“Blood just fuels my powers,” Hunter explained, “I still need food to fuel my body. I’ve actually been stuck in a desert before. You just need to keep a clear head. Fortunately I found some properly equipped traders one the second day.” He’d then proceeded to drain the traders, steal their supplies and camels and make his way out of the desert.

Moving out his queen side knight Hunter answered Juka’s other questions. “Paris is always worth a visit. The Alps look absolutely stunning, especially in winter. Rome has always appealed to me despite the Italian driving. Moscow is certainly something but you’d better like your vodka. And if you are ever in London make sure you catch a Westend show. They are always a great night out.”

"What you need is a floating bubble," Juka suggested, not entirely serious. "Or a travel companion with a floating bubble. Then you wouldn't have to worry about annoying things like needing water or food. Or have to worry about sweating, for that matter." A grimace because sweating was so very icky. Even he had to deal with it occasionally though, when he wasn't able to bubble for whatever reason.

"Have you ever been to Japan?" Juka asked. He knew Hunter spoke Japanese, obviously, but that didn't necessarily mean that he had actually been there. "There's nothing quite like the lights of Tokyo." Or maybe there was, for all he knew. It wasn't like he had been to many places to compare it too. He moved another piece of the chess board. "I've always wanted to go to London. My father almost got a contract there, but it didn't end up happening. And then I left home and haven't been back since." Because his parents probably wouldn't allow him back anyway, unless he decided to be a good little son and go to college to get a business degree and stop dressing like a girl. Like that was ever going to happen.

“Juka one day you will learn that some of the best things in life leave you very sweaty,” Hunter said with a wry smile, “I’ve been to Japan a few times. Actually I was there a few years ago.” Hiring Shogun to come and join the Kabal. “Vegas has enough lights to rival Tokyo. Plus the Japanese are not especially fond of outsiders and I don’t exactly blend in with the locals.” While Hunter didn’t hold it against them he’d only every been received politely but coldly.

“I’ve been to England several times and must admit I am quite fond of the place,” he said as he made his next move, “From the Scottish highlands to the English countryside to the Welsh valleys. Make sure you also take a chance to visit Ireland. Wonderful people the Irish, though you’d better like Guinness.”

"Oh, I approve of that kind of sweaty," Juka assured Hunter with a wink and a giggle. Not that he had had much opportunity to enjoy that lately. Something about being in a band tended to attract people and, until recently, he had been bandless. Now that he had Light in Darkness finally formed and out there performing, however, his prospects were finally starting to improve again. Why, just recently he had met a rather lovely little purple haired punk and he planned to have all sorts of fun with her. Who knew, maybe she'd even be open to an invitation to someone else joining them as well. It had been some time since he had seen his charming Prince Venus and the woman did have a thing for mutants. Maybe it would extend to giant red mutants too.

"Japan's gotten better in recent years," Juka explained. He made another move, trying to figure out if he was winning or losing. To him it looked tied still since they both still had all their pieces. "Its becoming more westernized just as the west is adopting more stuff from Japan. Anime, for one thing, has exploded here in recent years."

"Oh, I do like Guinness, but there's a slight problem with that." A rather embarrassing problem. "If I drink more than a couple glasses my bubble, uh, kind of appears and won't disappear again until all the alcohol is out of my system. I can't really control it." Which was rather frightening the first time that little accident occurred.

Hunter was a little taken aback that Juka returned his jest, but then the boy was probably around eighteen. He just looked so young. Mind you at his age everyone looked young. “The problem with this global culture is that the little idiosyncrasies of countries are fading,” he said, sounding quite a lot like a grumpy old man, “For example the way German and English people used to show three with their fingers be distinct. The English would hold up three fingers like this where as the Germans used their thumb and two fingers like this.” He demonstrated the difference. “It made them so much easier to tell apart. Now people are doing both in both countries.”

Making his move Hunter continued, “The whole point of travelling the world is to experience new and varied cultures. I wouldn’t be surprised if in the next hundred years countries starting looking the same. And would it kill people to learn a few more languages? If you’re in another country speak the bloody language, don’t just shout at them louder and slower in English.”

Although Juka had only experienced the world as it was in recent years, the prospect of the varieties of cultures slowly fading seemed kind of sad to him until he came the the realization that while varieties from country to country might be fading, there were plenty of varieties within the countries still to be found and those were not likely to go away anytime soon.

Juka made another move before voicing his thoughts on the matter. "Maybe countries are starting to become more similar, but what about subcultures within countries? Me, for example, most would consider to be a part of the visual kei subculture and I have friends who were gothic lolitas. Then you've got the goths, the punks, the hardcore kids and the metal heads. Each one of them has a rather distinct culture with distinct and different beliefs, expressions and interests." Most were based around music, of course, but that was one of his passions and thus one of the things he knew a pretty good amount about.

Juka giggled, remembering his own experiences back in Japan dealing with tourists. They would speak in their broken Japanese, talking louder and louder so as to be better understood. Somehow that worked in their minds, if not in his. Or, even worse, talking in louder and louder English and just getting blank looks from those that didn't' speak the language. "I'd love to learn some new languages," Juka assured Hunter. "Or at least one new language. It might get a little confusing trying to learn multiple languages at the same time."

