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[Chastity]

The eerie quiet of the graveyard was awkwardly enough soothing to the maddened undead present in the area. Dozens upon dozens of death stricken flowers sat littered over the grounds. Chastity stopped in front of a particular tombstone, finding herself drawn to it, though what rested beneath was merely a corpse.

The tombstone read as follows:

REST IN PEACE
MARTHA ALLEN

JULY 12, 1884
OCTOBER 3, 1937

LOVING MOTHER
AND WIFE

Why Chastity was intrigued so by this, not even she was certain. She knew not this cadaver, nor in life or death. She remained still for a few moments before leaving to explore the rest of the devilish playground. Why so few came during the evening hours amused her. Fears that zombies, spirits, deranged groundskeepers would whisk away their lives away and tuck their bodies beneath the loose earth, what troubled peoples.

And yet, some would dine with their dead, on a given date that is. That seemed even more foolish to Chastity, as the dead do not eat, the truly dead that is. A half surfaced at this thought. She began to hum a tune; though the tune was unrecognizable it had a definite pattern and beat. She found herself leaning onto a tree, she took out a book from her messenger bag, and though it was dark, she could still easily distinguish the words.

The Tale of the Body Thief, by Anne Rice. She adored books of vampires, no matter how inaccurate the portrayals of the beings were. She was almost finished, the book hadn’t really captured her, but she would not stop halfway through, she would finish it, so it would not invade her thoughts at inconvenient times. Though, she wasn’t opposed to the idea of laying it down if a more interesting opportunity were to come along.

[Adela]

Moonlight filtered down towards the grounds through the clouds overhead, illuminating a lone figure traveling at a slow pace. It had been a long day. She hadn't been able to sleep late, early morning appointments with the living had been arranged. Normally she didn't mind meeting with the living, but waking her up early had never made her a happy camper.

Adela paced the sidewalk, her feet making little to no sound in her soft soled shoes. She held a long blue coat about her body against the light wind that blew through the night. Walks had always been a wonderful way to clear her mind.

She allowed her feet to carry her, not really paying any mind to where they were taking her. When her feet met soft ground she knew where she was. The graveyard had always been a peaceful place. So few people went there, especially at night. Mortals seemed so afraid of this place, even in the daylight. It was like they thought the deceased would raise out of the ground and bring them back down with them. Adela smiled. Mortals and their supersticions.

Speaking of supersticions, she could sense another one right now. There was another Kindred here somewhere, somewhere close. Adela looked around, her eyes pealed for an unfriendly face. She really didn't need to get into a confrontation right now, but she would be prepared if she had to. Moving the edge of her coat off of her waist, she grasped the handle of the knife at her hip.

Circling a particularly large toumbstone, decked out with an angel, wings spread, Adela spotted her quarry. It was indeed another Kindred. A female that she didn't recognize outright. Perhaps she had attended an Elysium meeting from now and again, but she was sure that she had never had an actual conversation with her. By the looks of her, she wasn't too old, still holding onto many of her Mortal habits. Cloaking herself in shadow she approached the creature, "That's one of my favorites of her's," Adela said softly, nodding towards the book in the vampire's hand.

[Chastity]

Chastity was so involved in the ink formations called words, it wasn’t until another kindred’s voice arose had she realized she was not alone. She turned, a curious look sparked in her eyes. “Really,” her voice was soft and even, fingering the pages of the book before closing it shut. “To be entombed in a flesh not of your own, it would prove to be most interesting…” She trailed off again, standing straight, brushing off a fallen decayed leaf from her shoulder.

“To live a mortal life, would you do it over again, is not once enough? Is not once all we deserve?” She tucked away the book in her messenger bag, and shook her head. “No, no we choose such a path by our decisions, whether conscious or not of the outcomes are irrelevant.” She looked impatient now, and it was beginning to become very clear she was not talking to the kindred before her. What then, an invisible friend?

