Even long days can't ruin the party

[Kaydee]

The days events were still mulling around in my head.

Soldier was safe at home, munching on raw fish and yogurt, most likely. The old grey tom was settling in nicely. I wasn't sure about bird girl and the stuttering guy with the kittens, guess I'd have to call her later. I wondered vaguely if it was worth the trouble, seeing as she'd probably still be angry with me. I still felt bad about blowing up like that. I've just been angry with all the crap in pet food for awhile, or commercialism, I can never tell these days.


I shook my head, trying to throw off the melancholy that had settled over my thoughts. Aged buildings lined the way to my salvation in the fading light. They were comforting in a way. After all, if they'd been standing as long as they had, I might just make it another day too. At least until the bulldozer came along.

Lucky for me, I'm not a house.

Blistering day was slowly giving way to warm, humid night, and the night crew was starting to emerge from the cracks. Everything from druggies to cultists; lured out to walk the sun-bleached streets by moonlight. I too was following a familiar path to an unseemly destination. Well, not entirely unseemly; but you'd be hard pressed to catch more civilized folk in Blade's End.

Blade's End is a relatively large bar and club type gig, nestled deep in the heart of what most folks call the bowery. It's pretty plain on the outside, just a nondescript building with a neon sign here an there, but the place has some good atmosphere. It has a huge dance floor surrounded by a few round tables of varying sizes and a long bar along the left wall. More tables split the bar and the floor, making a nice buffer zone between the two. The music is loud, and the drinks are good. What more could you ask for?

The place hadn't heat up yet. The music was a dull, pounding rhythm somewhere in the back of my mind as I surveyed the handful of guests mulling around the bar. I ordered my usual; butterscotch schnapps on the rocks with a bit of milk. In my opinion, there was nothing better; though a nice bit of clear, smooth vodka with just a hint of lemon might come close. I leaned back slightly in a tattered old arm chair by the bar, it was pretty much mine. It was against the wall and out of the way, so most people stayed out of it. Thank goodness for that.

It was nice to be back in familiar territory, and I was content to spend the night watching bar fights and dancing till I dropped. Who knew, I might even join Karaoke hour.

[Sky Verati]

Nivet wasn't known in this part of town, which made it appealing. When he wasn't actively playing detective, he didn't want to look over his shoulder every few feet to make sure nobody was about to pick a fight with him. As the top investigator in Stone City, he was high on a lot of people's lists to get screwed over. Tonight he wanted to relax.

He prowled the pool tables, taking money from people who couldn't outplay him and offering free drinks to whoever was up next. In here Nivet chose to use a false identity, and introduced himself as Nathaniel to whoever asked. He was refined, focused, and intelligent. He played and owned the pool tables that night. He'd just won another game.

He raised his glass in a mock toast and watched the newest loser over the rim of his brandy--light stuff, nothing he would actually get drunk on unless he was stupid about it. Then he set the empty glass down and reset the balls.

Anyone else wanna play?

[Kaydee]

((OOC: In case you're wondering. Kaydee's drunk; Badly.))

I know a predator when I see one.

That's what this new guy was. He was slitting proverbial throats faster than they could scream for help. He certainly had a feline quality about him, and that was something I respected.

I finished my twelfth tall glass of schnapps as he won his latest game. I considered playing a bit of pool with him, but decided to save myself the irritation of losing horribly. This guy was good.

I got up from my armchair, stalking past the bar to stand closer, against the wall. He was interesting, to be sure. I nudged a nearby waitress, "You catch this cat's name?"

"Oh, the new guy? Calls himself Nathaniel. You finally interested in someone Kaydee?" She drawled, smacking her lips on some gum.

What? No way.

My nose wrinkled. "Just wondering who the guy is. Get off my back, Lianne." I scowled at her.

The wench laughed at me. "Sure, Kaydee. You'd have to be gay not to notice that guy."

"Well, yeah, I noticed. Doesn't mean I'm interested. Guy's prolly got a harem as it is."

"Hmph, you're right about that." She stated as she started for the bar, finally leaving me in peace. Okay, so I probably shouldn't have asked Lianne. she was always trying to hook me up with someone. Though, to be fair, the guy was pretty damn hot.

I shook my head. What did it matter anyways? This was proof that I needed to let the guy alone and get more liquor. Seriously, alcohol fixes everything.

I sighed and shoved away from the wall. "Gimme the bottle, Jim." I said sullenly as I leaned over the bar. The old bartender shook his head and laughed. "The last time I gave you the bottle..." I held up a hand. "Save it, Jim. Gimme the damn bottle." I thrust a wad of bills on the counter.

Jim sighed at me. "Which bottle? The schnapps isn't this expensive."

"No, coconut rum. Gimme." Never mind that schnapps had rum in it, it wasn't coconut rum. And you can never get enough rum.

I could almost feel him roll his eyes. "Whatever. Here ya go."

I snatched the bottle from his fingertips and popped the top. Screw reality, it was so time to dance. I chugged half the bottle and headed for the dance floor. I glared at the new guy on the way there. I wasn't entirely sure why I was angry at him, but how dare that creep be pretty in my bar. Really. I needed to stick a sign on the door; no pretty boys allowed, only drunkards with three ex wives and sob stories. Well, I suppose they could only have one or two, but they'd better have a sob story or I'd gut them.

I was pretty sure this guy didn't have a sob anything. With his smug grin and perfect hair. It sorta just threw the days events in my face. I was such an idiot today, talking about meta humans in public. I wouldn't be surprised if one of doctor Rick's lackey's showed up to drag me back to the lab. And then I pretty much blew my only chance of being able to talk to another meta human. And...

