doubt had always been a part of him after all.

"That honestly does not surprise me, you're young and it seems being pureblooded is becoming more rare these days, I consider that a good thing."

He replied, Purebloods were dangerous, more so than turned Vampires, they have no humanity to cling onto, all they ever know is kill, feed, kill again, there is no compassion or mercy for their prey.

That was something the gentle-hearted Vampire would rather see extinguished from the world.

Aeker opened a door, peering inside he spotted two free beds, perfect, the scent of Lycan was weak in this room, chances were Vampires inhabited this one.

"You can have this room, all rooms are shared, four in each, males and females are separated."

If Aeker was not a particular fan of his own kind, Luca wouldn't hold it against him. He'd never been a fan of certain beings that he was tried to, even when they had once been Human...
The room didn't smell so much like mutt slobber, so the older Vampire was definitely trying to keep Luca away from them. Not that he blamed him. Given the way that he acted, almost anyone chose to stay away. He doubted that even Adrianus (Had he been alive), would've wanted to know him now.

"Got it. Thanks for the help, even if I can tell that it's not for my benefit that you have..." The younger stated in return.
Luca wasn't an idiot, he could tell that Aeker must have really cared for whoever the mutt was if he'd spent that much effort trying to keep the Italian away from them.
"And if you're trying to hide what it is affecting your opinion, I'd recommend getting rid of the wet dog smell..." He advised bluntly.

"You're welcome, it was for your benefit as well as many others, death is not something I would wish upon anyone."

He replied, whether or not he had helped Luca because he wanted to was of little importance, the Vampire would be safe here and Aodh would have less blood on his hands.

The Pureblood froze for a moment, wet dog smell, being away for his Fiancé he had almost forgotten that he had taken on the man's scent, Orion had mistaken him as a Lycan at first based on his smell.

He pursed his lips softly, how could be have been so foolish, if the Fae came close to him they would know in a heart beat what he had been up to.

Subconsciously he rubbed his finger where his engagement ring had been, he would've gotten himself and Aodh killed because he didn't think, he was too busy moping.

"I'll go shower, thank you."

He muttered as he turned around, heading back towards Aria wing, he needed to wash all his clothes and himself, he needed to get the Beta Wolf's scent off of himself.

Luca sat down on what appeared to be an empty bed with a sigh. It was going to be a long night, and he could only wait for the explaining he'd probably have to do upon meeting any of his new roommates. Rolling up one of his sleeves, the Italian looked down at his crucifix tattoo with an expression just as lost as the one that he had worn in 1903. What would Adrianus say if he saw him now...?

Luca chuckled softly at the irony of it all. Attacked by his mutt of a brother for refusing to become immortal, yet seeking safety in it when offered by the Vampire that had made him. Adrianus condemning his religious beliefs, yet trying to appeal to them in an attempt to get Luca to forgive Alessandro. The same man who had once told him that mutts weren't so bad, being torn to pieces and dragged out into the sunlight by them. Once upon a time thinking himself better than his brother, but then murdering in the same cold blood. And despite his hatred of all the mutts that he had known, allowing that blatant advice to slip from his lips.

Having been without Adrianus for so long, he wasn't really sure what the older would've said anymore... He probably would've called him a hypocrite. But it wasn't as if Luca wouldn't have been able to point that finger back at him, and he probably would have too. But that was what they were. The Italian smiled slightly, only safe in doing so since no one was around, before rolling his sleeve back up and replacing it with a convincing frown. Hypocrisy had gotten them nowhere, and it wasn't going to get him anywhere now.