tushanshu_logs | used to care, but times have changed. [ catch-all ]

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used to care, but times have changed. [ catch-all ]

Who
When
Where
What
Warn

"Jacob Kane" (Cain) & You
Catch-all for the rest of August
Various places in Keeliai
Cain reacclimatizes to life on a a turtle floating through the Dreaming. Basically just make something up and I bet you Cain is there somewhere.
The thread with Gene delves into imagery of torture and child abuse. (If you could take a moment, consider filling this out!)

There was a whole lot that hadn't actually changed in the city. Small things, different businesses here and there, maybe a few more houses in one district and some converted or otherwise gone in another. It was familiar in the way any city was after a time lapse, although Cain would be the first to admit that it was a significant enough change for hardly a year's time since his last visit. At least that meant it was easy to catch up on old ground.

However, now he found himself staying at and working at the Hotel however temporarily until he got his feet truly underneath him. That was good, a simple task to keep an eye on people and make himself comfortable again. Working with the Metalworkers on his own projects kept the rest of the time occupied. The vast majority of Cain's free time, however, was spent exploring the city and feeling out the atmosphere, talking to kedan and foreigners alike. He had cleaned himself up and changed his wardrobe just enough to look older than his usual early-twenties for a change of pace. Usually, this wasn't the sort of thing Cain would care about; usually, this was the sort of bed the city could make and lie in all on its own for the denial of taking responsibility they'd dragged in themselves; usually, he wasn't stuck here forced to be a part of it with a bunch of others who were in much the same situation.

Usually, it sucked to have a sense of responsibility for those he felt close to.

Most of his days consisted of hitting up local businesses, making himself known to the locals as someone helpful and harmless and getting whatever gossip he could. Cain checked in on the few friends he had, and looked to make any more to improve his own situation. It never hurt to make use of a specifically positive image, after all. He might as well have a bit of fun with it.

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"I envy you such a fine city to grow up in," Klaus admitted as he neatened up a display of orchids that were a very aggressive shade of primary yellow.

"Between the ruins of its past and the city of the present, it's near impossible not to walk down some alley without feeling like your stepping through history itself. You must have learned so much in your time there."

No wonder Cain was well traveled. If Klaus had grown up in Rome, everything there would have fueled his innate curiosity to simply see more.

"Did you visit the other provinces of Italy? Venice is something truly to admire as well."

There was a lot more to it than Cain was saying, of course, but the general idea was correct. That area was what he called home more than any Etruscan manor or European village he could no longer remember. Rome was a place of safety and Cain suspected nothing would ever change that for him, not as long as it still stood in some shape or form.

"It's left me with lessons I'll never forget, that's true," said Cain, head dipping to the side as if there was more he wasn't saying. Not exactly taunting, but it was hard to remain neutral when this topic came up. "Oh, of course. I've seen a little bit of everywhere. Not recently Venice, but I have."

Klaus noted that Cain was acting a bit coy, as though there were some piece of information he were holding on to and Klaus just wasn't asking the right questions. And it wasn't the same way Klaus artfully zig-zagged and dodged questions about his fangs either. It was like Cain wanted him to ask the question in just the right way and Klaus wasn't sure just what it was.

"I sadly haven't been back to Venice since I was thirteen. And last I was in Rome was about three years. How long has it been for you? I imagine traveling so much would make anyone homesick."

There were times Klaus missed the estate back in Germany. He could easily sympathize when it came to being homesick.

Asking the right questions was exactly what Cain was waiting for. It wouldn't do to just blurt out who or what he was to anyone who brought up something in relation; he wasn't stupid, just operating without the need for secrecy. Besides, not a lot of people really took well to the immortality thing no matter how cool they insist it would be. That was the balancing act that Cain ended up in, although it wasn't as precarious or tiring as all that.

"Last time I'd been there was with my wife for our anniversary," he said, thoughtfully. That still put it at almost forty years ago but placed it in a reasonable, relative timeframe. Recently for Cain, and likely to imply the same for Klaus. "Still as beautiful as it ever was, though."

Just because it wasn't the same didn't make it any less precious. That was something that a lot of people had a hard time understanding, he'd found. Rome was his, and he would love it just as much as he did when at its height as he does now and will in the future no matter how much it aged or rejuvenated. A father's love, in a way.

That confirmed at least one thing Klaus had suspected. Cain was likely a bit older than he looked. Klaus had originally put him in his early twenties, but now he suspected Cain was around his own age - perhaps older. Cain wasn't the first person Klaus had met afflicted with a bad case of baby-face.

