Kara and I had walked through the doors of the seventeen while it was still comfortably dark outside. The moment I'd walked through the door, and she was muttering grievances, I knew I'd find myself going back out. I slid back onto the couch as Kara had run off, grabbing the bottle of vodka from the table in front of me. Adrienne had come back into the room, exiting the room left of the lobby and looked on at me as I unscrewed the cap and downed a quarter of the bottle in a single swing.
Adrienne had shaken her head and begun to walk towards where the girl had disappeared to, but I had grabbed onto her arm and stepped closer to clear the gap. She'd whipped her head back and met my gaze with a questioning look; one that was underlined with slight fear. I graciously let her arm go before I spoke softly, "Can you do me a favour and make sure she stays here Adrienne," She had rolled her eyes and took a step back from me, placing the book she had in her hand on the hallway cabinet.
"You're going back out?" She asked pointedly, obviously not fond of the idea. I had looked at the grandfather clock that sat beside the cabinet and noted it was barely four in the morning, which left plenty of dark wintery hours of fun to be had. I stepped back onto the red-stained hallway rug.
I had opted to respond with a grin, stretching my arms out and stepping back into the cold from the door I had left open, before shouting back at her, "Isn't that obvious," I didn't give her time to respond, but did overhear her muttering grievances before running back to Ruby.
The clubs were just as busy now as they had been when I'd dragged an unwilling Kara out the doors of Regulus - the streets covered in both humans and vampires alike. The patrons here were still primarily human, who didn't often opt to leave until around five in the morning, as their 'permission slips' tended to run out at half-past five. From what I'd heard they tended to enjoy every drop of time they could manage here, as permission slips were difficult to obtain and often far between.
In comparison, the vampires in Ruby tended to stay until seven during the winter season, leaving with the sun peeking its head on the horizon.
The club I'd chosen for the evening, which was often my favourite, Giorti, was filled with moving bodies, but despite that, there was one human that had grasped my interest. A girl that had sullenly walked out from the back of the club from the stairways - only used by the dancers, staff and special visitors. The girl was rubbing the single tear that was slowly dripping down her cheek as she sat down at the bar; the chirpy bartender Avery had placed a green liquid in front of her at the same moment she'd gotten comfortable on the stool.
"Hi there," I greeted her while I found a place on the stool beside her. The girl had blatantly ignored my introduction and kept her gaze on the green drink. I twisted my lips and raised a hand at Avery, who upon looking at me had begun to prepare my regular drink. Something was charming about the way she looked; the smeared makeup hinted she was here often and for a long time, enjoying herself and getting into trouble. Even the clothing choices she'd made; green leather jacket and short multi-coloured dress implied a fun sense of style but odd practicality that you'd only gain by coming here a few times and knowing that sometimes, running was your best option.
"My name is Nika," I had emphasised, refusing to take her silence as a response, and then continued to ask, "What's yours?"
The girl had shifted in her seat, placing one of her elbows on the bar top and holding her head against the palm of her hand.
"Not interested," She had conceded to tell me, taking a small sip from the drink in front of her and avoiding eye contact with me. It was the first time I'd been turned down by any human in the past few months, but I refused to let it knock my confidence - she had intrigued me and I wouldn't leave until I had taunted the reason she was here.
"Oh come on not interested, you looked upset I'm just being friendly. Sometimes it's nice to talk through your troubles with a stranger at the bar, not interested. Maybe you should try it sometime," I said while grinning.
"I'm not upset." She had snapped, which had only affirmed to me that I was correct in my assumption. Either something had happened in this club, or something had happened that brought her here in the first place. The quiver of her lip as she brought the glass to her lips again only to put it down immediately told me all I needed to know, and then she looked completely away from me - even then, I could see her blinking away the tears in her eyes.
"You're a bad liar," I noted, and she had turned her body completely away from me and looked back at her drink. I scoffed and got up from the stool whispering "You're no fun," as I passed her and decided to make my way to the stage.
I hear her release a sigh.
"Nika," She had called after me, which was enough to make me turn around and face the now standing dark-haired beauty, a girl that I would opt to sink my teeth into on any day if the tears had not clouded my judgement instead. I had motioned for her to continue, unmoving from my spot. The crowd of patrons were slowly going around me, blocking my view of her, but she continued on to say, "By chance, have you seen a girl named Thana?"
I shrugged, "Common name around here, darling," She had closed the space between us and pulled me back to the bar and away from the flow of people. She had raised two pictures of her and another girl with bright red hair, grey eyes and a slim figure. Even with a longer recall, I couldn't say I remembered her. I didn't want to rely on that because I could tell that the girl in front of me had been here previously, and I had no recollection of her prior to this meeting.
"When did she go missing exactly?" I had responded instead of a definite answer, hoping to narrow my options.
"A few days ago." She answered. The response only caused a pit to form in my stomach and it answered why she was upset easily. A few days in Ruby could feel like a lifetime, often because life in Ruby didn't usually go further than a day - if you didn't get out on that day there was little hope for you.
"I think if someone goes missing around these parts, there's a short window to find them again," I said honestly, as I knew there was no use in lying to this girl; it was information she had already registered - she'd been here before, so she must know how difficult it is to find someone you're looking for unless you know exactly where to look.
"I know," She remarked with frustration. I couldn't tell how long this girl had been looking for her friend, but it had evidently taken the life out of her. I had taken her hand in mine for a brief couple of seconds, and she had let out a breath before whispering almost inaudibly, "I just want to find her... alive, dead or... the alternative."