I giggled. How stupid was I? I was getting angry over someone new being in my bar. Haha. Wow, that was funny. I took another sip. My favorite song was playing. I had to move. Move!

And so I did. As much as that smug bastard owned the pool tables, I owned the dance floor. My body rocked with the rhythm, limbs flailing in time. It was flawless perfection, my energy pulsed with the flow of the music. I could feel the beast inside clawing at the surface. My pupils were dilating into slits, my teeth were elongating.

I had to stop.

I froze, shaken. How close had I been? How close had I been to changing? I suddenly felt claustrophobic. Swallowing hard, I walked over to my armchair, slumping down in its worn cushion.

Jim approached cautiously. I handed him what was left of the rum without a word.

"I hate to say I told you so..." He began.

I glared. "Shut up, Jim."

[Sky Verati]

Nivet raked his hand through his spiky, fashionably-unkempt hair for the millionth time that night as he set down the pool stick to get another half-glass of light brandy. His last one. He didn't dare attempt to drive himself home with any more than that on his breath, not with memories of his father being what they were. He wouldn't spend most of his time protecting the law just to break it off-duty.

He sauntered up to the bar with his empty glass and slid onto the only available stool.

[Kaydee]

I looked up to see that guy walking towards the bar. I watched him carefully as he slid into the last empty stool, which also happened to be closest to my chair. Huh, brandy guy. Figures.

"So," I began carefully. "What's a guy like you doing here?"

[Sky Verati]

Nivet smiled. "Came to play, same as anyone." He half-turned in his stool to face the speaker. It was hard not to let his work habits take over and file her down in his mind under early twenties, red hair, green eyes, slightly drunk, tall, lean build, works out, etc, but he managed--sort of. He at least knew how to ignore it. He gave himself a little mental shake and added, "You?"

[Kaydee]

"Me?" I chuckled at the irony. Pretty boy asking me what I'm doing in my bar. But he had a point. What was I doing?

"I'm not sure. Don't have anywhere else to go I guess." It was true. I didn't know anyone. Not really. The professor lived on the outskirts, and I'd never went to school or anything. It was too risky.

Everything was too risky. Or so the professor thought. But according to him, Dr. R had wrote me off as dead. I wasn't important to that madman; he had other things to torture.

Hell, I didn't even have a job on paper. Or a house for that matter. I felt like one of the ghost children in a novel I'd read once. Dead to the world.

[Sky Verati]

"Really." From experience, those that had all the time in the world were doing things they shouldn't. People did stupid stuff when they were too bored. Nivet was here to get away from all the stuff he had to do.

Beyond that logic, there was something there that didn't add up. Usually troublemakers spoke different, acted different, than this girl. She moved like silk, but her manners didn't speak badly. He knew what problems in the making looked like, and she didn't fit the bill.

If it didn't walk like a duck, or talk like a duck...ask the swan for a dance?

His tone lightened. "That's too bad. You don't have a date?"

[Kaydee]

"Nah, who would bring their date to a place like this? Nothing but drunkards around here. And fancy pool players, apparently." I grinned at him. Okay, so the pretty boy wasn't so bad...

[Sky Verati]

Nivet popped his collar with a playful smirk and leaned forward to take the new glass that was set down on the counter. "Not that fancy. I get my Armani from consignor stores. You wouldn't believe how much gold you can find in Goodwill." His smirk broadened. "Where are you from?"

[Kaydee]

I laughed. Armani from goodwill? I'd have never thought. The question had me a little unhinged. Where was I from? A lab a few miles from stone city. But I couldn't exactly say that.

"Here, pretty much. I was adopted by my dad when I was really young, I don't remember where I was before that." There, that was the closest to the truth I could give. Not exactly normal, but believable at least.

[Sky Verati]

He took a sip from his brandy and set it down on the counter and turned some more on his stool so that his back was resting against the counter. "Interesting. What's your name?"

[Kaydee]

((OOC: Looks like you slipped into 3rd person, hehe.)

"Kaydee Moors," I stated, borrowing the professor's last name. I technically didn't have a last name. My name was actually a compromise between 'Kate' and 'Deedee', or so I've been told. There was no need for the subjects to have last names, so I wasn't given one.

[Sky Verati]

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaydee." Nivet extended his hand. "Nathaniel Black." He used that name often enough that he could remember it without having to rehearse. If anyone recognized the name, it wouldn't matter. Black was a nobody. So was Jacob King and Eddie Fletcher. Who knew how many metas he'd put in the clink? Nivet Ismyne had cause to be a little cautious.

[Kaydee]

I reached out to shake his extended hand. Nathaniel hmm? I had to admit that I was intrigued. I'd never met anyone quite like this goodwill-skimming stranger.

My system was burning through the alcohol pretty fast. That's part of the problem with having an extremely fast metabolism. I can't stay drunk for shit. I end up peeing and sweating it all out in less than a few hours. Oh well, I'd rather be sober than accidentally transform and start using the club-goers as cat toys. My brain's a little more screwy in cat-form than it is normally. I can still think rationally to some extent, but some things-like ripping people's throats out- just don't seem wrong in that state. Go figure. It's enough struggle to control those urges sober. I'd hate to see myself as a drunk leopard. God only knows what would happen.

I brushed the thought away, focusing again on Nathaniel. His eyes were very strange. Not to say that mine weren't, being clear lime green and all, but at least they faintly resembled a natural eye color.

"So, do you wear contacts? You have very interesting eyes." I asked casually.