The Late Shift{OPEN}

[Scarlette Masen]

Scarlette ran a pale hand through her hair. It was about midnight in the Red Light Distract. Sometimes, she wondered why she had ever taken a job as a bartender at a strip club. She loved being able to dance and be part of the show, but tonight was one of those nights where she just wanted to walk the streets and get herself a 'bite'. But, sadly, she needed this job and her personal days were almost up.

The blonde walked into the club and plastered a fake teasing smile on her lips. Switching her hips, she walked slowly towards the bar to be greeted by the girl who did first shift. The other girl, a brunette seemed relieved and immediately began to head towards the entrance, leaving Scarlette to tend.

Rolling her eyes, she headed towards the bathroom and paused in front of a sink. She examined herself in the mirror a bit critically. She was wearing a black tube top with red lace around the top and a black and red Tripp skirt too short for any good girls taste. Black stillettoes donned her feet and a leather choker wrapped around her neck. Her lips had a light layer of crimson lipstick on them. The young vampire had on mascara and eyeliner, darkening her eyes. As for her hair, Scar could only wrinkle her nose. It was a mess, loose ends sticking up here and there. She turned on a faucet and put her hand under it before running it through her hair again. It took a couple of times but the blonde threads finally did what she wanted them to.

After another moment of examining her image, she walked out towards the now busy bar. 'Just what I need,'

[/i] she thought a bit sarcastically. She could feel the stares of men, drunk and otherwise, as she began working, hastily mixing drinks and filling glasses. She would bat an eyelash here, bend over to pick something up that she had 'dropped' everyso often. It was all she could do to get better tips.[/blockquote]

[KETZIAH]

KETZIAH

→ ANOTHER SCENE ANOTHER PACKAGED LIE TO KEEP US TRAPPED IN GREED
IF YOU COULD OPEN UP YOUR THIRD EYE, YOU'D SEE THAT WE SHOULD NEVER BE AFRAID ←

Ketziah hated night clubs. But it was where her act was, it was where she needed to be, and it was a prime spot where demons tended to hang out in search of someone who wanted nothing more than to find someone good in bed, or someone with a lot of money. Such a needy and trashed person would be easier to coax a soul out of, so a place with thrashing bodies and lots of booze would be a prime location to find a demon to dispel or exercise. With this many scents and sounds and bodies, it would be difficult and arduous for Ketziah to sift through all of them, so instead she had convinced the owner to let her sing at the club for one night to see what she could draw out.

There was no guarantee that there even was a demon in the crowd, but it was worth trying, at least.

The fair-haired angel stood on the stage, the make-shift curtains hiding her from the crowd for the time being. She held but one microphone in her hand, staring at the felt in front of her and waiting patiently. The director had told her that she was on in five minutes, and the entire crew was surprised to see her standing there. . . . Just standing there, waiting for her curtain call. It unnerved them a little bit, and they were given the signal to raise the curtain early. The lights over the stage turned on, bathing Ketziah in light—a stage trick that would keep Ketziah from seeing the crowd in case she got stage fright.

But she wouldn’t. She never did.

The curtain lifted, and the loudspeakers flicked on, announcing that The Nightingale was going to sing for them. Live music was a treat at this club, and the crowd cheered for a short time. Ketziah waited patiently, knowing that this was half the fun for them. It started to die down, and Ketziah lifted the microphone to her mouth. Prerecorded music played behind her, just loud enough for all to hear, but not overpowering. The microphone met her lips and she opened her mouth. She had picked a clubbing favorite—a song that she heard ever club she visited (though she didn’t visit many) played—and the crowd cheered. She ignored them and kept singing, and when it reached a prolonged note, she caught her breath, then howled. What a normal person heard was the normal note she needed to sing. What a demon would hear was a blood-curdling screech that would bring them to their knees.

Her sharp blue eyes scanned the club for people who might be in pain from the note. A true test as to whether or not there were demons in the club or not.

