Heartbreaker (Tiamat/invite)

[Zodiac]

...You're the right kind of sinner, to release my evil fantasies...

Pat Benatar. 'Heartbreaker.'

She leaned against the door frame and waved to the representative of the mall as they walked away. In her hands, the final papers sat with all the permits and signatures in place. Now all that was left to do was interview for staff and get the ball rolling along. Unlike her other operations, this one would be more conventional. A sister store to another business in town dealing in things the gypsy was not commonly known for. All was in place already, save for a qualified staff and fresh merchandise.

But not tonight. The gypsy had already pushed herself too hard for too long. She was tired. It was not her first visit to the 8th Dimension Mall but her first as a store owner. She still had to make the rounds and visit her 'neighbors' and check out what others were doing and should pop in to Alex's place and inform her of the news. If she had not gone through all the hassle of locking up the store, she would go in and tome herself home away from prying eyes. She did not know this place like she did Veil Tower. Several safe spots to hide from prying eyes in there, so that left walking her way out of here, or at least to Alex's store.

Her feet barely touched the floor as she put the papers into her over sized purse and began to 'walk'. The day was done and nothing of importance awaited her so she took her time and inspected the store fronts, making note of places she wished to look closer at later. She smiled at the passing customers as they worked their own ways from store to store. Soft muzac playing on the public speakers above, only to be overshadowed by sounds coming from the shops. Home was about the only coherent thought she could manage now.

Her eyes glanced at the dragon themed bar for a moment as she walked by. Pretty busy place for a weeknight. Had to be more of a club situation. She was tempted to go in and sit for awhile, but decided against it. Her general appearance all decked out in Romany style and apparel was a double edged sword. It was meant to attract attention for business sake, but when she wanted to rest and be left alone it pulled in every curious soul around her. Being rude would not attract new clients, so perhaps it was best she moved on. Alex's place wasn't that much farther away.

She barely noticed a woman escorting some male out of the place. Too much to drink perhaps? Her eyes turned away again just as the muzac changed. She looked up at the ceiling and her mouth slipped open at the beautiful sound suddenly filling the air. Was it a song? A melody? She had never heard anything like this before. Dimly she realized the honey sweet voice was coming out of the shops as well. As if every source of music was suddenly tuned to this one special song. It revived her a bit. Her dull focus suddenly sharp again. She hoped someone was recording this. Who was this singing?

She turned her gaze from the ceiling and looked back at the bar/club and focused on the woman standing there who apparently finished escorting the male out of the club. She thought she recognized her.

[Tiamat]

The restaurant was having a busy night. Tia had just finished singing and was helping one of the wait staff to deliver food to her table. She stretched and walked away, leaving her coworker to deal with the patrons. Jen, one of the newer employees motioned to Tiamat. The raven haired woman sighed and went over to the girl.

“What’s the matter Jen,” she asked of the blonde, her hand was placed on her leather clad hip. Her fingers tapped the metal chain belt around her waist as she waited for an answer. The small pendant around her neck glittered under the light.

“Well, um,” Jen began, “The gentleman over at the bar asked me to ask you, if he could have your phone number because he lost his.”

Tiamat pinched her nose between her thumb and forefinger and shook her head slowly. “I really don’t have time for this right now. Have Michelle find him a seat in Samuel’s section. If he doesn’t want to get a booth to get food come back and see me then.” She opened her eyes as Jen quietly nodded her head and moved off to speak to the customer in question. He had perfectly groomed brown hair, bright blue eyes, and was dressed in what looked like Banana Republic. Oh great, she thought, Devon is here.

Her head shook when Jen came stumbling back to her looking flushed. “He, uh, he said he likes your top and that it’d look even better on his floor Tiamat. He also said you should stop being cold and give him a…happy ending?” Tiamat just stared at Jen for a moment. The small blonde backed away slowly and went to assist another customer. Tiamat looked down at her laced half shirt and sighed before walking to the bar. She motioned for one of the bartenders who immediately picked up the phone and started dialing.

