`sandy whispers [open]

[hanariyo]

It is a little ridiculous to expect perfection from anything, but Michaela had expected some special beauty from Whistable Beach as she stood at the edge of the Beach. She should've known better. After living such a long, long time she really should've known better. Yet, here she is, staring at the open sandy beach - icy and dead - in the middle of winter. She had gotten off work just a mere hour or so ago and had not felt like going home just yet. Perhaps it would have been beautiful if there was a sun. She could already see the gleaming orb of fire rise and fall over the reflection of the waves - a memory of her past life as a human. Unfortunately, she was a vampire and the sight would never be hers to behold.

She was tempted to leave but since she had already made her way over to the Beach, she might as well stay. Easily slipping out of her shoes, she took a step onto the sand. Unlike the sifting searing sands of the summertime, the sand was relatively cool and solid. With shoes in hand, she walked to the shore. She was sure she was leaving footprints, but she doubted that she couldn't handle herself. But just in case, she turned around and scanned her surroundings: no one was here except for her. She was alone.

Alone as always. How she longed for companionship - some romance, children, a home, a family. Michaela scoffed aloud, "As if that's ever going to happen." She frowned. It was unlike her to be so pessimistic. Perhaps it was the Beach - such a forlorn surrounding, a mere shadow of itself - that was affecting her. I've stayed here long enough, Michaela decided. She turned around to leave. Or would've, if she didn't spot the figure that was quickly approaching her.

Oddly enough, she didn't recognize the newcomer. She waited.

[Kriss ~Aleksei Lee Malitzka~]

It was nothing more than the quietude he had been seeking. Nothing more than the feel of gritty sand between his bare feet as he walked, nothing more than the scent of salt-water burning in his nostrils as he scented the air. But more than anything else, he was seeking the solitude that darkened walk brought.
Aleksei was in one of his rare moods. One in which he didn't care for anything intoxicating or addicting. All he wanted was the silence, was the gentle brush of nature against an ever-moving world.
His silhouette was just a half-lit shadow in the predawn. He was just another splaying shadow in the scenery, of course peeking across the brewing waves of the ocean he could see the sun peeking across the land. His hands were sunk into the deep pockets of his worn black leather jacket, and his eyes were narrowed in the slightest into the dark, golden-shimmering slits. He moved with almost inhuman elegance as he crossed the shore, waves almost reaching around his ankles. Of course just as they almost reached in contact, they pulled away once more. Written across the sand were his footprints, mere smudges in the perfection. A trail that stretched on seemingly endlessly behind him. Through his eyes, he could almost image the beach filled with life. With children running through the water, letting loose cries of surprise and joy as it wrapped around their ankles. He could imagine lovers walking across it's sandy shore during sunset, hands intertwined as they talked and laughed and smiled. He could image all of this with perfect clarity, he could almost see the ghostly images of people moving in front of him.
Of course no one was there.
It was dark and abandoned, midwinter the waters would be to cold to swim in. To frigid to possibly enjoy, even as it was after an instant he allowed the glacial waters to twist around his ankles, slightly dampening the fabric of his black jeans. Aleksei gave a sharp inhale of breath as sharpened pricks of pain stabbed at his skin, as the wind blew against his face and mused free-fallen strands of his raven black hair.
He almost felt lonely in that instant though, with the memory of people fresh in his mind. Of course he'd never been given that free happiness and never would be, but regret struck itself like the string of a guitar, and even long after it was gone it still resounded in his mind. It echoed endlessly, a mere vibration. Nothing but an imagined memory.
He let loose a sigh and glanced up now, not realizing that he in fact was not as alone as previously thought. He caught a glimpse of a feminine shape standing on the beach, he had been heading subconsciously towards her in his thoughtful haze. His eyes narrowed though as he examined her, not because he had figured out what she was. No, not yet. But because, more than anything else she had intruded upon his solitude.
His features twisted into a glare, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Their color glinted wolf-gold in the dim lighting, luminescent and radiant. They were in fact, such an odd hue of animal they bordered on the paranormal. Though of course, they were nothing more than a shade of molten gold. After an instant of tension, he started towards this figure that was as well, nothing but a faintly light-brimmed shadow in the darkness of the predawn. [/move]

[hanariyo]

It was apparent that the stranger had spotted her. With the aid of her sharp eyesight, she was able to make out that the stranger was a male. With her logical thought processes, she was able to deduct that he was either a fellow vampire like herself or a werewolf that was very tolerant of the cold. He was near the water, moving around as if it was in the heat of the summer sun. It irritated her a little bit, how he failed to take care of his body and look after his health. Every living being has a mother, someone who had given them life and cared for them. To Michaela, it is considered a disservice to treat your own body so badly. For their mother's sake, if not their own, he should have had the better sense to not get into the icy waters.