→ THEY WILL STOP DEGRADING US, WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS SO COME ON ←

→ STARRING Scarlette
→ COUNTING Word count
→ LOCATION A club
→ WEARING Here
→ NOTES Hope you don't mind the intrusion. This is just a starter. . . . So it should get more interactive in a little bit.
→ LYRICS By Muse

[Blane Reed]

Blaze would bring his feet onto the lone table. Resting back in his chair, examining the club that he had came into. The words of many would pass his ears, listening to people complain about work, people ordering many different drinks and food the club had offered. His eyes would close for maybe seconds. Taking a massive whiff of the air, an uneasy feeling would come to his attention.

Blaze wouldn't dawn a thought upon the uneasy feeling, just in case there was an intruder in his mind. Letting his eyes flick up, his eyes would meet someone that looked more higher class than the rest of the people here. The different genres that would mix upon clubs was interesting at the least. With nothing more than a half-cocked smile, he would move from his table.

Not really paying attention, Blaze would soon be feeling something meeting the top of his legs. The snow white hair would soon be pushed to the front as he met the ass side of a woman. The hard push would of sent the girl to the ground, but of course Blaze was much faster than that, grabbing her by the wait and pulling her back into a large backwards hug. ""Im sorry, i didn't see you all the way down there" Blaze spoke softly into her ear.

Letting the woman free of his grasp he would of waited for a reply from the lady, but his ears would of soon picked up on something. Since Blaze wasn't exactly a Demon, he wasn't effect like them. It would irritated him so bad, that if it wasn't for self-control, Blaze would of pumped that chick full of lead. His eyes would move to the woman on stage, what was she...

[Scarlette Masen]

LAUGH AND COME AND LOOK INTO ME

SCARLETTE MASEN

DRIPS OF MOONLIGHT WASHING OVER ME

CAN I SHOW YOU WHAT YOU ARE FOR ME

Scarlette fakes a bored yawn, just serving the drinks she was told to serve and filling orders half heartedly. As soon as the music goes, I’ll have to help, won’t I? she thought to herself. Shrugging ever so slightly, she decided she would just take a break when that happened. The less time she really worked didn’t really matter, just as long as her boss didn’t know.

Just as she had suspected, only a few minutes later, the harsh music filling her ears. It was days like these that she was thankful to be a vampire and not a real demon. Putting one hand on the bar, she jumped over, landing neatly on her feet. Her gray eyes glanced around, landing first on a fair haired lady and then on a vampire. ”Hmm, this should be interesting,” she whispered before walking towards the blonde. The vampire can wait,

[/i] she thought.

The young vamp tripped a bit purposely, falling in front of the other girl. ”Oh, I am so sorry,” Scarlette said, scrambling to her feet. ” I didn’t hit you at all, did i?”
[/blockquote]

• FEATURING - - Ketziah, Blane
• COUNTING - - 184
• SETTING - - A Club
• WEARING - - A black tube top with red lace around the top and a black and red Tripp skirt too short for any good girls taste. Black stillettoes and a leather choker wrapped around her neck.
• NOTES - - Yeah, posts... sorry that this is late... I just started finals
• LYRICS - - N/A
• EXTRA - - N/A[/color]

[KETZIAH]

KETZIAH

→ ANOTHER SCENE ANOTHER PACKAGED LIE TO KEEP US TRAPPED IN GREED
IF YOU COULD OPEN UP YOUR THIRD EYE, YOU'D SEE THAT WE SHOULD NEVER BE AFRAID ←

Her searching gaze found no demons. The humans were enjoying her song, as they would, and it continued uninterrupted despite her disappointment in her failure to weed out a demon. Obviously there weren’t any in here. . . . However, there were some annoyed-looking vampires and werewolves in the crowd. Well, they could suck it up and be glad it wasn’t them she wanted to kill and send to hell. Finishing her song, she waved to the crowd and put up a nice little smile before thanking them and watching the curtain drop. The manager stopped by and asked if she wanted a permanent gig, but she waved him off, saying she would drop by when she felt like it if she would have her.