“Devon, what am I ever going to do with you? You should know better. Come one, I’m cutting you off tonight.” She held her hand out the young man who slowly took it and stood up. She put an arm round his waist as he stumbled across the restaurant.

“You smell…pretty,” he murmured out as they made their way into the main throughway of the mall. A large man in a security outfit began approaching them. Suddenly, the muzac changed tunes. The lovely song that came drifting out caused Tia to pause and look up. Her fascination with the new song was broken by a voice speaking to her. Tiamat brought her gaze down and caught sight of a woman looking at her. She vaguely heard the two men speaking, a drunken hug, and gently removing hands from her butt. She walked over to the woman to speak to her.

“Um, hello again Zodiac,” she said as her fingers twirled her hair in them. Stop twirling your hair you idiot, she used to be your therapist, Tia thought angrily.

[Zodiac]

It was Tiamat.

"Oh joy," she sighed within. She had counseled the woman several times and found her to be basically a psycho in heels. Wrapped up in delusions of being a goddess or something like that. When the woman quit showing up for her sessions, the mystic did not call to ask why. An hour talking to the woman made the gypsy's brain feel like it was going to explode.

Blue-violet eyes locked into black-silver ones as the music continued on. Her eyes opened wider for a moment as a rush flooded into her very being. Was she being hypnotized just now? Her own skills in such things kicked in as the eye contact held. Nothing mattered in that moment than looking into those dark eyes and wondering what was hidden behind them. When the moment finally passed, she saw the woman standing there acting very un-Tiamat like suddenly. What had gotten into her all of a sudden?.

"The woman is a freak!" something in the back of mind tried to scream at her now, but other feelings and sensations were blocking such thoughts from gaining any ground now. Timidly, she took a step closer and looked the woman over from the top of her head to the bottom of her shoes. She could never deny the woman was attractive. The problem was the woman knew it and acted like people should bow down to her. Suddenly that might not be such a bad thing?

"Blessings of the night to you, dear one," her mindspeak was practically purring now as she drew closer. One hand reached out and pulled the lock of hair Tia was playing with from her fingers. Gently, she ran the silken tress between her fingertips before letting it go. Her nose took in the scent of the woman in reflex now as purple shaded lips curled into a gentle smile. "You're touching her!" Logic screamed again from some deep dark pit in the back of her brain. The woman's hair felt like silk in her fingers now. Not at all what she would have expected.

Zodiac suddenly realized there was but a few inches between them now. Normally she would avoid invading someone's person space like this and she hated it when others did it to her, but now it was simply the right thing to do. Suddenly everything was alright in this. Why? Why now? Why her? Why her of all people?

"We need to.....talk." her thoughts managed to stammer out. Yes, talk! She was not about to say what was slowly forming in her thoughts to this woman just yet. This was insane!

A small group from inside the club was staring at them now, but it did not matter to the gypsy. What mattered was standing in front of her now. Oh so close.. "When do you get off shift?" She was so reluctant now to let go of the bit of hair she was holding and caressing.

[Tiamat]

“Talk? Yes, talking is good,” Tiamat sputtered out as she gazed into Zodiac’s eyes. Those blue violet eyes that one could get lost in. And getting lost was the one thing she desired most. Snap out of it Tiamat. The woman thinks you’re utterly insane. But…she’s right I am insane. I’m utterly insane for her. She wanted to slap herself hard, to escape. Then Zodiac stepped closer, and then reached out to her. A shiver shot up Tia’s spine as Zodiac’s fingers played in her long silken locks.

Her black eyes closed and leaned into the woman’s touch. A sigh escaped her lips as they curled into a soft smile. She felt a heat coming from her body. This is wrong, something…something’s not right. We need to leave right now, she screamed to herself. Yes, leave. We need to leave with her. She reached up and gently slipped her hand along Zodiac’s palm and interlaced their fingers together. Her skin was soft to the touch.