The waves crashed into shore in a loud thunderous rumble, and again, and again. In a loping stride, Michaela walked closer to the shore line until the frigid waters were lapping at her own feet. To her, the waters weren't cold - after all, her own skin was several degrees cooler. Now that she was only a handful of feet away from him, she was able to make out every movement and hear every breath he was taking.

His features were twisted into a glare, his eyes narrowing at her in some manner of hostility. His eyes, despite the animosity that were held in them, were beautiful. Michaela smiled at that - she was always appreciative of beautiful things - it did not matter if she hates their owner. It was a deep amber, molten gold, honey, - she could go on forever listing adjectives to describe them. The orbs glimmered and shone in the moonlight.

She spoke first, breaking the tense silence with her light voice. The wind carried her greeting and the silence afterward was a little disconcerting. "Hello." It mattered not that she was about to leave. It was better if she knew of this stranger's intentions first. "What a beautiful night, isn't it?"

She shot an appraising glance at the stranger and unwillingly, her gaze was trained onto his own eyes. Beautiful. It will take a lot of effort on her behalf to tear her eyes way from such a color. Offhandedly, she wondered if she could find a fabric that shade for an evening gown.

[Kriss ~Aleksei Lee Malitzka~]

Those eyes followed her each movement, training her with caution. Formerly his body had been strangely loose; his muscles uncoiled and relaxed, but now with another so near he was tensed once more, his face reassuming that stoic mask that so often took hold across his features. His eyes were still narrowed, but less so. More than anything else they expressed an emotion of caution.
The feel of the numbing waters against his warm skin was now becoming uncomfortable, the pain sharp and defined but even as it was he didn't step out of the waves as they rose and fell. No not yet. He was still released in the bittersweet pain of it, the flowing of feelings that came with it. There was nothing pleasant about the sensation, but all the same it was a show that he was alive that pain could still effect him.
His expression took on almost a tired look as she spoke, one that made the taut line of his shoulders gain in tension as if it somehow pained him more than the glacial waters. After an instant of assessing her face, he redirected her gaze across the dark seas of the ocean. The dark, waters that took on an appearance of a shadowed ocean, the way the rose and fell, glittering and indomitable. The light of dawn was hardly enough to illuminate them, and for now they were nothing more than an expanse of inky liquid. His gaze wavered with them, taking on a reflected hue. After an instant more of silence, he tested words in his mouth for a response.
" Beautiful, indeed though I hardly see the relevance of this." His Russian accent lilted the expressionless words, coloring them with the foreign tone of voice. They became deeper but still remained an murmur barely spoken into the air. Aleksei actually had a healthy respect towards the show of beauty, though. He knew well that beauty was something that should be cherished in an ever fading world. A world that could be ugly and dark. You had to hold onto the light while you could. [/move]

[hanariyo]

At first, Michaela had been impressed with his wariness. His eyes followed her every movement and caution radiated from his very being. After a third glance, she saw that he had collected himself under a mask of stoicism after getting over the shock of her presence. Her impression on the man before her lowered a bit when he looked away from her when she spoke. Although she wasn't a vampire that made a habit of biting anyone and anything (after all, he may very well be a werewolf) she was a little befuddled by the lack of care he provided for his being.

He had yet to get out of the crashing waves' way. Another thing that bothered her. There was no way that the water could be anything but unwelcoming. She could see his frame tense as each wave crashed into him. It was like he relished the pain for some odd reason. He was definitely a nutcase and Michaela couldn't help but curse her good fortune to have run into him tonight.

When he spoke, Michaela was taken aback. His words were expressionless, a tone that matched his facial expression - it was the accent that surprised her. So he was foreign, which definitely explained his coloring and eyes. Unfortunately, his offhand and borderline dismissive response to her earlier attempt at starting a conversation made her pause. What can she possibly say to that? Instead, Michaela flicked her dark hair back over her shoulder and crossed her arms. "The fact that it is beautiful makes it relevant. This night will end soon and you'll regret not appreciating it." The lighting was dim and she spoke clearly, louder than what was necessary. What she spoke of was true. The night was almost over. From the position of the moon and her own estimations, she had about four hours before sunrise.