Nothing more to do that night, Ketziah decided that perhaps it was time for her to relax for a little bit. She very rarely received time to relax now that the demon portal had been opened for some time, so this really was a privilege to get a bit of time for herself. Walking out the stage exit, she headed for the bar, hoping to partake in some wine, if they had any. If not, she would find something else or go to a different place. The tender at the front was talking to someone else, and Ketziah didn’t have to strain to know that they were two vampires. This was not an issue so long as they didn’t question her or try to start a fight. She was probably twelve times their senior and doubted they would win against her. However, these immortals were known for their surprises.

L eaning against the counter, Ketziah forced a pleasant little smile to her face and addressed the vampiress tending the counter. “Do you allow the purchase of wine here? If so. . . . I would like your finest white wine, if you would be so kind,” she requested with the formalness bred into people of old. She merely acknowledged the other blood-sucker with a polite nod, pulling up a stool to sit on—of course, she made an unconscious effort to brush the seat off before she sat down, smoothing the short dress out that she wore so that it wouldn’t bunch up while she sat. Her legs crossed elegantly at the knee and she sat straight, her arms resting in her lap instead of on the counter.

→ THEY WILL STOP DEGRADING US, WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS SO COME ON ←

→ STARRING Scarlette, Blane
→ COUNTING 403
→ LOCATION In a club
→ WEARING Here
→ NOTES ~
→ LYRICS By Muse

[Scarlette Masen]

I DREAM IN DARKNESS I SLEEP TO DIE

SCARLETTE MASEN

ERASE THE SILENCE ERASE MY LIFE

OUR BURNING ASHES BLACKEN THE DAY A WORLD OF NOTHINGNESS BLOWS ME AWAY

The little blonde in front of her jumped when Scarlette spoke. “I-I’m fine, miss,” the girl stuttered. The vampire straightened up, holding back a bit of laughter. The humans mind was an open book. Her name was Anna, she was still in school… and way too young to be in a place like this, defying mommies orders was the first and only reason Scar could think of. The blonde stared at the bartendress curiously, making her shake her head. ”You should probably leave. Your mummy’s probably worried sick, or is that what you want?” she asked the sixteen year old. She just got stared at even more, fright filling the human’s eyes. “I-I don’t live with my mom. I have my own home.” Scarlette scoffed. ”I never knew of a sixteen year old that lived all on her own.” she forced a sigh. ”Leave, trust me, it is for your own good Anna.” The blonde gasped but nodded. “This place was giving me the creeps,” the girl muttered as she darted for the door. Scarlette scolded herself for letting such a perfect opportunity pass itself up.

The vampire glanced over at the stage to see another curious looking blonde. She wasn’t human, that was for sure… but what was she. Shrugging, Scar decided it would be a good idea to go on a short walk. The cool night would feel better than the musty club she was working. She circled around the block twice before entering from the back and setting back to work.

By the time she had restarted serving drinks and doing what she needed to get tips, the singer on the stage was finishing her last song. It didn’t really matter to her, but Scarlette felt a pang of jealously when she was the manager go up and offer her a job. A girl like her isn’t needed in a club like this, she thought.

When the singer walked up to her at the bar, Scarlette bit her lip lightly. She listened to the order and chuckled. ”I see the singer has fancy taste. We don’t have the best wine in town, miss, but I think we have something… vintage in the storage room.” She told her and headed towards the room. It only took a moment to find the wine and reappear. It was from 1967, ten years older than herself.

Pouring it into a wine glass, she put it down in front of the singer. She seemed powerful and smelt absolutely delectable. There weren’t many others at the bar so she decided to talk. ”So, was that you singing up there? Really pretty voice… not like most bar singers. Did you take lessons or are you just that good?” Scarlette’s mind began to wander towards what this girl was. Angel maybe? Or maybe a demon? Whatever she was, she had caught Scar’s attention.