"Ah, I congratulate you on your anniversary. How long have you been married, if you don't mind me asking?"

He asked because such things were a source of happiness to Klaus. People finding joy in one another warmed his little heart and gave him some hope there was good reason to fight his way through the nightmare that was Jerusalem's Lot.

That was one question Cain had been expecting and without missing a beat he leaned forward to inspect another species of flower, saying, "At the time it had been our ten year anniversary, but we were closer to twenty-five when complications set us apart. That was all about forty years ago, mind you."

Not an explicit admission to his age, but it was really just such a great opportunity. He would have kicked himself for missing it because he had hesitated; not something he would have considered doing so openly back home, but here was different. Here was less likely to get him in trouble and more likely to just get him befuddlement instead. That part could be fun.

Glancing toward Klaus out of the corner of his eye, he watched for a reaction.

There was a tangible change in the atmosphere and Klaus's expression went from pleased to grim in a matter of seconds. His poise grew rigid, his broad shoulders tensed and his fists clenched as he bore a strained and hunted look.

Klaus wasn't really a man prone to fear. At least, he wasn't the sort to be overwhelmed and consumed by it. But there were terrors that lurked in shadow, wreathed in auras of red, twisted and undying abominations that preyed on so many.

He wasn't afraid. But an icy sense of dread had gripped him so suddenly he couldn't mask it with his normal stiff propriety.

"...I see. Are you someone like Mr Ravel or Mr Shudder?" He asked, his voice low and tone a bit strained. He prayed it wasn't what he thought.

Oops.

Cain wasn't above admitting he had misstepped somewhere along the way. Mistakes were not something one could grow out of, no matter how long they lived. He recognized the change in atmosphere and was careful not to let it infect him as well and make things more tense for no reason. Klaus was still acting civilly and the question spoke of a willingness to hear what Cain meant, although he would probably still need to tread carefully since he had no idea what the actual fear was about. His age not matching up to his appearance, most certainly, yet it was being seen as a threat of some sort.

"Magic?" he asked, head shaking in the negative. "No, from what I understand that's all one concept and I don't have a drop of the stuff in me. I'm just old; I don't age, and that's all there is special about me."

Perhaps not the best of explanations, but it really was the only one that Cain had. His life was supposed to continue an indeterminate amount and so it did. He had hunches and theories and consequences but no reason. He had long since come to terms with that fact even if he would never quite stop keeping an ear to the ground for any sort of understanding he might find.

The knot in his stomach untangled and the tension had gone from Klaus's poise. He nodded, his expression finally softening.

"My apologies. I thought for a moment that you might have been... something else."

A nightmare. A monster. But no, just a man. A very old man with a very young face but magic did odd things to people. Klaus was more than capable of handling oddities. He was even alright (albeit twitchy and tense) around vampires provided they weren't the homicidal sorts.

"Mind if I ask what? Usually when I go around teasing people about that, there's no real-world comparison to get mistaken for," he explained. Because of that, there had been little consequence of admitting to be something that only existed in the way that he did. Of course, more superstitious lots still accused and suspected him of being something otherworldly or devil-spawned or whatever the trend had been at the time.

Seeing Klaus react so immediately to hearing that Cain was nothing more than immortal in a way was interesting. There was something specific he was afraid or, and Cain didn't want to just let it drop like that.

Klaus hesitated at first, but finally conceded after whatever short, internal debate ensued. It had been foolish of him, he knew, to so quickly jump to that conclusion, and he'd likely startled Cain as well. He owed the man, at the very least, an explanation.

"A Blood Breed, more commonly known as a vampire. They are... unfortunately common where I'm from and often responsible for large-scale catastrophe."

"Oh." Cain paused for a moment to take that information in. It wasn't what he had expected, but then again, he'd been trying not to expect anything. Vampires certainly weren't a thing where he was from and he was pretty sure he would know even if they were incredibly reclusive and had a widespread inability to keep up with the times.

After a moment, he canted his head up to Klaus. What can you do? If they were that big of a problem where Klaus was from, that reaction must have been warranted. "We only get ghosts where I'm from. They don't even last forever, they fade eventually. Sorry, it didn't occur to me that I'd be compared to anything that wasn't just folklore."

"It's not your fault. I am truly sorry to have assumed such a thing about you."

