Appearances are everything [shendeth]

[Drake Night]

Never reveal your true self

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Drake gave Lady Evanna one last nod of thanks before stepping out of the cave. He slipped the bottle into his pocket, thankful that she was willing to stay up a little late for him to be able to see her. Drake had to wait until Bijou was fast asleep to sneak out of the Cirque and come.
The potion was one of the things that kept him looking human like. It kept his skin a nice tan color rather than the purplish pink it usually was.

It's always better to keep them guessing

[Shendeth Evans]

It wasn't a time for any normal person to be awake. Shendeth sat on the edge of his hammock, listening to Evra's snores as his tentmate was the first of them to fall asleep after a day of work at the Cirque Du Freak. Outside the camp was silent. They stayed up later than most sometimes. And yeah, he slept in a hammock. Nobody knew he was half vampaneze. But even if they did there was no way he was getting into a coffin alive. At this time he wasn't feeling tired just yet though.

Struck by a sudden restless inspiration he pushed the tent flap open and edged away in the direction of the woods. If he thought about it, a nice thing about living with the Cirque was all the different places they went to. Right now they were camped on the edge of a small town, but that he'd seen during the day. There wasn't any reason to go into the woods but that was where his feet took him. Or so he thought it was his feet.

After a while, when he could no longer see the camp or any lights through the trees Shendeth got a weird feeling like the forest itself was controlling where he walked. He stopped, and at that moment heard a twig snap. Looking around, with his enhanced sight he could make out the figure of a man who had seemingly just appeared from an area his eyes are skipped over. Who was that, and what was he doing here? Narrowing his eyes and walking closer he saw that it was someone else from the Cirque. Someone they said was a vampaneze.

What if he was as crazy as Murlough? Maybe they all were. He hadn't met many others. But there was only one way to find out, and he was drawn to the idea of finally getting to know someone like him. "Hello?"

[Drake Night]

Drake stopped for a moment, the breeze flowing in his direction helped him pick up a scent. Vampaneze? No, not quite. He smiled, a half blood. He turned to the direction just as the young man spoke. He flitted over to him, standing at an arms distant. "Hello indeed." it had been at least twenty years since he had seen a half-vampaneze, it seemed as though no one was taking in students anymore. He had played with the thought before, but had never actually gone through with it.

[Shendeth Evans]

Shendeth watched the man with guarded curiosity. When his greeting was returned he nodded just slightly but didn't say anything. He didn't know what more to say so he waited to be spoken to first. Hopefully this man would be a friend. He didn't look crazy. The half-vampaneze offered him a small smile in that gesture. Most of the time he didn't mind being a vampaneze and was proud of it no matter what the vampires said. But others of his kind were a different matter entirely and they didn't have to remind him of that. The memories and scars led to him being weary. Not that it mattered what either of them were. That wasn't something to judge on.

[Drake Night]

Drake's eyebrows creased as he sniffed the air. Other than that Creepsly fellow back at the Cirque he didn't pick up on any full blooded vampaneze. Yet the boy's scent smelled of the place. It was strange to him that he hadn't picked up on the scent within the past few weeks he had stayed there, and the Bijou hadn't told him. "Where's your guardian?" He was always quick to ask things, but his politician side quickly added, "I'm Drake Night by the way."

[Shendeth Evans]

Why did they always ask that? However there didn't seem to be any harm in telling this time. They were on the same side.

"I'm Shendeth Carroway. I don't have a guardian. The man who turned me is dead." Dark defiance flashed in his eyes to back up his statement. This strong half-vampaneze was proud to stand alone. He'd learned to assume that that was who he was being asked about. Because if someone took an apprentice they were supposed to be a good mentor who stayed with them for years and not a sadistic psychopath, right? Ha. He was the lucky odd one out.

Truthfully he had never seen his sire's body but it was easier to say. Chances were unlikely that the man would have survived the attack, and in any case even if he wasn't dead he was good as in Shendeth's mind. All he felt for Murlough now was hatred and disgust. He and Drake were the only vampaneze at the Cirque and after everything he would never seek to change his situation. Shendeth waited calmly for the vampaneze's reaction.

He neither wanted nor needed a guardian.

But hell, he needed a friend.

[Drake Night]

Drake smiled at the look in Shendeth's eyes, it reminded him of his own time as a part human. Back when every day was a new adventure as he learned of the glory a Vampaneze could have. But still, the boy wouldn't last long without some one to show him the ropes. He knew that he promised Bijou he would try to stay away from killing unless it was necessary. But the idea of training the half blood was temping enough to risk the Oracles anger. Drake once had a son of his own after all. But he never truly got to know of Aiden's fate after he was turned, the Vampaneze longed to know the proudness of parenthood.
Drake looked Shendeth in the eye, "If you ever need help with hunting or wish to become a full blooded creature of the night, I'd be proud to bestow that honor."

[Shendeth Evans]

It was in his instincts to be suspicious of everyone. He hadn't met this guy before. Just because he didn't have any big enemies yet didn't mean he could trust everyone. Maybe Drake was in league with Murlough and trying to get him back or something. Wait, he could just kidnap him then. Arg. Truthfully he had no reason not to believe him other than that people he knew had never been nice or said things like that, so why should someone he didn't be? That kind of response was just unexpected. Shendeth almost smiled at him.

"Well.. thanks." he said drawing back and looking the man over. "I don't want to be full-blooded, and I can hunt fine." It was not a rejection, merely a statement that those two things would be a waste to touch. He had pretty much taught himself to hunt decently but had done well with that if nothing else. And though he would love the power that only a true vampaneze could have it wasn't worth it. He was fine like this and being confined to the night sounded absolutely terrible. Really, as a human who did everything during the day he didn't know how they all lived like that.

[Drake Night]

Drake shrugged, looking at the boy more closely, he seemed familiar to him. Although it tended to happen often since he was 300 years old probably half crazy, he felt as though he had seen Shendeth recently. "Are you from the Cirque Du Freak by chance?" Drake hated being so blunt, yet he knew that the question would bug him until he asked. So he saved himself from the stress.

[Shendeth Evans]

Shendeth looked at him curiously. "Yeah, I am. Aren't you?" More suspicious now than before. If this wasn't the person he thought it was, then that was trouble. He had thought the man was from the Cirque as well. Maybe he was but maybe he wasn't. It was impossible to know everyone there and he hadn't realized that there was a vampaneze at the freakshow before. His face was vaguely familiar but there could just be somebody who looked like him. Shendeth was only just learning that creatures of the night supposedly had different scents than humans.