The streets here were narrow, and the ancient houses stood close, many of them touching their neighbors. There were no gigantic towers, though some of the ruined buildings rose many stories above the streets. Aidan lead the way, threading the maze with easy confidence. "Ah, here is the district we want," he said after some time. The street here was slightly wider, and lined not with houses but with stores, their fronts gaping open where glass windows had once looked out onto the street. "I used to love coming here, on the rare occasions when I could," said Aidan, with a sad note in his voice. "So many interesting things, so many interesting people. All gone now..."

David glanced at Aidan. Suddenly he just had to ask. "How old are you?"

Aidan laughed. "Old enough. The years don't matter, even if I could tally them up correctly. But old enough to have walked these streets when there were no such things as vampires." David blinked. The building of the barrier lights was within the memory of his grand parents, and the collapse had been only a decade or so before that, but vampires had first appeared generations earlier!

Aidan shrugged off David's incredulous look. "What difference does it make? I'm older than you, leave it at that. Now come on! We have exciting discoveries to make!" Aidan strolled along briskly, reading the faded signs, and David trailed after him. Eventually he stepped into one of the stores, beckoning David to follow.

The store's interior was gloomy with no moonlight to provide illumination, but David's vampire's eyes adjusted to the dark soon enough. The crumbling display at the front was empty, but further back there were shelves filled with boxes. And the boxes, David realized, were filled with shoes.

"Shoes? I already have perfectly good shoes," he said.

Aidan grinned, his fangs a flash of white in the dimness. "Yes, you do. But they don't really match the outfit we're going to assemble. If you're going to do this, you should do it right, and that means shoes. Or boots, rather. Synthetic walking shoes aren't right at all, you need boots and you need leather. And leather can hold up fairly well to the years, so I've high hopes of finding something still wearable here. Trust my fashion sense!" he added, his grin growing broader. "Fruits are notorious for it, you know."

David shrugged, a little bemused, and trailed behind Aidan as he investigated the rows and rows of shoes. Some of them he prodded at, and often they cracked and crumbled at the touch. But some didn't, and soon Aidan had gathered a modest selection. "I'll want to see about softening these up, and treating them," he said, "But for now, just try them on." David shrugged again and sat down on a dusty chair to try on boots.

They emerged from that dim storefront not long after, carrying several boxes, and continued down the street.

Several hours later, as the very first hints of dawn began to show over the hills, David stood in front of a mirror, miraculously intact, in the dressing room of an old costume shop. Here they had found the last of the items he would need, the hat. It was not quite so broad-brimmed as the one in the movie, but it was somewhat similar in style, and it was black. The pants and shirt were both simple, unadorned garments that Aidan had chosen mostly for their durability, and for ease of movement, though their cut was somehow flamboyant, despite its simplicity. And the cloak was pure dramatics. David suspected he'd have to do some practicing to get used to fighting while wearing it. But it did add a certain something to the costume, David thought as he looked at his reflection. His pale face and hands seemed almost disembodied, his black clothing nearly invisible against the black gloom of the store behind him. Still... He turned to Aidan and nodded.

"This looks right, I think."

The winged vampire nodded back solemnly, then grinned. "You look quite dashing. But yes, this is right. I don't know how much help it will be, but you're right about any possible edge being useful. And a lot of vampires are easily impressed by such melodrama. It's why half of them use names like Raven and Shadow, and other such nonsense."

"Raven wasn't her real name?"

"Oh no. I think it was Sarah, or something like that. And are you going to change your name to go with your new look?"

David laughed. "I don't think I need to. I don't anticipate introducing myself to the vampires I fight. They'll know me as the Hunter, and that should be enough."