#darkdescent.start

"If you're going to sit there and drink, we do it quietly."

He understood a crowded bar, taking a seat beside someone when there really wasn't anywhere else to sit made sense. He wouldn't complain or even give a sideways glance at that setting because it was part of the unwritten bar code: you sat and drank in silence and didn't acknowledge the person whose shoulder you almost brushed.

But this was not the case. Maybe it was a regular seat, maybe whoever it was had business with him. James just wanted one drink without interruption. Four fingers of whiskey sat in front of him, freshly poured, and he intended on swallowing it back without much conversation to chase the burn down.

So he grasped the glass, knocked it back and sighed at the familiar heat that ran from lips to stomach. The glass returned to the wood with a clink and James wet his lips with his tongue.

"Okay. Now you can talk. Within reason." He paused, signaling the bartender for another, "And one for ... them."

❝ ⸻ Make sure he doesn't run too far ! ❞ Talia called out to the nanny she had hired ( a demon that worked and worshipped her every move ) to take care of her son , VALAK . Walking around the chapel that many demon would avoid , talia felt nothing and easily could step in sacred grounds without withering in pain or burning up . perks of being a prince. ❝ I sure did miss this place ❞ the woman muttered as she looked at its Renaissance frescoes by Michelangelo . her voice echoed through the chapel .

 The bar is hundreds of conversations told in loud voices , all of them competing with the music that dominates the atmosphere . The crowd is a mixture of old and young , those that were far older than they looked for the most part . Alessa , who had the sight , winds her way through the warm bodies to order a drink and take her seat . it wasn't rare to see mundanes in that bar . albeit some that wander in  are never seen again once they mix with the wrong crowd .

        ❝ ⸻ wow , you could really feel the tension in the air . ❞ eyes scanned the crowd . the group with odd tattoos on them staring intensely at another group across the room .

❝ ⸻ sorry about that ... ❞ The cambion closed the door where she left her mother to rest . Anyone who lived in the city long enough knew marisa's instability . known as the crazy old deranged woman who for the most part , people ignored or simply call her to come and get her mother who warns others of monsters and what lurks in the dark . Marisa's mental health has deteriorated and only her daughter seem to calm her .

❝ If you want you can take a book on me . the marauder's ink has books on just about anything you might want to read about ❞ she said to the other that her mother yelled at and said they see evil around them .