She cast a poorly-veiled disparaging glance at his person. He was going to catch something if he didn't get out of the water soon. "The water..." She paused. Who was she to demand he do something? She didn't even know his name! Instead, she decided on something more subtle. "How is it?"

[Kriss ~Aleksei Lee Malitzka~]

An upward list to his lips portrayed a slight, indefinite smile. Of course there was an unnerving edge to it. A bleak amusement that was nothing more than a humorless show of nonexistent delight in her words. Of course his response didn't come quickly, in fact he still seemed to be assessing her. With a moment more of staring into the distance he returned his gaze to her face, brows upwardly raised in something that was almost a mocking curiosity. He had yet to guess what she was, but he had already made assumptions. "Sweetheart," his tone was extremely unaffectionate despite his word usage, more than anything else it had turned frosted, as bitter as the waters swirling around his ankles below. "The night is bound to come again, and in all respect beauty can be found in anything. Anything, if you look hard enough if you try." His eyes were hardened to a point that made them look sharp. Dagger-edged. But there was a faint glimmer of amusement within their molten, amber depths. It was faint, but it was there however bitter it may be. After all, he knew that to find the beauty in most things you also had to find the horror. The night brought darkness, it took away the sunlight. And yet with it the sun brought tides of horror its own, whether they are hidden or in plain view for the world to see.
He slouched back slightly now, his expression taking on an almost indolent, bored sort of expression. His hands were still stuffed roughly into the deep pockets of his leather jacket, and at her next inquiry he turned his flickering eyes to her in surprise. At this he arched his brows, glancing down to where her feet were also submerged into the waves. "You should know." He stated calmly, raising his gaze back to her. It was whipped cleanly into another stoic expression, not even slightly humored now. The assumption been there before, but it seemed to make it final. He could see it now, in her features. In her scent and he had to scoff himself for being so numb to his surroundings. Even as it was, he gave a slight laugh in response, not tensing as many others would have done. "Vampire?" His tone was light. Conversational, and he even held her gaze, not wincing, unchanging, just... with the morbid curiosity, that now befell him. For after all, the best kind of curiosity in his opinion was that of morbid wonder.

[hanariyo]

Michaela willed back a snarl as the saccharine endearment passed through his lips and out into the cool night air. Sweetheart? Honestly, this man has no sense of propriety. "My name is Michaela. Not sweetheart." She corrected coolly. Although she didn't make a habit of telling every random stranger she met her name, she'd rather not be called sweetheart. She was sure that he didn't mean it with any affection, she'd rather not be called a false pet name.

She rolled her eyes when he contradicted her reasoning. It seemed like he just wasn't going to let it go. She wasn't particularly in the mood to debate on anything especially not philosophy, but still, she will have the last word on the matter. "The night will come again, true, but it won't be the same. For one, I may return tomorrow night and I won't find you here." Then I won't have a random debate on beauty and its relevance with a nutcase. She thought to herself drolly.

When he looked down at her feet, she did as well. She could feel the motion of waves rushing past her ankles, and the sensation of her feet sinking into the moist sand - but no, she couldn't feel the temperature. Her skin was cooler, after all. He seemed to be surprised - at what she wasn't able to discern. Did he expect her to be a bloodthirsty beast? Was he surprised that she hadn't attacked her yet? "Vampire." She confirmed, a smile crossed her face. She was sure that he can see her fangs. After all, a normal human man would've fell to the cold and receded back to the drier parts of the shore. He was definitely a werewolf. Vampires had no pulse, and he definitely has one. She looked up from underneath her lashes slyly, "Do you have anything against that? she asked, for the sake of asking. She didn't care one way or another of what he thought of her.

[Kriss ~Aleksei Lee Malitzka~]

