The pair stared at each other. The anger barely restrained as they let the mood calm. The fight was one-sided, but the unknown figure gave credit where it was due. The rogue could fight. He'd avoided most of her efforts, but there was something about the situation that he couldn't figure out.

The gold eyes that glowed in the darkness of her hood fascinated him. A plan formed quickly in his mind. He hoped that she'd be nice and accommodate his curiosity. That aside, he had to figure out why she was here and, of course, stop her from stealing.

"I have a lot of questions,"

Grabbing the rogue's arm, he dragged her out of the darkness and down the path. A public place would stop the rogue from attacking him again, not that it did much damage. A bruise that would fade quickly, nothing else.

The rogue was curiously quiet, watching the surroundings as they approached the end of the row. There was a door with a small window next to it, the glowing red sign said open. Everything was always available. Geniprea didn't know the meaning of closed.

When the man opened the door, the light of the vending machines hit them. Rows upon rows of capsules, food and drink were available in a concentrated size. The rogue looked at them, wondering if there was a type of food she hadn't encountered in the upper levels. This whole place was a secret. What if they had secret food too?

Before she could find out, the mysterious man altered their path. Turning to the left, the man dragged the rogue beyond the vending machines and into the pool hall. There weren't many here tonight, for that they were both grateful. Those that were here watched with a burning curiosity. They would not interfere but desperately wanted to know why she was here.

"Sit."

It was a small booth in the furthest corner of the room. She slid in along the soft vinyl bench seat, resting her hands on the table.

"And perhaps remove the hood and mask."

Rolling her eyes, she pulled the hood back and unclipped the mask. Long dark pink hair fell over her shoulders, framing the pale face. Her eyes no longer glowed, now a pale brown.

"Name and how did you find this place?"

"Ana," she responded. "And why do you care?"

The man opened his mouth and let the fangs grow. Ana's eyes widened. It had been a long time since she'd seen a vampire.

His fangs shrank back to their standard size.

"You're not shocked."

"I've known a few vampires in my time. You know that you're not supposed to reveal that you're a vampire to a human, right?"

She wouldn't tell a soul, but he had to know the law. Ana thought it was odd that he would openly declare the truth like that. He risked so much in doing that. She looked at him and saw a plain face that did not indicate much. Maybe he didn't know.

"I usually don't talk to humans."

"Lucky me. So, what's the deal with this place?"

"You've stumbled into our sanctuary, and we don't like to entertain guests from the upper levels."

Ana didn't think that it was possible that vampires were living here or that anyone was brave enough to live below level one. Here the beast's howls could be heard. But this was Geniprea, and anything was possible.

"Still live feeding, or was a capsule created?"

"No, those are just food and drink capsules. We live feed. How did you find this place?"

Ana shrugged.

"I was running from the cops. They saw me near the place that I'd just knocked over and began to follow me. I knew that they'd drag me in, and let's just say that it's something that I have to avoid. So, I began to run, making them think I was the person they were after. Dropped a few levels with my GAR line and found myself facing a fence."

"GAR?"

"Grab and release."

Ana pulled it out and showed it off. It was a long cylinder with buttons and a strange claw-like hook at the end.

"Used this bad boy to jump over, landed a few levels down and ran again. Ended up in an alley near the southern border. I had a choice. Climb the wall or take the drain and hide. I knew they'd follow me even though they're not supposed to. So, I hid in the drain. It had been raining, and the pipe was wet. I fell and found myself in an area that I didn't know existed."

The curious figure in front of her was not the threat she initially thought he was. He also wasn't dressed like what she was used to either. Merely a black singlet and jeans, it was the strangest ensemble she'd seen in a long time.

Ana didn't mind. She thought it highlighted the nice curves of his arm muscles.

"You never told me your name."

"Jiro."

He frowned at her, and Ana thought he looked like someone she knew. There were resemblances, but the person she knew would not be caught in a singlet and jeans, and there was absolutely no way that he would get around with hair anywhere past his collar.

He was a rigid board that did not have a sense of humour. At least when it came to Ana's antics, he didn't. His name wasn't Jiro either.

Aside from the name being wrong, it wasn't possible. The person she knew was dead.

"Why do you steal?"

Ana shrugged. "Used to a certain way of life, I suppose. I also have bills to pay, and I need to eat. These capsules are not cheap, you know. Or maybe you don't."

"I do consume food on occasions. What do you mean, a certain way of life?"

"Just a good life," Ana lied. "Anyway, are we done? Do you want me to confirm that I'm not going to steal from you or something?"

"You don't know where I live. How about you don't steal from the vampires, a race that can easily track you down? Better than any cop could."

Ana's eyes narrowed as she looked at the vampire, wondering if he was telling the truth.

"How would I know who an apartment belongs to?"

"Stay out of the drains, and you'll be fine. What's with the glowing eyes?"

"It's nothing," she murmured. "Forget that you saw them."

Jiro was intrigued. He knew that there was more to this woman than just an average human. His curiosity grew, and he wanted to learn more about her. She seemed like a closed book that craved to be opened and offer the knowledge within.

Would she give it freely, though?