Elvyra

the night had been long, but he wouldn’t show any signs of weakness, barely keeping it together over the death of bambi. the last few crowds of people had been something of a blessing, he could throw himself deep into work and simply go through the motions of scooping ice cubes and pouring things. his senses kicked on when someone UNDEAD entered the bar, as they always do. he doesn’t give it too much thought because it could have been anyone from old to young in the sea of patrons. nevertheless, they were all his enemies and he would treat them as such in the honor of rosamie.

he should have seen this coming with all the bad luck he’d accumulated over the past week or so. still, turning to see every sitting there, reeking down to perfect flesh, sent a shiver right through him.

“get. out.” he said in an instant, not caring who could hear such a growl in the two words which hung out in the air loudly.

To say she was surprised wouldn’t be fair. After all, she’d wandered into his neck of the woods with no real expectations. And yet he still managed to defy them, lashing out with a razor sharp tone she hadn’t thought him capable of. For a moment she wasn’t looking at the lone wolf she’d grown so fond of tormenting these past few years. She was looking at an alpha who attributed his hatred of her entire species almost entirely to her. He’d managed to suck the fun right out of the visit. 

+

He sensed her moving towards him as the air around him gently stirred. He didn’t react, in fact he barely moved an inch. His eyes moved from left to right as the jogger moved along, focused on the sound of their pulse, blood pumping through their body. He could imagine how it felt to sink his fangs into their jugular, feeling it pierce the skin before the crimson liquid filled his mouth and satisfied his craving. Being here was only torture if he didn’t act on his primal urges; like dangling a steak in front of a lion, the predator wanted to pounce in the prey.

Normally he’d be more welcoming to someone joining his side. It’s not that the company isn’t wanted, because right now he could use a distraction, it was just that his mind was on a million other things and blood was right at the forefront of that. His eyes glanced over at her, face expressionless but eyes filled with pain and anger. “Council laws” he reminded her, although if anyone had caught him, he’d be subject to those laws too.  As another person came down the path his eyes went back to them, though they weren’t jogging and they were casually walking by. As they came closer, he licked his lips as he practically fantasized about the taste of their blood. They weren’t moving by as quick as the jogger had and it was proving more than he could handle as he started to get up from his seated position on the bench.

Her brows furrow as she watches him struggle, eyes flicking nervously between his painfully visible fangs and the oblivious passersby. “Council laws are really just suggestions...” she counters, though it doesn’t come out quite as breezily as she’d hoped. Something in his eyes makes her falter. On one hand she wants to run, almost overwhelmed by the emotion that starts to drive him forward. She couldn’t think of a single situation where she should be the responsible one and it’d be so much easier to let him handle his own mess. But on the other, she knows that while she’d have no problem giving into her hunger (at least a little) and compelling her way out of any consequences, Thad would. It’s enough to send her body careening in front of him. 

Her hands reach for his face, wrenching his gaze away from the passing human gently enough that if they looked over it would pass for a lover’s squabble. “Thaddeus, look at me,” she urges, her hold on him tightening. She lets her body press in closer until she’s flush against him, her face inches away and her lips offering a tight smirk. “Hey, let’s go back to my place, okay?” Her hands slowly trace down his jaw stopping to rest at the back of his neck where she draws soft circles. “I bet I can help you relax.” 

CASSIUS GLANCES OVER JUST IN TIME TO SEE HIS JACKET DROPPED, lips twisting together when he recognizes elvyra. normally it would be good to see her, a happy occasion—but lately there’s been very little to rejoice about, and right now he’s just not really in the mood.   “ i think that’s my jacket you just stepped on, ”   he says instead, before taking a sip of his drink. he knows the other vampire too well to know that chastising her will do him any good.  “ the manhattans here are good. but i wouldn’t get too comfortable. my company should be arriving soon, and you’re in their seat. ”   okay, maybe there’s a little bit of lightness in cassius’ tone.

The jacket looks so far away from her perch and she gives a half-assed reach before turning to him with an exaggerated pout. “Awww... Well, I think your jacket looks better on the floor.” A play on her favorite pickup line, and too applicable to resist. She even pairs it with a suggestive smirk, quirking her eyebrow at him as if posing a challenge. He won’t bite--especially not now, all things considered, but she hopes it’ll distract him at the very least. Sometimes in the wake of grief that’s all you can hope for, and she’s nothing if not distracting. “Company,” she echoes, her smirk growing by the second. “Well, well, well. What’ve you got, a hot date?” 