“True,” Hunter conceded, “but it’s not quite the same. An eighteenth century French ball or Prussian banquet seem more appealing to me than a goth party or a punk rave. Maybe I’m just too old to understand all this new nonsense.”

Making his move he continued, “Language is wonderful, but learning more than one at once could be confusing. Most of mine I learned from native speakers in their native land where you grasp than language faster if it is spoken around you every day. There must be language courses that you can take around here?”

"Maybe you just haven't been around the goth scene enough," Juka suggested. He restrained himself from cringing at the mention of 'punk raves'. Had he actually been a punk rocker he might have punched Hunter for that one. Raves and punk shows were completely different and ravers and punks didn't tend to run in the same circles at all. "You'd probably like it more than you expect. The goths take a lot of their look and culture from Renaissance culture and fashion and just make it a little darker and more modern." Plus most of the goths he knew would love to meet a real live vampire, even if he wasn't sparkly.

First piece of Juka's was now gone but he wasn't yet too worried because he still had many pieces to go. That was a good thing, right? "I imagine there must be some language places around, I just haven't really bothered to look. It didn't occur to me until just now." Yes, he was well aware of the fact that he was often both scatter brained and absent minded.

“While they picked a good era to base their style the apple’s fallen pretty far from the tree,” Hunter remarked, “And the modern Vampire myth is a joke. Back in the day I carefully crafted it to suit my purpose, not it’s for trashy teenage romance novels. I have no desire to meet any modern vampire lovers. My image has been far too distorted.”

“If you’re going to travel it’s worth at least learning the basics of the language,” Hunter suggested as he made his next move, “It’s tough being in a foreign country if you don’t speak the lingo. Plus it is always great fun to have private conversations in languages that other’s don’t understand.”

"Different isn't always a bad thing. I've obviously never seen the era that goth was based on, or really any era other than this one, but I like what I have here." Maybe that would change as the centuries passed though. Maybe he would always long for a forgotten time that could never return. A momentary cloud covered his face as his worry from the previous night returned. Endless years, decades, centuries. How would be deal with it? How could anyone deal with it. He tried to pull his mind out of those particular thoughts but didn't entirely succeed and the fact showed in his expression.

At least Juka hadn't lost another chess piece this round, that was a good thing. He thought again before moving another piece, though his heart wasn't really in the move. "Maybe you should consider it to be kind of an honor. People have taken your legend and embraced it and turned it into something all their own."

“I know, I know. This new stuff probably isn’t half as bad as I’m making it out to be,” Hunter admitted, “But I’m an old man and thus I’m aloud to complain that things were better in my day.” With a smile he withdrew his bishop.

“I suppose. It wasn’t too bad until the abomination that is the Twilight series. Good grief, sparkly vampires. Honestly, she’s taken all the scare out of vampires. That and those God aweful Anne Rice novels. What happened to vampires being scary?” he said disparagingly. The more the conversation went on the more Hunter was sounding like a crotchety old man.

On one hand it was amusing to hear Hunter sounding like such an old man when he looked little older than Juka but on the other hand he had a horrible feeling that this was some sort of premonition of the future. Would this be him in a century or two? "How do you deal with it all?" Juka asked. He knew he was ruining the mood of what was supposed to be a fun night out but he just couldn't help it. These were things he was going to have to deal with one day.

Another piece was moved distractedly. "Trust me, you aren't the only one to hate the sparkly vampires, though I guess that's a little closer to home for you. But what's wrong with Anne Rice?" Anne Rice had been one of his high school favourites and one of the few book series he really got into or had the patience to read.

“You find things to do,” Hunter answered, “You learn new skills, travel the world, hark back to the good old days and complain about all this modern nonsense.” He smiled at the last part to show he was only kidding before making his next move.

“All this modern vampire rubbish is too airy fairy. It’s not real enough. Plus it always feels sort of like reading a horrific biography of myself whenever I read that stuff. I find it best to just avoid it. But each to their own.”

A second one of Juka's pieces was stolen in the game, leaving him feeling far more sad than it should have. He was distracted and he simply wasn't playing as well as he should have been which, given his lack of experience, probably wasn't all that good to begin with. What had been his problem the last couple of days? Normally things just bounced off of him and he didn't worry about them any more than was absolutely necessary. He couldn't' even blame it on something he eat because, well, he hadn't eaten in the last couple days. Maybe all he needed was some good quality chocolate?

"Maybe I could create my very own myth?" Juka suggested, have question in his voice. "I don't know, I could become the amazing bubbling faerie or something." He giggled at the thought before sobering again. "Its really not all that bad, is it? I mean, you're still here right?"

“Myths are a little harder to create in the modern world. However you could become an urban legend,” Hunter suggested. The conversation seemed to be getting Juka a little down so Hunter lightened the tone by telling the boy what he wanted to hear.

“It’s not all bad, not by any means. I’ve gotten to do so many amazing things that are only possible because I’m immortal. I’ve had a chance to hone skills for longer than any normal person and learn far more of them. I’ve gotten to see many of the fantastic places of the world and have the time to see the rest. There are most certainly upsides to living for ever.”