"Then you'll be happy again?" I murmured, knowing that many people in Ruby were hoping the same thing; a glimpse of a loved one they'd lost either during the war or recently.
"Maybe," She sighed, removing herself from the stool and giving me a small smile - but it was more than what had been offered for the rest of the conversation, "Thanks for the help, Nika."
She'd lowered her eyes slightly, offering a smile. I'd given her a sympathetic nod as she began to walk away from me. I was content to watch her walk away, but a slight excitement rolled through me as she called back, "I'm Viviana, by the way."
I nodded fiercely as she walked out of the club a little faster, a flush on her cheeks noticeable as she'd gone. I had watched the girl stroll out of the club with an element of unease. I could sense there was something she had missed out from the conversation that would explain both her isolation and upset. A regret had built up as the door slammed shut behind her, there were so many questions I could have asked her that would have settled the frustration she had caused me.
The only way I knew to numb frustration was to look upon the sweet displays of the women on the club's stage. So I had taken up multiple bottles of beer and settled right next to the centre stage, my arms resting on the edge of it. Three girls had come and gone from the stage, and although they were good enough to ravish, there was something off-putting about each of them in turn that I couldn't place.
Two girls were dancing at the back of the stage as the third girl had strutted off, but I noticed men were eagerly looking at the curtain for the next dancer to appear. They'd begun to crowd around the front, anticipation filling their whispers to one another. It didn't surprise me when I was perfectly aware of who the fourth dancer was; a flawless specimen with subtle mannerisms and unparalleled allure.
On stage, she was vibrant and sensual and up close a magnet to all that came into contact with her. I hadn't figured out what she'd done or had done to her that would create the force she had become. I imagine she could tangle any person in her web if she had the need for it. All it took was one look and you'd do anything she asked you to do; for the most part.
After a few minutes of her being on stage and her attention being divided amongst the men battling for a simple glance, she had dropped in front of me with a devilish smile. There were grunts of dissatisfaction from the group of men but I gladly accepted the attention from her for a few moments. The lace body clinging dress she was wearing was doing wonders for my imagination, hugging her in the right places and creating curves where there ought to be plenty. Her makeup was done in just the right way; the way that makes you look intently at it but not overpowering her natural beauty.
Which she had buckets of. Natural beauty.
I know that vampirism gave you this magnetism that makes the brain set off all these triggers of attractiveness, but there was not a single shred of doubt in my mind that Violet would be gorgeous even without that. She had to be born with that face shape with pronounced bone structure and those purple tinted eyes that sink into your soul. There wasn't a single part of her that vampirism could be blamed on.
"You have the smell of witch on you Nika," She had murmured into my ear, loud enough to contend with the music that was blaring in the background. My normal thoughts weren't forming as she closed the space between us by wrapping her legs around my back and pulling me in. She had chuckled lightly before leaning in once again to sultrily moan, "I can only wonder where you've been."
"There's plenty of spells on me Violet. Which one could you possibly be smelling," I replied bluntly. I'd visited the witches underground several times before and during the war bargaining for several spells to aid me in my various conquests. They had sealed off the entrances to their "lairs" after the peace had been established. From the whispers around the zone, I could only surmise that their thinking was something along the lines of not wanting to be part of another war.
"No...the smell of witch, not enchantment," She had whispered, she had extended her arms past my head and stared at the rings that decorated her hand. I wasn't aware there was a distinct smell of either, so I couldn't speak on the idea of the smell differing. I tried to cast my mind on who I had been in contact with that could possibly be a witch. There was the girl earlier, but she gave off far more readings of a human than a witch and certainly didn't act like one.
"I haven't been underground in years Violet," I state confused, which is met by another giggle from her lips. She'd averted her eyes quickly, looking upon the men that were casting glares in my direction; the vying for attention had been interrupted, and now they had a new target to focus their aggression. Violet was a prize in the club, only choosing one a night was the whisper that broke through to every patron who bought a ticket into the establishment - anyone who seemed to win such a prize was not met with congratulations but often harsh words and on occasion torn flesh.
"Who says all of the witches are underground my dear. Surely you don't think they all decided to stay there just because they said they would, right?" She had suggested, knowingly. She had begun to remove herself from me and almost pushed herself away before I wrap an arm around her back and pull her back towards me. This time I had invaded her space and brought her head down with my free hand.
"That's where they're meant to be," I whispered, almost furiously in her ear. I didn't notice any fear in her eyes as I'd spoken, she had simply grinned. It was clear that she would seem to enjoy a little rough-housing when she could obtain it and physicality wouldn't give me any more information than I had. She gave me a look that read as I've already said too much before she winked.
"I wish you weren't so touch-and-go Violet," I muttered, caressing her face with my hand. She leant into my touch for a brief second before taking my arm and placing it down onto the stage; her hands stayed on top of my own as she kept her eye contact with me. Beneath my words was an anxious fear of the woman, there was something in the gentle gaze of her eyes and subtle seduction in her lips that caused people to be drawn to her; a woman who could cause such a thing was not one to underestimate.
"I wish you were my type, love, maybe you'd get a more touch approach." She had invaded the free space between us in a moment with a look of heat developing. She had lingered her lips above mine momentarily but at the last second-placed a peck onto my cheek, grinning all the while. Her eyes had moved up in the direction of the door to the building before she placed a kiss on the opposite cheek and picked herself up off the stage floor, gracefully but quickly, "You'd best be getting back to the youth."
She'd gone back down the stage and towards the now-cheering men who had moved their glares back to one another.