Keone
Keone looked at his phone long enough to see 'Tahoma'. He answered and awaited an update.
His voice came over the line rapidly and to the point. "Renata is conscious and well."
Keone's breathed in a long breath of the night air. "Good, that's good." He cleared his throat and went into a random alleyway as he walked along the random city street. "Has she said anything?" Some stray cat hissed at him before darting off.
"No explanation as to why it took so long this time around. She's with Diamond right now."
Keone was picking up that this may not have been a good thing. "Is everything alright?"
Tahoma didn't hide his annoyance. "I told you because I'd rather do this than have you randomly show up. Don't think we haven't sensed you breaching the property to check on her...know that the only reason you haven't been imprisoned is on my say so."
"I appreciate that," Keone drawled, looking around the rank space, brick wall to brick wall.
"This is my last update," Tahoma hissed. "We are not allies, do not forget that. And you will stay away from Renata until Renata seeks you out. She hasn't disclosed what happened between you two, but when she does, you had better hope you do not see my face."
Keone laughed. It was a dark, mocking sound. "You've gotten very comfortable threatening me. Do not forget your place, you or your mother."
The call ended without anything further said from Tahoma.
Angel's voice wasn't far away. "This is becoming a problem, Keone."
Keone faced Death as though he'd always been there. Well, Death was everywhere always, but that was beside the point. "Have you learned something new?" Something about Angel was off—more so than recently anyway. He was...shaken.
"She's come to the plane of existence, my realm, more than a handful of times. The issue has always been that I cannot keep her. But...this last time, her occupancy was different. It was as though she herself was a force. I felt her power as she lingered and struggled, and it felt like...mine."
Keone shook his head. He wasn't capable of believing such a thing quite yet. "That's not possible. You're the angel of death. You are Death. There can't be two."
"That's the truth of the world, Keone. There is only one grim reaper. There can only be one grim reaper."
His heart began to pound in his chest. This situation was turning out to be the worst possible scenario. "What will that mean for you both?"
Angel crossed his arms. "Keone, if my power wanes..."
"Hers grows," Keone answered.
Angel nodded. His face had never looked more grim. "I don't know what is to come next, what consequences on this world will proceed. We are in an unknown time."
"Why her of all people?" Keone began to pace. "You took human form a thousand years ago and there hasn't been this kind of disturbance ever." He looked to the sky. It was cloudy, so the view of the twinkling stars was snuffed out."
"I've contemplated it myself. This occurrence is beyond my knowledge." Angel shook his head. The moonlight glinted against his dark brown skin. But he was calm once more. "Even I cannot know everything. I am not the creator of all things, though maybe the end." He laughed to himself as though sharing an inside joke.
Keone didn't know what to say.
"I must meet her in person," Angel continued. "I've only met her spiritually. I was planning to do so before you—"
"Fucked up," Keone finished for him.
Angel nodded but there was no relish in his expression as he did so. "Sooner rather than later, I must meet with Renata, for everyone's sake."
Keone nodded, but his stomach was tied in knots.
Diamond
It was a blur of faces as Diamond pretended to carefully study the room while she swirled around the pole. People shouted, some throwing their money, while others awaited her nearness. She was breathing hard and smiling through it as she sweat her ass off. The wig on her head was especially annoying tonight but she was too focused not falling on the ass to be bothered by such a thing.
To give herself time to breathe, she separated from the pole and swayed her hips. This was the easiest, less dangerous part.
"Take off your top!" Some guy screamed. The guy had one too many and was getting on her last nerve.
Diamond looked in the general direction and grinned. Instead of saying 'fuck off', she played with the straps of her bustier. She wagged a finger at him and gave him a view of her ass—this made some people laugh, which relieved some of her tension.
She saw Jimmy across the way and quirked up a brow. Jimmy nodded and came closer.
"Hey!" The guy slurred as Jimmy lifted him up. "I'm just having fun!"
Jimmy wasn't the type of person who needed to waste time on negotiation. They swiftly disappeared in the swarm of people, and the guy was probably being tossed out. If any of the security guards were in a generous mood, he'd have a ride called for him.