A question, She asked us…me a question. Zodiac’s voice broke through the swirling thoughts. She wants to know when work’s over with. Her other hand brushed its fingers along the other woman’s cheek before slipping down along her neck. Stop it you fool!

“I uh, I can leave any time really. Mortll’s always been good about that. She always allowed me time off when I asked. So what brought to the mall? I mean this is a mall, so shopping might have been one of those things, but I’ve never really seen you here before. Did you know there’s a music shop nearby? It’s pretty nice. I’ve been there a couple times. We needed stuff for the restaurant. I sing there sometimes. I should talk to Mortll about leaving early. Do you want to hear me sing first though? I like singing. I’m babbling. I’m sorry I don’t know why I’m babbling right now.”

You’re babbling like a moron Tiamat, get it together. This isn’t you. Something is wrong here.

She ran her fingertips along the back of Zodiac’s hand as she stood in front of the Dragon’s Lair staring into those magical eyes. Her free hand went back to playing with her dark hair.

[Zodiac]

With effort, the mystic was able to focus. Tiamat babbling along like a school girl while she stood there letting the woman pet her hand? For a second, Zodiac let go of the hair she had been playing with. She tried to squint and pull her eyes away for a moment, but it was as if invisible chains was holding her in place.

It was not so much a physical thing, despite the fact a rush went through her as Tiamat took hold of her hand, but mental. As if whatever had suddenly grabbed her was growing in strength and depth. Reflex wanted to pull away, not in rudeness, but she could not muster up the will to do so. Like her hand suddenly had a glimmer of an idea what it was like to touch...perfection.

She could not bring herself to pull her hand out of the woman's gentle grip. Rather, her own fingers interlocked with hers.

"Whatever this is..." Why was it so hard to think now? "Got us both." Her mouth opened as if she was going to try and actually vocalize her concerns, but all that escaped was a soft squeaking sound. Normally she would have been embarrassed to have her pathetic attempts at speech heard by anyone. There had been only a few she had fought and struggled to say simple things to, but they were people she had known for years and had grown close to. Not just someone she had a nodding relationship at best with like Tia.

What has she said just then? Sing? Yes, singing would be good. It would be great! Singing usually involved the singer to be on a stage and the listener sitting down-away from the singer. Distance! She needed distance if she hoped to clear her head. Let her new found romance croon away for all to hear and....

"Basic items needed to make potions," she began to recite in her head to try and un-fuzz her thoughts. "The primary ingredients to make a love potion are..."

Goddamnit!

"Yes," her thoughts finally reached out to the woman. "I'd like to hear you sing, please." she managed to nod. Get up on stage and sing away, away from me. Sing how much you adore me now as much as I adore you. Sing all those thoughts hiding in the back of your mind now and let me see if they match my own. Silken, wanton, nasty, thoughts they are right now.

"Nana!" She whimpered in the back of her mind. This was wrong. All of it, yet all she could focus on was this woman in front of her now.

She squeaked again. Be it in surrender or helplessness she could not say.

[Tiamat]

A noise escaped the other woman’s lips, not once but twice. Tia squealed loudly as Zodiac’s voice echoed in her head. She wanted to hear her sing. Tiamat embraced Zodiac before kissing her lips excitedly and bouncing around. She grabbed the soft hands in front of her and pulled her into Dragon’s Lair. She looked around for an empty chair for Zodiac to sit in.

God woman, you’ve completely lost it.

“Well, There’s an empty spot near the bar I guess. I’d love you to be up front. Maybe we can ask some nice people to share a table.” She kept looking around and speaking to many of the guests. She returned to Zodiac looking sadder. “Nothing. Well you’ll like my song anyway, I hope.” She bounded off to the karaoke machine towards the middle of the large room.

