It wasn't very hard getting to Paris since Gairett's flight speed was closer to teleportation than movement. However, that wasn't the case in this instance. He spotted a floating vessel called a cruise ship and he couldn't help but land and admire it and its passengers. To him it was magnificent. Humans had come a long way and acquired so many new abilities. He spent more time than he meant to, tinkering with the tidbits on the liner and the people he found there. He loved absorbing the news and finding the differences in the people.
Gairett thought about looking up his betrothed, Tayen, and seeing how she had died. It was crushing his heart to know that another one of his cherished ones was gone. He was somewhat taken aback that he hadn't died the moment she did. He knew he cared for her but had it not been true love? He knew the moment he fell for her, that Tayen was mortal and would perish in this realm, taking him with her. It didn't take away the sting of loneliness, however. He knew how it would be when he arose if he woke up at all.
His confused feelings on the situation were eating at his insides. His chest was starting to hurt even more just thinking about it. He missed all of them. Melisa, Hale and Tayen. He wanted it all back the way it was, but he knew in his heart that it would never be that way again. He understood, going in, that none of them would be there upon his waking. That's why it was so special to him that it was Velori who found him.
Velori wasn't Melisa, but he would rather come out of hibernation to someone that looked like her, than to no one at all. It was going to be difficult going back to her though, knowing that she looked and smelled so similar to his sister.
Finding Hale wasn't going to be easy, either. Especially when he didn't care or want to be found, but he had to find him. And could have ascertained where he was sleeping the night he arrived, but again, so many things caught his eye. The huge radio tower called, 'The Eiffel Tower' and then the museum filled with things made by humans from long ago. For a human, they were rather good. Then there were the cheeses and wines that had changed so much. The variety of humans and their motor vehicles buzzing about the big and smaller cities. And the odor of everything. They were so strong that they nearly overwhelmed him. There was simply no way he could have taken his attention away from all of that and more on that very first day.
However, daylight was leaving the skies and he knew that he had to put away his interests and find his brother. Not to mention, he was missing Velori, although he disliked admitting it to himself. So, he came to the one place he knew Hale would be, Paris. Its lands had always been his favorite in the past. Gairett was sure that his kin's tastes would have changed over the years but not enough that he couldn't find him now.
I wonder if he senses that I am awake? He thought to himself.
He was walking down one of the many crowded streets when he came across a sound that pulled at him. He felt certain it wasn't humans. Non-human maybe, which was good, perhaps they knew where to find Hale.
It was a local pub that had a small musical band mixed in with tables and chairs. At the far end of the room, was a large bar where pretty little women with short black skirts would carry out orders. He remembered there being something similar to this on the cruise ship. There was a soft blue light strip coming from behind the counter. It wrapped around the entire bar's ceiling corner. This made the entire place glow a smoky blue. It felt as if this small place didn't belong here. Like it was plucked from time. There was a mirror behind the counter as well that had glowing signs hanging on it. It was all fascinating to him. And beautiful.
The music was coming from a small band that sat in the middle of the room. To his surprise, they consisted of nothing but women. He couldn't tell if they were human with so many different aromas flying around in the small area, but they looked it. Each one was naked except for a small garter belt that held tips they got from the crowd. Every garter belt matched the color of the wearer's hair. The drummer had a blonde one, the singer had a red one, the bass player had a black one, and the violinist had a brown one. It wasn't surprising to him that they were all stacked full of bills.
He sat down at one of the tables in the dark little lounge and watched the women play their instruments. One of the small barmaids came over to him and politely asked if he wanted something to eat or drink. This was funny to Gairett considering the images in her head consisted of how she'd like to take him home, tie him up, and find ways to eat things off him.
He saw himself through her eyes and it crossed his mind how different he must have looked to them, to her.
How amusing. He smiled at the little thing and told her to bring him what she thought was the best-tasting thing in the place and then sat back to enjoy the sounds. He could afford to sit for a while and listen to the only thing that had been pleasant to his ears since he woke to Velori's singing. Hale will just have to wait a bit longer.
"Oh, will I now?" Hale had come up from behind and was sipping whatever drink he'd ordered prior. He had seen and scented Gairett when he came into the pub.
Gairett turned and stood so fast, he nearly toppled the table and did topple his chair. After steadying it and picking up his chair, he looked around to see if he caught anyone's attention. To his surprise, no one even raised their head to the commotion.
"I come here often, just to listen to them play," Hale said, with a jerk of his head. "They are the only true tune in this city." Gairett smiled at the French brogue in Hale's words.
Hale paused to take in the image of the brother he ached to see for so long. He seemed the same yet strangely different. There was a look that clung to his face, under his features, that wasn't there before. He continued with a small smile, "I should have known this is where you would wind up, after gracing the world with your presence once again." He was trying to hide his stirring emotions from Gairett with a smug look, and nonchalantness.
Gairett looked back at him and laughed. He still didn't seem to fit into the scene at all. Seeing that no one took notice of him, made him realize that he still had a lot of learning to do when it came to this century's humans and their interests.
Hale had long silvery-white hair that lay nearly to his knees. He stood on the shorter end of five foot six, and had skin the color of fresh milk. His eyes were vividly ice-blue and there was the always placed piece of jewelry on his face. This time a small ring clung to his very Roman-like nose.