• FEATURING - - Ketziah, Blane
• COUNTING - - 478
• SETTING - - Night Club in Red Light District
• WEARING - - A black tube top with red lace around the top and a black and red Tripp skirt too short for any good girls taste. Black stillettoes and a leather choker around her neck.
• NOTES - - hehe… sorry for such delayed answers… I have finals at the moment.
• LYRICS - - Evanescence
• EXTRA - -

[KETZIAH]

KETZIAH

→ ANOTHER SCENE ANOTHER PACKAGED LIE TO KEEP US TRAPPED IN GREED
IF YOU COULD OPEN UP YOUR THIRD EYE, YOU'D SEE THAT WE SHOULD NEVER BE AFRAID ←

“Isee the singer has fancy taste. We don’t have the best wine in town, miss, but I think we have something. . . vintage in the storage room,” the woman at the counter replied, sounding a little more amused than the angel thought was called for. Was there something funny about asking for wine? Did no one like wine anymore? What a sad day that would be, when no longer did people enjoy a good wine. Ketziah didn’t say much else as she watched the vampire walk into the back room to fetch her order, and it was slightly refreshing from those other tenders that would just tell her to order something that was easy to retrieve.

Nary a sound left the fair-haired woman as she turned slightly in her seat to view the crowd. No new faces. No new scents. She almost wished that a horde of demons would curse the club with their presence, giving her something to do at least. Her thoughts were interrupted however when the vampire returned, carrying the familiar shape of a wine bottle in her hands. Ketziah examined the bottle as the tender poured a fair amount into a wine glass. 1967. Fairly decent age. . . . Nodding to herself, Ketziah slowly picked up the glass and took a small sip, milking the wine to make time creep past faster. The angel half-expected the vampire woman to disappear and do something else that was part of her job, but that wasn’t so. She began to talk and ask questions, and Ketziah decided that it was worth responding at least a little bit.

The ancient being turned to look at the bartender and listened to her questions. Something about her singing. “Thank you for the compliment. And my lessons were of a different kind than what you might be able to imagine, but I was born with an innate talent for singing and music. It took many more years than you and your family combined could have lived for me to learn to hone my skill,” Ketziah replied neutrally. She knew that this vampire knew she wasn’t human. Whether or not the vampire knew what she was was still a mystery, but not everyone knew of angels and demons, so she was keeping to rather enigmatic replied that could be taken many ways. A delicate hand lifted her glass to parted lips as the angel took another quiet sip of her wine.

→ THEY WILL STOP DEGRADING US, WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS SO COME ON ←

→ STARRING Scarlette
→ COUNTING 409
→ LOCATION The bar
→ WEARING ~
→ NOTES We spoke about this. . . Blane probably won't post again.
→ LYRICS By Muse

[Scarlette Masen]

I DREAM IN DARKNESS I SLEEP TO DIE

SCARLETTE MASEN

ERASE THE SILENCE ERASE MY LIFE

OUR BURNING ASHES BLACKEN THE DAY A WORLD OF NOTHINGNESS BLOWS ME AWAY

”You don’t seem all that old, Miss. But you do have a very angelic voice. How long could it possibly take to become that good?” She asked. She shrugged her shoulders lightly before grabbing a glass and beginning to shine it up a bit.

Scarlette chuckled lightly. ”As for that family bit. No doubt it took you longer than that. My family is dead, been that way for a while.” She didn’t even try to pretend to be upset about that. She was happy they were dead. ”And I’m technically nineteen.” That wasn’t an exact lie. She was turned at nineteen and will probably look nineteen for the rest of her days. ”Plus, you look no older than twenty, singer.”

Another person came to the bar on her side. Holding up a finger, she indicated that she would be back in a moment. Then she walked over to him. ”Hello there, Scarlette. I’ll have my regular,” he told her. The guy was here way too often. He even knew her by name. Scar shrugged her shoulders and filled the glass she had been cleaning with Bud Light. Placing it in front of the, she gave a rather genuine smile and went back towards the blonde.

”So, you have a name, Singer? I’d love to know it,” She inquired. What is this girl. The thought continued to penetrate her mind.