Tiamat scrolled through the choices of songs she could sing. She paused and smiled as she looked up towards Zodiac. The music started playing and she pulled the microphone out of the holder and started singing. Her eyes never drifted to the screen. She moved around the restaurant as everyone followed her motions. Her eyelids drifted shut as her voice danced around the patrons. She sang this song like never before. Her emotions poured into each word that left her. A few tears silently ran down her cheeks to the trodden floor. When the song ended she placed the microphone back on the stand and went back to Zodiac.
“What do you, did you like it?” She stood there grinning, hoping that she indeed liked the song.

(Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfFOzQVKuMs )

[Zodiac]

The hug was nothing. The gypsy was a hug machine most nights, be it in comfort, congratulations or just showing a lost soul someone cared, but when she was kissed, part of her snapped out of the bubble she was floating in mentally.

"What the..." she started to say, but was already being pulled along into the depths of the club. She said she'd like to hear Tia sing and apparently that's all the encouragement the woman needed. Once she took a seat at the bar, Zodiac rubbed her temples a bit to clear her head. Slowly she was getting her focus back now. "Feels like someone poured a quart of one of Nana's love potions down my throat." she fumed. She could feel Tiamat's eyes upon her from the stage now but kept her focus on the bar in front of her. A few more moments and she felt she could walk to the bathroom and tome out of here. This was too intense to play around with. For a moment there, she was of the mind to stop Tia and return the kiss with interest. "You wanted to stand there and swap spit with the deluded 'I am a Goddess' person." she thought to herself. What the hell had gotten into them both?

Zodiac took a cigarette from her purse and lit up in reflex. She felt more normal now and just placed a foot on the floor to get up and head to the bathroom when the music started.

And then she heard Tia singing.

It wasn't the song. Jennifer liked this band, so she had heard this tune before, but the depth and energy the woman was putting into it was something no one could ignore. She turned and watched her working the audience now. Tiamat was certainly attractive, but that wasn't it either. It was how she was singing that was keeping the gypsy mystic from leaving. The woman was singing for her, to her, about her now. So much emotion was pouring out of the woman now and everyone was picking up on it. The man tending the bar had stopped in his tracks as well watching and listening to her sing. Was this how she truly felt about her now? "She is a psycho! You know this! What kind of game is she playing on you, woman?" she was screaming inside. She felt flustered now. The room was too warm. Perhaps Tia knew a spot in here where she could cool off?

She felt herself slipping again. It was now or never. Zo managed to stand up as the song ended and had begun to turn away only to find the woman standing in front of her again.

“What do you, did you like it?”

Tia stood there like a child eager for praise. It didn't matter the bar total was applauding like crazy and calling out for more. All of this would be nothing to the woman if the mystic simply said 'Eh?'. That was another clue something out of the norm was way off center. People who thought themselves gods were attention freaks, so she should be sucking all of this up like mother's milk, but here she was acting like the only opinion that actually mattered was hers.

"It was.....amazing." She had to admit as her eyes found Tia's again. Dimly she realized her last chance to escape whatever was going on had just vanished, but all she could do was just smile now as the last of her resistance slid right down the rabbit hole.

[Tiamat]

You foolish girl! Who do you think you are?

I just thought…

No, you didn’t. Listen to the noise around you. These people praise you like a queen. Or have you forgotten that too?

I’m not you or…that woman anymore!

You’re right, back then ‘we’ at least had dignity, respect.

I…love her!

No you don’t. Something has gone terribly wrong. And she certainly doesn’t care a bit about you either.

But… Zodiac’s words interrupted the ongoing argument. She…she thought it was amazing! “You, really? Oh thank goodness. I was afraid you might hate it. “ she played with her hair nervously as she spoke to the gypsy. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and grinned like a child who just got praised for doing well with something. “Th…thank you. Oh! You wanted to know when I could leave work. Do you wanna see my place. It’s new and I have pets. They’re kinda different but I think you’d like them, they’re fun.”


God, what is wrong with you, you little twit?

“I think Mortll is around here somewhere. I can have someone check to see where she’s gone off to.” She waved to a short redheaded woman who immediately came over.

“What’s up Tia,” the woman asked.
“Can you find M for me Vicky?”