_{A slow, indolent sort of smile twitched at the corners of Aleksei's lips at her response. It was filled with lazy amusement, a sort of idleness that to some was found unnerving. For after all shouldn't he be tensed? Shouldn't he have been more cautious than that? But no... Aleksei was nothing more than humorlessly amused by the encounter, of course there was tension in his movements. In the line of his shoulders, caution filled his amber-colored gaze. "Michaela?" He repeated lightly. "Pretty name." He let loose a slight sigh though, as he glanced downward towards his own feet, which were embraced by the waves. The feeling of the pain was almost entirely gone-- just replaced by a cool, monotone frozenness. Numb There was almost disappointment in his gaze as the feeling faded away, replaced by nothing but the bitter sensation of something gone and detached. A frown etched itself at the corners of his lips in regret, but a sane portion of his mind dibbed the reason to step out of the frigid brackish waters. Odd for him to want it back-- that stinging feeling that pricked along his nerves and shuddered along his spine, a pain that was constant and unfaltering. Strange enough that he would need it at that moment when so often he wished the exact opposite. Normally he wished for nothing more than to condense pain, to make it nonexistent and clouded, and yet here he was standing in the glacial, unpleasant waters wishing for it to be inheightened. He seemed so absorbed in his own realization that he hardly seemed to notice her retort to his last philosophical statement, like a pouting child with his most recent muse taken away. Even with this stated, Aleksei glanced up at her, not removing himself from the waters just yet.
His lips upturned from his frown once more, as he flashed a smile of true amusement now. "Perhaps, but the elements of it stay the same; the darkness, the silence, the stars, the moon. All of it is just slightly... altered."
Aleksei cocked his head slightly to the side, the manner curious. The movement caused stray strands of his slightly curled black hair to fall across his molten, burning gaze as he studied her face almost searching for something. After an instant more of withholding this studious expression he shook his head, turning his gaze away from her and looking off into the distant horizon that was marched only by a stretch of glimmering, wavering sea. It was almost like a dream, the reflection of the waters and the sky, the wavering world that surrounded them in it's unforgiving chill.
He didn't respond immediately to her next words, in fact if anything it almost seemed as though he hadn't heard them, with his unfocused expression. But he had indeed heard them, and he indeed was prodding at them mentally. Coming up with numerous responded, and so when he next spoke he spoke very slowly, words clipped and decided. "Werewolf," He stated though probably knew that it was obvious by now... He wasn't attempting to conceal anything, and because of this fact he redirected his glittering, now serious and stoic, eyes back to her. All just in time to catch the smile at her lips, to see the flash of ivory fangs in her mouth, and yet it hadn't unnerved him and so Aleksei merely gave a slight, nonchalant shrug in response to her inquiry. He had by now sensed wryly that he was nothing more than a slight annoyance now. That or a slight muse. Something to entertain her until the sun rose once more. Of course he couldn't be entirely sure of her actions, nor could she possibly be entirely sure of his own. "And no I don't have anything against it. You are what you are, there isn't any changing it and there is no reason to despise someone because of it. I don't know anything about you. Nothing other than the fact you're a vampire, which allows me no room to judge you. He smiled again, though it was just as wry as the tone that took over his voice. Dry amusement filled it as he said almost mockingly, "And what about you? Do you have anything against me? Since I'm a werewolf?" There was laughter in his voice, sharp-edged amusement filled his eyes. He waited for her answer, just for the sake of something to do and nothing more than that. He knew that he should step out of the water now, but he was savoring the last memories of that bittersweet pain that had been there only moments before.}

[hanariyo]

Michaela He repeated her name softly, Pretty name

He did not reveal his own name as per custom, but she didn't really mind. She didn't expect to run into him again. Michaela rolled her eyes, but did not comment on his response. He was set in his decision that all nights are the same, and although she disagreed, it really didn't matter to her what he thought. Their conversation was pleasant enough - she had had worse exchanges before - and she'd rather not have this encounter turn out badly. Fighting was last thing on her mind at the moment. He was not a being that lived in the night, unlike herself, so he wouldn't be able to appreciate the night as much as she did.

Crossing and uncrossing her arms once more, Michaela stepped closer to him. He still had not removed himself from the waters. Perhaps he was aware of her thoughts, her displeasure at the way he treated his body, and was taunting her? As soon as the thought entered her mind, she pushed it away. As if any being could read her mind. She was a woman of few words and fewer facial expressions, after all. Even her closest friends had trouble reading her at times.

Michaela looked towards the waters and then back to find him staring at her. With such intensity, she was surprised that a hole hadn't burned its way through her skin. He seemed to be appraising her like an art critic, and supposedly, she was found lacking for he looked away soon after with a shake of his head. It irked her. She was never found lacking. What was his problem? He was staring like a lost man at the horizon.

"Werewolf, he said coolly, the word filled the empty air between them before he continued on his reasoning. He didn't care that she was a vampire. He merely shrugged stoically at her display of her fangs. She knew that they were at a stalemate. If she bit him, he'll die, if he bit her, she'd die. It wasn't worth the trouble, honestly. But she couldn't read his mind, so his reasoning was beyond her comprehension. Hopefully, this oddball knew what was good for him.