Her song was almost over. Diamond did a little twirl before getting down on the stage floor. This was usually when the most was thrown. She grabbed her bills as elegantly as possible while still giving them a show.
"You're fucking unbelievable!" Someone shouted.
Another, "You can't be real!"
Ten more seconds. Satisfied with what she grabbed, she grasped the pole one last time, walked around it once, and dropped down just to come right back up. She sent a peck out toward the crowd and the lights went out.
"Okay," she whispered during the thunderous applause.
As Diamond left the stage, giving her friend, Katya, a pat on the butt as she took her place. A more slow, sultry song began to play.
She expected the security guard, Mario, to get out of the way as she went toward the dressing room. She gave him a questioning look when he didn't. Mario leaned over and shouted next to her ear. "There's a request for you in private room b."
Diamond shook her head. "I'm not doing private dances tonight, remember? It's Thursday. Get someone else to do it." Plenty of girls would take advantage of the extra cash. She didn't mind sharing the wealth.
Mario didn't budge. "They asked for you specifically. Trust me, you'll want to go, they clearly had stacks to waste."
Diamond hesitated. "It's not a creep, is it?"
Mario laughed. "Nah. I have a feeling they're your type."
This piqued her interest. She shrugged and turned away. As she strutted through the club, many tried to get her attention, but she sent a flirtatious smile and kept going. Once she was by the private section, the security guard there unhooked the velvet rope to let her through. The area was small with only six rooms. Each room was only blocked off by a curtain.
The moaning and groaning was a bit more pronounced, because the volume was blocked off by the walls. Diamond paused before entering the room labeled 'b'. She sighed and wondered if stacks of cash were worth worsening her already shitty mood.
"Don't be shy, Blue," Diamond felt a jolt at the familiar voice, "come on in."
Diamond pulled back the curtain to reveal a smug-looking Rocio. She looked incredible, so relaxed in a crisp, black button-up shirt, blood colored slacks, and sleek red-bottoms. Her shirt was undone dangerously low, revealing little tattoos, the pattern drifting from between her collar bones to down her sternum and curving toward unknown territory. "What are you doing here?" She didn't mean to sound so breathless, so she distracted herself by closing the curtain behind her.
Those eyes were alight with wonder and straight-up want as they licked up and down Diamond's barely covered body. Diamond crossed her arms and kept her distance. "Hello?"
Rocio's gaze flicked back up. "Hello."
"What are you doing here?"
Rocio shrugged. "Renata told me where you worked, and I got curious."
Diamond's heart stopped at the mention of Renata. She tried her best to not linger on the pain. "You've never been in a strip club beside tonight—yeah, okay."
Rocio laughed. It was a smoky, pretty sound. "I came to see you. You're a great dancer."
Diamond scowled and couldn't tell if Rocio was mocking her. She was used to that kind of thing. "You watched me dance?"
"Mhm. Why do you think I paid for the room?"
Diamond's heart raced as an impulsive idea came to mind. She stalked toward a now hesitant Rocio, flipping the tables on her. "Well, let's get to business then."
Rocio stiffened up, but the curiosity was clearly still there. "You don't—"
"Shh." She leaned over Rocio and whispered into her ear, "we can't have you leaving unsatisfied."
Rocio watched Diamond warily as she straddled her. The contact was like touching a live wire. Diamond never usually got this close, but she would make an exception. She began swaying, steadying herself by placing her hands on Rocio's shoulders.
Rocio was breathing hard.
So was Diamond.
Diamond knew she was doing something wrong, but she didn't care. All she wanted to do was enjoy this exhilaration racing through her body as Rocio gripped onto her, keeping her in place. They were moving together, and they were closer than ever, simply staring into each other's faces.
"What are you doing?" Rocio whispered.
"I have no fucking idea," Diamond pressed closer. She was pounding all over, and wicked thoughts were screaming at her, demanding she did naughty things with this extremely beautiful woman.
Rocio leaned up and pulled off Diamond's black wig, then her cap. She ran a hand over Diamond's buzzcut. "Much better."
They weren't moving anymore. Just looking. Studying. Wanting.
This was really bad.