“Certainly,” Vicky responded as she turned and went looking for Mortll. Tiamat turned her attention back to Zodiac. Her blue/violet eyes, long black hair, the way her dress draped. Everything about Zodiac drove Tia nuts. Her fingers reached out and lightly brushed Zodiac’s hand. A smile crossed her lips as she leaned in and whispered to her. “If you’d like, I can sing for you in private.”

[Mortll]

Mortll glanced up over the clear lenses of the glasses that were perched on her nose as she went over the computer print outs that Tia had prepared for her. She wore them not because she needed them she only put them on while she was at the restaurant in front of the human staff when she was reading ... she had the idea that it made her appear more human . The woman only knocked briefly on the office door before entering it was a bustling restaurant people only had time for the briefest of civility before having to rush and take care of the chaos of their surroundings .

She smiled and nodded as the girl said that Tiamat was looking for her and requested her presence in the dining room
Mortll rubbed the bridge of her nose ... it couldn't be a unruly customer Unless maybe it was a vampire one that Tia couldn't handle on her own .

Mortll got up and made her way to the dining room and moved through the crowd checking the atmosphere and mood everyone seemed to be having a excellent time then she spotted the raven haired beauty speaking to another woman she hadn't quite caught the other woman's face yet her back was to them but the dress and long hair was familiar Tias body language was quite unusual she was fiddling with her hair and the look on her face was plain out simpering with a ohhh baby come spend the night with me look .

A grin came on Mortlls face as Zodiac came into full view ... Now how in the hell did this happen ? she thought to herself ... Could her old friend actually be into the young Vampire ? Mortll was going to have a bit of fun with this if so . She smiled and slipped her arm around Zos waist and kissed her on the cheek " Hello Zo my dear what brings you here ? Everything is ok you getting treated right eh?" She gazed curiously between the two women .

[Zodiac]

Why did she keep playing with her hair?

It looked silly. Something a pre teen would do, yet it was kinda cute all at the same time. The mystic fought the urge to do the same. Instead, she lit another smoke. A nervous tic from when she was alive.

Her head was hurting trying to figure this all out. Half of her was totally repulsed by the idea, yet the other-more insistent half of her just could not complete the thoughts the repulsed half was having. Perhaps she really was a goddess. The way she moved, spoke, sang and everything else screamed perfection.

"Then why would 'perfection' want to waste it's time with you?" the repulsed half still hadn't quite given up it's argument just yet. "Look at yourself and her and think, wench! You are nothing like her!"

In truth, she was not. Where Zodiac did her best to hide her natural assets, Tiamat displayed them with vigor and zeal. She felt like an alley cat next to a purebred champion. Normally the gypsy could care less, but suddenly she hit a bout of self-consciousness standing there like that. It was like suddenly she wanted to be more to please the new object of affection she was standing with.

“If you’d like, I can sing for you in private.”

What? What had she just said? Private? She may have been having some off thoughts, but going somewhere private? The way she was feeling now? Oh no! She couldn't, cause she could pretty much assume the last line of defense she had going for her now was being in a crowd in public. She had to behave, right? She doubted she could alone with the woman, and judging by her actions she had the same mindset going. It finally dawned on her that this was not Tia's doing. If it was some charm, hex or power at work or casted on the gypsy, Tia would not be acting like some teeny bopper at a sock hop. Something had nailed them both. "It all started when I looked at her while that song was being sung."

The song? Was it that simple?

She didn't even notice Mortil arriving until she felt the arm around her waist, and the mental straws she had been groping it slipped away with the distraction. She turned to face her when she had been kissed. The repulsed part was shouting somewhere in the back of her mind now. "SAVE ME FROM THIS!" she barely heard the thought within.

"Hi," she managed to squeak again as she spoke to Mort's thoughts. "This your place? Is really nice." How lame was that? "Treated? Yeah, I'm good." She did not move from Mortil's touch, but glanced back at Tiamat again. "What kind of song?" she sent to Tia's thoughts alone.