He smiled again, but Michaela was starting to notice that all his smiles were off somehow. They were halfhearted, unfeeling, almost just a routine movement of facial muscles. Even the most icy of vampires didn't smile like that. "I don't have anything against werewolves nor you, I suppose." Although she added the last part a little too slowly to be sincere, she hoped he wouldn't call her out on that.

A silence blanketed over them once more, and although she shouldn't be bothered by it, Michaela found herself asking another question. She truly felt like a pest. Sure, he had been the one to approach her (perhaps unknowingly) but she was the one pressing him for conversation. She had nothing better to do, but perhaps he would rather be elsewhere? "So what do you do?" She asked, before adding jokingly, " Or am I to believe that you are just another wild beast roaming London and eating humans and cattle alike?"

It took her half a second to register what she just said. Hopefully, he had a sense of humor, otherwise, she'd probably have to block a fist to the face.

[Kriss ~Aleksei Lee Malitzka~]

_{Aleksei relished the last reminisces of pain as it faded away completely and utterly. It became nothing more than faint tingling sensation. With a rueful sort of sigh at his lips and look of complete and utter disappointment in his golden gaze he stepped back and out of the water, hardly causing a ripple to stir in his wake. He felt feeling slowly itch it's way across his skin, finding hold once more where it had been numbed. With it came the pain again, though not in a magnitude as it had been before. For a moment he contemplating the thought of reentering the water and merely collapsing entirely into its depths... for an instant it seemed tempting, for an instant at least. But the next instant he realized that it would probably be suicidal, even for him. And he hadn't reached the point in which he wanted death. No, not yet at least.
In truth he hadn't stepped from the water because of her sudden closeness... no, he had stepped from it for the mere fact he wasn't fond of losing a toe anytime soon, and he certainly didn't want to become hypothermic. He felt coldness seep through his body like poison in the blood, and the thought of changing was tempting in that moment. After all his second shape would be warmer, not to mention less venerable. Also, adding the tempting factor of this he would be once more experiencing some sort of pain... one much more inheightened than his feet in the frigid waters. One more painful and familiar. The feeling of popping, changing, grinding bones and changing shapes. He seemed lapsed into his own world of thought for a moment, before Michaela managed to recapture his attention. He was still conscious enough to her that he caught the slight tone of voice she used next to speak her response to his last inquiry. How she slowed when saying 'Nor you...' Another one of those false smiles came to rest across his lips, still something off kilter about it all. His golden eyes turned towards her. "Ah, so you do have something against me?" There was no resentment or another, merely morbid wonder. A sort of curiousness that would never truly be sated, not until all the questions left on earth were answered fully and completely. Of course that was impossible, and soon all of these emotions would fade from Aleksei again, replaced by much more primal ones. Painless ones. Of course for some reason he was a bit unwilling to this, even though all of it was his decision.
How curious, it was now. These feelings that came to him in a rare moment of soberness. And so, at her next prying inquiry he was almost surprised, especially at her sudden show of humor.
"Oh you know it. I enjoy a tourist every now and then; they taste different than the natives." He joked, before answering her original question a slight laugh at his lips. "No... I draw... things, people, places... that and I love playing music," At that Aleksei gave a slight shrug, and stared into the distant darkness of the horizon wondering with bleak amusement why he chose to share this with a stranger. After all it was one of the few things he enjoyed. He truly enjoyed it. In fact, that was the one joy in his life that he often revolved around. That simple inspiration of artwork or music. It was his passion, his life. It was everything he truly was, none of those lies nor false pretenses he so often put up. A soft sigh found form at his lips, a twisting smile at their corners.}

[hanariyo]

And as expected of all men - werewolf, human, or vampire - they just don't do as you want them to. She had hoped that he wouldn't call her on her slight insincerity but he did. Huffing in exaggerated exasperation, Michaela ran a hand through her dark hair before smiling (more like just a lift of the corner of her lips) at him. "I don't have anything against you. Besides you seem to have something against yourself." she motioned towards the water he had just been in. She was still standing in the water, but to her, it was warmer. "I suppose you welcome the pain."