Her boredom would turn from a small, nagging itch to something with claws, crawling around in her skin, begging to escape. She’d let it go for too long now and before she could make a conscious decision, her feet switched directions of their own accord, a smile already pulling at her lips. He wouldn’t be expecting her--the last he’d heard, she’d left town a few years ago and, while there’d been whispers of her return, she didn’t think word traveled quite that fast. Or that he even bothered with the gossip. The prospect of seeing his reaction for herself was irresistible as ever.

The doors to the Wolf’s Eye were upon her and just as quickly, she was through, breezing past the patrons and perching herself at the bar nearest his turned back. It was a risky move, ambushing him here--entirely reliant on the fact that they were in public, surrounded by humans and the supernatural alike, and that she knew him to be generally uncomfortable and annoyed by undue attention. He wouldn’t cause a scene. Would he? But before she had the chance to second guess herself he finally turned and her smile turned feline. “Hello, Beck.” @fvlsewaves​

No matter how many times he would encounter her like this over the years. He learned to leave it as just that, an encounter. He stopped questioning, stopped wondering what the little moments meant, or if it was significant. So when she had looked at him longer than usual, he simply nodded his head. “Make mine a Vesper.” he states as his attention was then back at her. Her question was loaded, did he miss her. if he had said yes, it would be an answer she’d want to hear. “Just a little.” he teases. “Did you?”

“Oh, terribly,” she purrs, punctuating it with a playful pinch of his nose in exaggerated contrast to his fairly minimal enthusiasm. It was almost insulting, though only called to mind the way she’d left. It wouldn’t be fair to hold his reaction against him when she’d disappeared on him without a trace. Again. “You know, I don’t know why I go. No one out there loves me quite like you do.” While the sentiment carries a deeper truth, she delivers it lightly, nothing more than a casual joke. Why does she go? “So what’d I miss, hm? What’s been happening in your fascinating little world? How long has it been?” 

         AFTER  CATCHING  UP  WITH  rosamie  before  her  friend  had  to  attend  to  hostess  duties  ,  hera  is  perched  at  the  bar  with  a  drink  in  hand  .  technically  ,  the  seat  next  to  her  is  vacant  .  however  ,  the  coat  perched  on  top  says  otherwise  .  she  feels  the  presence  of  another  and  before  she  has  a  chance  to  say  the  seat  is  taken  ,  the  younger  vampire  is  already  removing  the  jacket  and  taking  the  seat  for  herself  .  “  it  usually  depends  on  my  mood  ,  ”  takes  a  sip  of  her  drink  .  “  for  tonight  ,  i’m  more  partial  to  a  manhattan  .  ”

Her eyes snag on Hera, attempting to feel her out, but she’s giving her nothing. Vampires are more difficult to read, sometimes having centuries of experience schooling their features and concealing their true emotions, other times having their feelings turned off entirely. “How predictable, always letting our loyalties lie with Manhattan,” she teases, though little mirth actually finds her eyes which are too busy studying as she pushes. Ninety nine years and it’s still impossible to resist the urge to test boundaries. “Besides, I meant for me.” A feline smile before she turns to the nearest server. “Martini, please. Dirty.” 

What was he suppose to say? he could only smile politely as he sees her make an entrance as always. He stands to greet her, feet moving forward as he leans to place his hand behind the curve of her back. He lightly presses a kiss on her cheek. “Elvyra.” he nods “Is it not?” he tilts his head “Your choice?” as always.

Her eyes flutter closed at the contact, even the tiniest smile transforming her face into something soft as she leans into his touch. And when she opens them they linger on his just a moment, searching, though she isn’t sure exactly what for. “Two martinis,” she eventually directs to the waiter, breaking the spell. Her choice but his suggestion. “And make mine dirty. Extra dirty. Pornstar dirty.” By the time she faces him again, she feigns complete innocence. “So... d’ya miss me?” 

The bar was the second best place to relax, with drinks coming in, Dorian couldn’t complain. He spotted his best friend at a distance, happy that his friend was having a good time. Drinking a glass of bourbon, he picked up on another approaching. Tilting his head to the side, he noticed a jacket dropping by the nearby chair. Only to see a very attractive person in place. Dorian was very traditional, so if he had to pick, it would be “Martini, but after all it is your choice.” he states with a smile.

“’After all it is your choice,’” she mocked graciously, her face dropping to match her melodramatically lowered voice. “No ‘hi, Elvyra?’ No ‘looking absolutely effervescent tonight?’ No ‘I’ve been dying to give you the money I owe from that poker game you eviscerated me in five years ago you brilliant, brilliant thing’?” Her brows arched high on her forehead and her lips pursed expectantly, but her eyes glimmered with playful charm. Coming back to New York was always scary but seeing his face made it feel a bit more like home.