// *BUYING A STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

She only shrugs, not knowing what she’d meant either. Not that she’d admit it. Or the fact that she never knows what she’s talking about most of the time. But at the other girl’s observation and conclusion, she nods and looks at her drawing. “It is a pussy. A pussycat.”

Her gaze shifts back to the other girl and there’s a hint of a smile on her lips. “One who hides, one who fears, one who avoids.” She repeats. “Does it sound familiar to you?”

Since words seemed to be wasted on this girl, Hallie simplie sent her a deadpan look as she took the customers money, shoving it into the till without so much as counting it. By the offended look on the mans face, she assumed that he had expected change.

Too bad.

Once again, her words struck something deep inside her, but whatever remaining pride she had left refused to allow her to admit it. “No.”

“’Let no one who has the slightest desire to live in peace and quietness be tempted, under any circumstances, to enter upon the chivalrous task of trying to correct a popular error.’“ Mikaella either does not take hints very well or she’s just very persistent in wanting to talk to the girl for longer. 

The comment about her book issues a little chuckle out of her. She takes no offence to it, aware that her books weren’t for everyone. She has a target audience for that reason. “Delora, one who hides. One who fears. One who avoids.”

“Listen, I don’t know what kind of philosophical bullshit you’re spouting right now, but if I find out that it’s anything bad then I swear to God I’ll-” The threat goes unfinished, mostly because Hallie was unsure of how to finish it, and she used the excuse of finally serving a customer for once to hopefully get away with it.

She did, however, continue to listen to the girl running her mouth as she pulled her first pint of the night. “Sounds like a pussy to me.”

@maskedexpanse — 

As a creature of the night, both species-wise and due to habit because of the establishment he ran, his eyes were sharp where others would be blinded by the cloak of darkness. It was on one of Joshua’s breaks that he’d sighted a seemingly fledgling vampire, and recognized the familiar nervousness and self-hatred for what they had to do to survive. Tailing her was easy enough, making sure the lights were out before slipping in the business card that held the directions to get to his place under her door.

Eventually, he knew she’d come to seek him out, knowing that she’d need to feed again.

His podium lay just beyond the top of the stairwell, the joint busy as always. As the host, he had a certain mannerism to maintain, and it remained – though the grin was perhaps broader than usual as he welcomed the newest guest. “Welcome to the Hunting Club. I’ve been expecting you, ma’am. Hope it wasn’t too much trouble finding this place?”

When she’d initially found the card on her floor, she hadn’t been entirely sure how to react. The familiar tense feeling of panic set into her muscles, and she was sure that the sinking of her chest would have caused her to have trouble breathing had she needed to perform that function in her afterlife. Instead, it simply left her pacing back and forth and back and forth across her already worn-out carpet for days, even missing work. Not that that was a particularly rare occurance.

Eventually, she somehow gathered up the courage to go. To do what, she wasn’t sure. To feed? She wasn’t sure she could stomach it, not if it was anything like...

To tell them off, like some kind of school teacher? What kind of reaction would that get? It would be her against a whole club of walking tampons, she doubted they would take her seriously. And even if they did, then she’d be dog food by the end of the night.

She remained conflicted when she found herself approaching what seemed to be the entrance. A presumption that turned out to be correct, if the man’s greeting was anything to go by. However, still unsure of exactly how she wanted to approach the situation, she found herself defaulting to her typical state of irritation. “No, it wasn’t. Thanks to your dumb little card, anyway.”

Usually, the baker would already be at home, retiring for the evening and getting ready for another early shift. However, the holiday season required her to be more flexible with scheduling, and so she now had lunchtime shifts so there were enough pastries by the time students got out of school – thankfully, Alex hadn’t been called in for any house calls by Doctor Dubois lately. Still smelling like buttercream frosting and flour, she thought she deserved something for all the hard work she did today.

In fact, she didn’t really mind that she’d gained the attention of one of the bartenders, though she remained visibly mum to the fact as she tried to keep her gaze on the drink menu. The young elf hadn’t tried anything since leaving England over twenty years ago and didn’t really know how to deal with the sudden attention. Eyes flickering upward to look at the other female as she finally spoke, she replied with a little smile, “Some of Neal’s finest mead, if you don’t mind?” It took a lot to try and not look after her as she walked away. She was cute, admittedly.

“Sure!” That reply was way too fast, and overly-enthusiastic. Fuck.

Hallie made sure not to pull a face until she’d already turned away from the girl, and tried her best to concentrate on pouring the drink rather than over-thinking her every damned move. Before she went to serve the elf, she took a deep, unnecessary breath.

“There you go.” She announced, unnecessarily, as she placed the drink on the beer mat in front of her. Glancing back at the till, she briefly wondered how much she was actually suppose to charge for mead before shaking her head. “You know what? It’s on the house. My treat.” Her boss wouldn’t notice one little drink going missing, would they?

Nah, probably not.