He bowed, a little more deeply than usual. Clearly to Klaus, being compared to a vampire is an insult on par with being compared to Ted Bundy.

"They weren't particularly widespread until the Beyond collided with Earth. I take it they don't even exist in your world?"

Or at least so rare they aren't really a problem.

Cain gave a raise of his hand, a tilt of his head, both waving off and accepting the bow. He wasn't going to be a jerk and insist it wasn't necessary. Just let the guy apologize at his own pace.

"No, they don't. Definitely would have found them by now," he said easily. Not that new things couldn't happen in the future, but he was positive as of the current moment there wasn't anything like that lurking around.

"I confess, I envy you in that respect," Klaus said softly. There was a tinge of something to his voice - regret? Sadness? It was hard to say.

Still, vampires were a topic he was eager to get away from.

"Are you the only such immortal in your world?"

Although Cain couldn't really place it, he understood the sentiment. Someone in times of trouble or a difficult situation would always hope for something better, compare it to anything else without the same hardship.

"Yes," he said simply. It didn't bother him that Klaus jumped from very, very old to immortal. It was a simple enough jump. "Thus why I'm going to have to be more careful about assuming."

Klaus assumed once lifespans got into the thousands of years, the person was likely immortal. Or as near as immortal as one could get.

"I suppose it is a lesson for us both on the matter of making assumptions?"

He offered a hesitant almost-smile.

What Klaus received in return was not nearly as hesitant. Cain smiled and nodded. It was all rather short-sighted of him, and he would have to work on it if he wanted to adapt just like with any other new cultural phenomena back home.

"That it is," he said. "Although I can't really blame you for yours if older-than-average means terrible-monster to you."

"In some cases, yes. But there are other immortal beings in Jerusalem's Lot."

He hesitated, considering his words carefully. It wasn't as though he didn't believe Cain was as old as he said he was, but there was something he generally noticed about the personalities of those who were so long-lived.

"They are... considerably more detached. Perhaps for good reason, when most of those they know will pass in less than a century. Perhaps they have seen so much they prefer things with an air of permanence."

He did, after all, consider the Don a friend, but Fulgrouche operated on a whole different moral scale than Klaus. It expected, but it was hard to form a connection beyond a shared mutual interest. ...That and he couldn't in good conscience condone what the Don did.

That was a sentiment that Cain heard often enough. Popular fiction tended to portray those who lived forever as people who lost touch with the world and couldn't fathom living with those who only had such a short time to live. Admittedly, Cain had been similar when he was younger before he realized that loneliness was really much less preferable than simply living in the moment and being with people you liked and loved and making the time worth something rather than just running down the clock.

"I used to agree with that," Cain said, head tipped to the side. "But I guess you could say I grew out of it. Just like with anyone else, there's no one way to handle something. Even if this is... uh, rather unprecedented in regular worlds. Immortal how?"

"I suppose people with such longevity go through cycles as anyone else," Klaus admitted.

As far as Cain's question went, Klaus needed time to consider. There were... a lot of different ways.

"Aside from vampirism, there is magic and medicine that can extend life. And there are some that just come with natural longevity. It depends on who or what, really."

"Cycles, or their own ways of coping," Cain said with a degree of acquiescence. Maybe he would go back to being tired someday, but it was just so tiring in and of itself. This way seemed much more refreshing, much less likely to put him in some kind of terrible spiral all over again.

His brows furrowing, he asked, "Natural longevity on par with immortality?"

"Yes," Klaus said with a simple nod of his head. "They aren't human nor remotely resemble humans. Some are even incorporeal, though I would not use the term 'ghosts'. They have lived thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of years. Some have nigh godlike powers."

He rubbed the back of his head. "The world is fortunate most are benevolent or at least apathetic enough not to be aggressively malevolent."

Cain shook his head, mostly to himself. That sounded like an insane system to have so many older beings with power over the younger, more vulnerable people underneath them no matter what their attitude actually was. Not that Cain was entirely excluded from that but at least he only had his age and no exceptional power with which to wield it.

"Where I'm from, we only have humans and the spirits of humans," he said. Trying to grasp having more in his every day life was interesting to say the least.

"It sounds similar to my world before the Great Collapse," Klaus agreed. "Mostly humans. There were oddities, many had slipped through cracks in the Beyond, and of course the Blood Breed. But it was all very rare."

Not so much anymore. The world had changed overnight. Some were calling it the beginning of the end. Klaus was an eternal optimist, but he couldn't help but to agree.

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