How completely irrational for someone to purposely harm themselves. She wasn't just saying it now that she was an immortal. She had always thought that of people, even as a human. While her peers were getting drunk, taking drugs, breaking out into brawls, going out and coming back at god knows when in the morning, she had been safely tucked in bed at home. Her mother had thanked the heavens her girl was a 'good girl'. The truth was, she was too stand-offish and reclusive to be invited to the parties. How that had benefited her in the end. She lived long enough to live forever.

She smiled a little with sincerity, when he caught onto her joke. "The tourists are much easier to lure away, I must say." Michaela said honestly. The natives of this city were much more wary of a beautiful and pale stranger beckoning to them. The tourists however, were unsuspecting and way too horny to care. The only time they realize just what kind of trouble they've landed into, it was too late. "So I have an artist on my hands, huh? Impressive." It wasn't just his species that differed from her own. His lifestyle was probably different as well. While he was an artist with freedom of expression and creativity while she was in the cold world of business and numbers. If it wasn't for this beach, they probably would have never met in their lifetimes.

She considered him quietly. Why was she with him anyways? She had come here to appreciate the barrenness of a beach in hibernation. She had run into a stranger - and instead of leaving him be, she's actually having a conversation with him - no matter how stilted it was. Perhaps she really was that lonely. Outside of work and work and feedings, she didn't have much interactions with others. She was a hermit-like vampire that needs to get out more. Could he tell that she was not used to casual conversation at all?

[Kriss ~Aleksei Lee Malitzka~]

Aleksei gave a slight sigh, his gaze directed out towards the distant horizon. He briefly had to wonder, what it would be like to lose all of the light. What it would be like for a vampire to dwell in darkness for eternity. Perhaps you got the beauty of the moon and of the night, but you never got to see the sun again. Of course he would never have this problem; if he was bitten he would merely die.
His eyes took on a glittering, thoughtful expression at her next few words along with another one of those desolate smiles earned at his lips. He cast her a sideways glance, his eyes swimming with darkness with the shadows and the hue of the reflected water. Don't we all have something against ourselves, in the end Michaela? Something that we can look back at and regret? Wishing to change it but unable to?" He asked without so much as a change in expression, nor in tone of voice. That slightly amused smile that was bleak and desolate, that tone that was half bitter and half delighted by it all. His Russian accent was almost lost in those words, but it rose up again when he next spoke. "I'm Aleksei by the way, I don't think I told you."
He rested into silence then, seemingly forgetting entirely her words that she'd spoken. I suppose you welcome the pain. Did he? Or was it merely a strange reaction that night to the water? Perhaps it was neither, perhaps he just needed a reprieve from constant numbness. It was a curious question, one that he was not asking himself.
Brows furrowed in something like distaste, that smile was replaced with a downward list of his lips. "Hmm..." Was his only response, before he added on. "Not usually. It just... clears the head a little."
He smiled once more in satisfaction. And yet, he was now facing the inquiry of why they were having this strange conversation. It was rather interesting, to say the least that she found something interesting in himself. Something to ask about. Or perhaps she was merely forcing conversation for the sake of it? He knew not, and in truth that hardly bothered him. He was usually, at least half decent at reading people but he didn't get anything from her, nothing to read. Aleksei shifted, sitting down in the sand with his long legs splayed out in front of him, his feet almost touching the waves once more.
"Indeed, they are." He lulled over the thought that perhaps she was speaking the truth. After all she was a vampire, and Aleksei knew that if he was one he wouldn't be chasing after animals just because he wanted to save a humans life. No, his selfish reason's always came first and if it was for survival, he'd merely pick a human. Nothing more, nothing less than that. Aleksei never thought he'd see the day in which he was contemplating the facts about being a vampire. Much less his diet if he were one. "Not that impressive. It's the reason I came here this morning-- I was looking for a muse."
Truth be told, Aleksei himself didn't often converse with others. At least not while sober or partly sane as he was now. No in fact he stayed enveloped by his own barren solitude and silence, never daring to truly depart with it. He hardly ever even craved company, no. Because he wasn't one for company-- he was nothing more than a lone wolf on the streets of London.

[hanariyo]

His words hit a little too close to home. It was true that every being regrets something they've done in their lifetime. And even though she has age and experience on her side, she is still prone to mistakes and regret. But that didn't mean she always brought up the dirty past and remind herself of her past errors. She would rather live off animal blood than rehash the dirt of her past. She wasn't one of those people who could be strong and confront their pasts.

She raised her eyebrow in slight surprise when he finally introduced himself. It was a pleasant sounding name and his accent was intriguing. "Well, it may be a little too late to say this, but hello Aleksei." She said lightly.