Hallie was at a loss for words. Christ, she’d never been this, awkward before. Sure, she’d assumed that she might been off her game. After all, it’d been, what, fourty odd years? But this? This was just ridiculous.

After staring at the girl, mouth opening and closing like some kind of dumb fucking fish for who-knew-how-long, she finally managed to open her damned gob to say something.

“What, uhhh, do you want? To drink?”

Every opportunity they had to be themselves instead of reporting to work, they definitely savored. Today was a more tame day, tentacles in a mess beneath them as they rested on the sandy edge of Lake Salvador. Atop the nest of limbs, they had their sketchbook balanced in front, a box of charcoal sticks to their right. They’d spent quite a lot of time contemplating about their subject today, opting to draw the cranes fishing and circling the sky. Lost in their daze, they didn’t really consider anyone watching or considering finding them until they heard a voice. “Huh? You rang?”

Hallie may not have had a whole lot of experience with the world of the paranormal outside of leeches, so logic said that she shouldn’t be surprised by anything she might see. But even she still knew weird when she saw it. What had began as a walk to clear her head - having put yet another poor soul back to bed after she’d gotten desperate for a meal - quickly became a spectacle as her eyes dragged along several, large tentacles. “What, the actual, fuck.”

How in the world did one react to someone spitting back up alcohol on the bar top next to you? And then slamming down their fist into the puddle? Lena clearly did not know. Because as calm as she’d stayed when the pint returned to the bar, she damn near jumped out of her seat as the fist hit the table. “Holy fuck,” She said, avoiding the gaze of the woman and praying that her eyes might catch hold of some napkins to clean up the bar with. She nabbed a couple and started laying them down over the puddle. Should she ask? Should she ask? Should she stay quiet? “A-… are you okay?” The words escaped before she could stop herself.

“Do I look o-fucking-kay to you?” Hallie asked, turning to face the woman in a nearly blind rage. However, rather than taking out her anger on the innocent ginger, she sighed and collapsed back into her seat, burying her head into her hands before letting out a frustrated yell. “Can I not just have one fucking drink in peace? Jesus Christ!” Her hands flew from her face as one instinctively crept towards her glass, fingers brushing against its cold surface before she thought better of it and punched the table once more, ignoring the violent crack that followed.

Mikaella sat up straight, blinking at her yet smiling. Quickly, she sketches a rough draft of Delora hissing, associating it with the behaviour of the other girl.

“Nonsense is that which does not fit into the prearranged patterns which we have superimposed on reality…Nonsense is nonsense only when we have not yet found that point of view from which it makes sense.” She retorts proudly, though whether she knew what she meant was an entirely different story. But it was relevant still, right? To her, that’s all that really matters.

“Delora may look tough, but deep inside she is hurting.” She bobs her head once, tapping at her sketch book, “Like you. Like me. Like all of us. There will always be hurt.”  

“I didn’t ask for a fucking explanation, I asked for some god-damn peace and quiet.” Hallie’s glare was less a result of what the girl had actually said and more that she had replied at all. Usually when she was a bitch to customers they’d get the hint and leave her the fuck alone.

Apparently not this girl, though.

“Who the fuck’s this Delora chick, anyway? Someone in that shitty book of yours?” She asked, attempted to get a glimpse of the pages from behind the bar.

@maskedexpanse

Mikaella had been staring at the girl with the large, curly brown hair for quite some time now. Looking down every so often to add detail to her sketch. She’s given the girl very cat-like features– well, she has just drawn an anthropomorphic cat and given it a head of curly hair, really– yet despite how the other might appear outwardly, the drawing contrasted that. The cat, which she decides should be named ‘Delora’, appeared scared- cautious almost. While the girl seemed confident in herself, looking always prepared to fight. Mikaella tilts her head slightly, examining the girl once more before she pipes up, “If we’re wrapping ourselves up to conceal any vulnerability, whatever happens to us has to go through all those extra layers.” It may sound nonsensical, but the time spent in observing the other girl meant she had noticed something about her no one seem to have yet.

As her shift crawled to a close, Hallie’s gaze found itself less and less drawn to the pointless chores she found for herself to avoid social contact, and more and more to the clock ticking away in the corner. The sound was usually irritating, mocking her as she was stuck behind this shitty bar for hours on end, but when it finally struck the hour it was a beacon of hope, rendering her a free woman.

Well, at least until her next shift.

A loud voice interrupted her thoughts, and for a second she wondered if there was someone she might need to throw out before they got on her nerves. Usually those kind of people were drunk as fuck, but this girl seemed pretty sober.

"Hey! This is a bar, not a library. None of that nonsensical bullshit in here, alright?” Sure, there wasn’t an official rule against it. But it was pissing her off, so now it was banned. Simple.

To avoid anymore kicking, Gage bent down and in one swoop the cat was scooped in his hand. “Not a cat person?” he inquired hastily–probably too much so. She obviously wanted nothing to do with the man or feline, but Gage didn’t know how she could push an innocent animal away with a boot.