• FEATURING - - Ketziah
• COUNTING - - 229
• SETTING - - Night Club in Red Light District
• WEARING - - A black tube top with red lace around the top and a black and red Tripp skirt too short for any good girls taste. Black stillettoes and a leather choker around her neck.
• NOTES - - Yeah... and sorry yet again for taking so long....
• LYRICS - - Evanescence
• EXTRA - -

[KETZIAH]

KETZIAH

→ ANOTHER SCENE ANOTHER PACKAGED LIE TO KEEP US TRAPPED IN GREED
IF YOU COULD OPEN UP YOUR THIRD EYE, YOU'D SEE THAT WE SHOULD NEVER BE AFRAID ←

Ketziah sighed. This vampire really had no idea what was sitting in front of her, did she? Shaking her head, she stared the vampire in the eye and took another sip of her wine before responding with an apathetic “You look older than nineteen. And I know you’re even older than what you look, too. Therefore, my response to your statement is that looks can be deceiving.” Another sip of her wine finished her mini-speech and she nodded that she understood. There were other patrons for her to tend to and it wouldn’t be fair for Ketziah to expect her to do nothing more than to let her do her job.

Of course, Ketziah was more than happy to have a lot of more time to herself. She spoke to people, sure, but she didn’t enjoy it. She would much rather just do what she had to, get in and get out, but she understood that in order to learn she would have to talk to people. Therefore, she could endure it for a little while at least before she had to move on and do something else.

It wasn’t long before the woman returned from tending the man a couple seats away and Ketziah sipped at her wine again. Finishing the last drop, Ketziah decided to have one more glass and poured herself some while the vampire asked her a question. She wanted a name. Looking up at her, Ketziah sighed for a moment, trying to decide what to tell her. Her real name would just tell her that she was an angel, and Ketziah didn’t really feel like having that sort of attention. Sipping at her wine for an added second, she responded after. “My stage name is Nightingale. You may call me Gale.” Her tone was flat, hoping to portray that fact that that was all the vampire was getting out of her.

→ THEY WILL STOP DEGRADING US, WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS SO COME ON ←

→ STARRING Scarlet
→ COUNTING 316
→ LOCATION Club
→ WEARING Clothes!
→ NOTES Sorry for the wait. Had a busy week and thin muse.
→ LYRICS By Muse

[Scarlette Masen]

I DREAM IN DARKNESS I SLEEP TO DIE

SCARLETTE MASEN

ERASE THE SILENCE ERASE MY LIFE

OUR BURNING ASHES BLACKEN THE DAY A WORLD OF NOTHINGNESS BLOWS ME AWAY

Scarlette chuckled. Looks good be deceiving. It sounded like something her mother had once told her. 'Don't trust all you see.' She smiled deviously at the girl. "Alright, you got me there, Singer. I'm thirty-three. And that is the truth." she shrugged. She was relatively young for a vampire, but she didn't mind. "And how old are you? A hundred? She examined the blonde, breathing in through her nose to catch her scent. "No, much older, right?"

She sighed, getting the name. Though, from her tone, she wasn't getting anything else. The vampire shrugged. Oh well, c'est la vie. "So, Gale, I saw my manager go up to talk to you after your wonderful performance. What was he talking to you about?" It was her one shot at trying to start a conversation. It was probably a horrid attempt, but it was a try.

• FEATURING - - Ketziah
• COUNTING - - 145
• SETTING - - Night Club in Red Light District
• WEARING - - A black tube top with red lace around the top and a black and red Tripp skirt too short for any good girls taste. Black stillettoes and a leather choker around her neck.
• NOTES - - It's okay. And sorry it is so short... v-v
• LYRICS - - Evanescence
• EXTRA - -

[KETZIAH]

KETZIAH

→ ANOTHER SCENE ANOTHER PACKAGED LIE TO KEEP US TRAPPED IN GREED
IF YOU COULD OPEN UP YOUR THIRD EYE, YOU'D SEE THAT WE SHOULD NEVER BE AFRAID ←

Ketziah couldn’t help but cock an eyebrow at the woman. Thirty-three? That was it? She was a fairly young vampire. Turned at nineteen? Well, at least she wouldn’t have to worry about looking nineteen for the rest of her life. . . . Always being questioned about that. She looked older than Ketziah looked, but not in a bad way. She sipped at her second glass of wine, milking it while she decided whether or not to answer the woman’s question about her age. Setting the glass down, she looked up at him and clasped her hands together under her chin, setting her chin atop her laced fingers. “Yes, I am older than one hundred. New York as you know it did not exist when I was. . . brought into the world,” she replied cryptically.