“Do we choose life? Certainly we choose death, and as such we choose life. Not dying contributes to living; does it not? Therefore everyday you don’t die, you live. And, if you can subconsciously choose your death, then every moment you are not dead, you choose to be alive. Very simple really…”

She turned to the kindred. “My apologies,” She seemed to have regained a rational state of mind, as rational as the state of mind of an irrational state of mind could be that is. “I am titled by most as Chastity; do you have a name you wish for me to call you by?” She tilted her head slightly, wondering whether this new presence could be deemed as friend or foe.

[Adela]

As soon as the words came forth from her mouth Adela knew what clan the Kindred hailed from, for only a Malkavian could ramble on with such truthful insanity. For it was true. Death is a concious choice, and every moment death was not chosen by our minds, life was.

Adela awaited the end of the thought process before she would say anything, but the woman before her stopped herself. She shook her head, "No need," she said, referring to the apology, "I know how thoughts can become sometimes. They just seem to spiral on forever if you let them." Sometimes Adela sat in her room in the Elysium just thinking. One thought would pop into her head, and then it would lead to something else, and then something else. Such revelations could be made if one actually analyzed what they were thinking about, but she seldom remembered to write down all of what she thought about.

She nodded, "Adela would be the name I have been fashioned, the name of my Mortal self even I could not tell you." Adela barely remembered anything from her childhood. Sure, she could remember big chunks of things, like how her family acted towards one another, but little things, like ages, birthdays, sometimes even names were lost in the fabrics of time.

Adela parted her cherry lips and took in a deep breath. Something she never really needed to do ever again, but why break an age old habit. It seemed to be second nature to her still, and she had no need to break herself of the habit, especially since she had to deal with the living now and again, no need to scare the poor dearies. "And what brings you to the place tonight Chastity? I am sure a bit of light reading was not the cause."

[Chastity]

Chastity nodded, this kindred was more hospitable then the neonates outside Crimson Regret. It seemed now that patience was a rare find among the living and the undead. She too found herself prone to wrath far more easily as of late. “Adela,” Chastity nodded in understanding.

Well, her name was not that of her parent’s choosing, her mortal parents that is. Their name for her was too common, Elisabeth. And the meaning? Consecrated to God. Hardly.

Though come to think of it, Chastity wasn’t exactly fitting either. And yet as much as it had contradicted her and her past, it seemed to fit perfectly. “The name of your mortal self lost you say? You must either be very old, or very broken.” She scratched her chin as if trying to decipher which of the two it could be, but as insightful as she might have been she was by no means omnipotent.

Light reading, no, that was not why they came here, why she came here. Then why? She couldn’t remember right away. After a moment she spoke, “The company of the undead can be rather unfulfilling,” she thought back to the shameful group of neonates that had given her a hard time earlier that evening for her input in their conversation.

“I thought perhaps the dead would be better suited.” She sighed and spoke once more. “Bt it seems I care for them even less. So, what has brought you here to this burial ground? Are you looking for something… have you found it?”

[Adela]

A sweet laugh echoed about the graveyard. It was very true. Losing something like one's name usually meant one of those two things, but Adela hated thinking of herself as 'very' old, seeing as Angleic was almost three times her age. "It is true. I am very old, though don't let anyone in on that little secret," she winked at Chastity.

Adela nodded knowingly when Chastity continued. It was true. As old as you were and as many people as one met, almost no soul, living or dead, could fill the company void that one has from time to time. Often, Adela would watch people in the company of others, mostly the living, trying to disearn what they got out of the people around them that she could not. What about the people's company that seemed to excite those around them, capture their attention and their entertainment.

She thought for a moment. Considering the question at hand. What had brought her here? Well, the obvious answer was her feet and her unconcious mind, but was there something more? "You know, I'm not entirely sure. A rough day among the living, perhaps I too preferred the dead for a little while." Was she looking for something? Who wasn't looking for something, and often one never finds what they were looking for because they always change their minds on what they are seeking in the first place.