“Not a people person either.” She growled, sending the man a pointed look, and the curious kitten a second glare. “If you don’t want anything then fuck off. If you do, then don’t.” Not waiting for a reply, she began to walk away. She didn’t have work today, so she could spend it all alone back at her place. The only reason she’d even left was to buy more booze. If she was lucky, then she might be able to drink a whole bottle today without puking.

Shit. Shiiiiiiiiiiiit… Lena felt her eyes go wide as the woman spoke, and she knew she had messed up. If there was a way to hit reverse on life, to take back ever having spoken, she would have. She gaped a bit, seeming to try and find some words, any words at all. But she was a bit too stunned to even try. 

Quickly, she turned away, lifted up her drink and took a long sip. Maybe, if she closed her eyes and drank, she’d just disappear. Unfortunately, the world wasn’t so merciful, and she was still sat there, avoiding eye contact and trying her best not to annoy her. 

Satisfied with the fear she felt radiating from the girl next to her, Hallie returned to her drink. Her smirk was quickly wiped away with another bout of coughing and spluttering, but she wasn’t about to give up. She’d come out all the way just to get pissed and she wasn’t about to go home without at least a decent buzz.

About half way through her pint her stomach decided that it has had enough, and the liquid that use to slip down her throat like water came back up and splashed across the table. Gasping for air she didn’t need, Hallie slammed her fist down onto the wood, a small splash from the puddle she had created accompanying the loud thud.

“For fucks sake!”

The kitten could fit in one meaty hand, and of course if you wanted to make a habit – walking, brushing an animal’s teeth, crate training and the like – you start early. So he brought the little girl with him to do errands. She was too small to let her shove her head out the window like a dog, but maybe one day he could trust her.

In the queue, she kept tangling herself in Gage’s feet and the feet of those around him. He was grateful she wasn’t skittish like most cats, it would mean lots of fun in the future. Gage put his wallet back in his pocket and pulled on her harness, but she was interested in someone’s shoes. Maybe they had a pet at home the Abyssinian smelled, or were themselves exotic to her little nose. “Christ, sorry about her,” he said to the other, “She’s been feisty since day one. She really likes squid but I don’t think you’d have any in your pocket,” he chuckled at himself and the lame joke.

If she had the choice, then Hallie’d never leave her house. Hell, she’d probably never leave her room. But she’d had to leave her old place to come here, where it was supposedly ‘safe’, and because this place still somewhat resebled civilised society she also had to pay bills, which meant that she had to get a job. Another thing she had to leave her house for. Add her need for food to that list and suddenly she would out of the house a hell of a lot more often than she ever wanted to be. So, when she was out and about, the last thing she wanted was to be bothered. She just wanted to get out and back in again as soon as possible. This kitten, however, seemed to disagree.

Not even acknowledging the cat’s babbling owner, she shoved it out of the way with her foot, a frown pulling down her mouth. “Yeah, well just keep her the fuck away from me. Alright?”

Lena always felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb at bars. It seemed to her that everyone else was drunk and rowdy, having a good time with friends and strangers alike. But there she was, sitting with a bourbon, trying to hide in the furthest corner and not attract attention. She just wanted a nice moment to herself. Elbows on the counter, head in her hands. A drink to drag the stress of the day away, a second to breathe.

That idea went completely out the window when someone sat in the chair next to her. Pulled away from her own thoughts, she tried not to gawk as she looked up in surprise. “D-did you need this chair?” She spoke up after a moment, glancing around to see if there was anyone with the stranger. “I can move over, if you want…”

Drinking at the same bar where you worked was never a good idea, but considering her only other option, Hallie reluctantly took it. Ordering a larger that she knew she wouldn’t be able to stomach, she flopped down into the closest available chair. She hadn’t expected the girl sat next to her to address her, and honestly hadn’t even wanted her to. Yet here they were.

Attempting to take a sip of the beverage, she couldn’t help but gag at the familiar but now horrid taste, but she powered through, making sure to have swallowed a decent amount before finally putting it down on the table in front of her. “I don’t need the chair, but if you’re going to keep talking then you can fuck right off.”

@maskedexpanse

After getting an earful from his boss, Parish stomped all the way to the bar and thrummed his fingers on the counter. He watched the youngster dillydally when two patrons were sitting impatiently waiting for drinks which would take, at this pace, five minutes each.

Parish let himself behind the counter and stood next to Hallie. “D’ya need orientation again? What did these gentlemen order? I’ll whip one of ‘em up and then we need to have a chat about your work ethics, Clare.”

More than use to getting shit from her manager, Hallie easily avoided eye contact with the man as she arbitrarily wiped down a clearly clean section of the counter for what felt like the hundreth time that night. “Does it matter? Either way they’re fucking paying.” She pointed out, going to put the rags away. However, now that he was present she did decide to start pulling a random beer. Her selection process? Whichever tap was nearest to her.

“We can chat about my work ethics once you have the staff to back you up, Frost.” She replied, finally looking him in the eye. “‘Cause last I checked, you seemed pretty fucking desperate.”