Though she had skirted the true meaning behind her question, Ketziah had still given what she thought to be satisfactory answer to the surface question. Since they had met this woman had been attempting to get her age, and every time Ketziah had managed to avoid giving a true number while just giving hints instead. She picked up her glass and took another drink, wondering when the woman would get the idea and stop probing her for her age when Ketziah had no intention of giving that out to her. She couldn’t even remember the exact number, just that was older than at least ten thousand years.

Miss Vampire continued to show her nosy side when she asked about Ketziah’s encounter with the manager. She wondered why this undead woman cared so much. Was her job that boring that she had to ask prying questions about all of her customers? Or was she just trying to figure out what Ketziah was? Neither of them had mentioned what the other or themselves was, so that couldn’t be it. Logic dictated that the vampire would quietly tell Ketziah what she was in hopes that Ketziah would return the favor. . . but instead she was just going to pry. Troublesome.

Setting her glass down one last time after draining the last few drops, she looked back up at the vampire and leaned back slightly. “He was speaking to me about a job and I declined. Are there any more personal questions you would like to ask me?” she asked with a flat tone. Her words would have indicated that she was annoyed, but there wasn’t a single thing in her voice or on her face that would affirm that fact.

→ THEY WILL STOP DEGRADING US, WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS SO COME ON ←

→ STARRING Scarlette
→ COUNTING 578
→ LOCATION Bar
→ WEARING ~
→ NOTES ~
→ LYRICS By Muse

[Scarlette Masen]

I DREAM IN DARKNESS I SLEEP TO DIE

SCARLETTE MASEN

ERASE THE SILENCE ERASE MY LIFE

OUR BURNING ASHES BLACKEN THE DAY A WORLD OF NOTHINGNESS BLOWS ME AWAY

New York as I know it did not exist when she was? What does that even mean? Is she that old? Vampires, we live forever, but I've never met one that was that old.

Her mind was racing with more and more questions every time she was given an answer by Gale.

What was she? She wasn't human, she wasn't a Were nor a vampire. Was there anything else that she could be? And what's with the way this chick talks?

She chuckled at the sound of annoyance in her customers voice. "A lady with an angelic voice like yours shouldn't take up such a tone," she mused. "Oh, I could go on and on with questions, Miss, but i guess i won't." She began to make circles with her rag on the bar table as she eyed her boss walked past them. Her eyes looked down involuntarily.

When her boss was out of her sight, Scarlette leaned on the bar. "Well, I have one question that is really itching my patience," she said with a smile. "What are you, Singer?"
[/blockquote]

• FEATURING - - Ketziah
• COUNTING - - 181
• SETTING - - Night Club in Red Light District
• WEARING - - A black tube top with red lace around the top and a black and red Tripp skirt too short for any good girls taste. Black stillettoes and a leather choker around her neck.
• NOTES - - ~
• LYRICS - - Evanescence
• EXTRA - - ~ [/color]

[KETZIAH]

KETZIAH

→ ANOTHER SCENE ANOTHER PACKAGED LIE TO KEEP US TRAPPED IN GREED
IF YOU COULD OPEN UP YOUR THIRD EYE, YOU'D SEE THAT WE SHOULD NEVER BE AFRAID ←

Ketziah poured herself another glass of wine and started to drink this one a little faster than the last two. She wanted to get out of here and get doing something important, and this vampire didn’t seem interested in letting her go anytime soon. Sighing, the angel set her half-empty glass down and then looked up at the vampire. “You answered your own question but a second ago,” she replied flatly. Ketziah did not feel like answering the question and revealing her identity. She was fine with her knowing that she wasn’t human, but there was always a mixed reaction when people found out she was an angel. She might have been being difficult, but it was for her own good, and the vampire’s as well.

→ THEY WILL STOP DEGRADING US, WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS SO COME ON ←

→ STARRING Scarlette
→ COUNTING 126
→ LOCATION The bar
→ WEARING ~
→ NOTES SUCKAGE
→ LYRICS By Muse