Pain does distract a person from their thoughts, Michaela knew. But in order for a vampire to feel true pain, water wasn't going to do it. Perhaps if she was mauled by a rampaging werewolf, she'd be too distracted to think. Unfortunately, Michaela preferred not to fight in general.

Finally, she lifted her feet from the water and after checking that the area was clean, sat down a few feet beside Aleksei. His feet were in the water once more, the cool waves lapping at the bottom of his feet. She, on the other hand, was too short and could only feel the movements. "So you already came this morning?" It was more of a statement than a question. "Tell me, how does the beach look in the sunlight? When people are around?" Michaela asked wistfully, tilting her head back and leaning on her elbows to look at the stars above her. She was embarrassed by her impulsive question and didn't dare look at his profile. "It's been quite a few decades since I've been on the beach in daylight." She explained sheepishly. She shouldn't be this relaxed with a stranger, but he didn't seem like his intentions are to cause her harm. It was of pure coincidence that they should run into one another after all.

Not everyone was a willing vampire, after all. She had been quite content as a human, actually. Unfortunately for her, she had been turned at the age of twenty. Her mortality had been stolen away from her. Would he indulge her and tell her about the beach? Of daylight?

[Kriss ~Aleksei Lee Malitzka~]

Aleksei couldn't help the smile that crept across his lips though it was not unlike his other smiles, this one held something more sad than desolate about it. Everything started with a hello, and it always ended with a goodbye of some sort of another. His eyes were still locked out on the ocean before him, dark and shadowy with the thicket of darkness spread about them.
"It's never too late, to say hello." He stated with that strange grin still in play. Feeling was starting to regain itself in his feet, and with it came another sort of biting pain which surfaced without the supply of numbness to dull it's full force.
He looked to the push and pull of the waves, lapping at the beach before fading away. Inconstant, and yet constant in the same instant. Compelled to caress and shift the sands, rounding out the jagged stones and glass that were in its waters. Aleksei would have like to draw the scene, perhaps it would. He would enjoy drawing the stretch of beach stretching in front of two silhouette sitting in the sand. Of course he wouldn't be able to draw any of it in true color-- no it would be in shades of blacks, whites, and hues of multicolored hues of gray. And perhaps he would make the endless, velveteen ocean dark blue mingled with tints of black. Or perhaps he wouldn't draw it at all, but it was be a curious image to sketch.
"I've been here for hours now... I wanted some fresh air," He explained in response to her first inquiry. After all, for the most part it was true. He rested in silence though, following that answer. It was almost thoughtful, and he finally murmured quietly. "I don't know what it looks like in the day-- I only ever come here at night. There are too many people out in the daytime, to many noises... it's not, quiet enough. I usually only come here when I'm seeking solitude." He didn't give much of a laugh in retort though, to her statement of the sun. In truth, he didn't usually go out much in the day... as he stated just moments before; he didn't like so many people. Of course, with his social standards he usually was surrounded by people all the time, but he was usually alone. Aleksei, antisocial and aloof never really bothered to befriend any. Even in his world. No humans, no vampires, no werewolves. He was always alone.

[hanariyo]

Michaela's shoulders sagged slightly in disappointment. He hadn't been on the beach this morning after all. He didn't even bother to lie a little, spin a creative story to appease her. Though, she can accept that. Perhaps he wasn't the lying sort? She didn't like liars much anyways, although hearing a description would've been nice.

Although she missed the sunlight and all the fun things one could do in the sun, she had to say, being a vampire had its benefits. She really shouldn't be complaining. She had lived for so long, she was immune to all diseases, the cold, and she can even survive a bullet. This immunity was worth the sacrifice - but the greedy part of her wanted both.

The idea that the night was quieter than the daytime was something to laugh at though. Was he not aware that vampires and werewolves - even humans - roamed the streets? The population increases as does the traffic. "It's loud at night too, you know." She said promptly, raking one hand through the sifting sands. "It just depends on where you are."

Taking a slow breath, she felt her lungs fill with oxygen - something she no longer needed, thanks to her immortality - and then exhaled just as slowly. She turned to face the werewolf beside her. "You're an odd one, aren't you? You don't like people but I always thought werewolves lived in packs." She didn't mean anything against the man, but she was just curious. Vampires lived in covens sometimes, but more often than not, they live as mated couples or solely by themselves.