friday night // bambi

[Juliet]

"It's been a while since I've done this."

Juliet didn't let the thought escape her mind that the idea of going out to exercise was strange. A vampire, she didn't lose or gain weight. She grew stronger without putting stress on her muscles. Her own body, the original one, had always been lithe and slender, and Cassadee's body was no different. It was a body that she wouldn't have minded sliding her hands along with the other woman underneath her. She supposed the need to stay active had to do with keeping her mind clear. She had used to run all the time before Athena, and she would continue to run after Jamie.

It simply made sense, didn't it?

Life had returned to normal for the mystic, the pain having ebbed away as if it had never existed. There were far and few that she spoke to on the regular - she checked into the minds of Hawthorne members occasionally to make sure no one had died that she cared for, checked on Fleur and hoped that Reanna was doing alright. While she was in the office, the woman checked out the CrowNet to make sure she hadn't missed anything significant. She was antisocial, but she still cared.

Her sneakers pounded on the pavement as she ignored the traffic that surrounded her. There were wolf whistles from college boys that she'd never give the light of day, her gaze lingering on pretty co-eds whom were lingering on the outsides of bars and clubs. It was a Friday night and the last thing on their minds were studying.

It felt nice to let loose. To escape from the four walls of her office and as she heard a few soft laughs, she debated on whether or not to join the club scene. Her green gaze followed after a red head, clutching the hand of a pretty blonde. "It has been a while..." She thought to herself.

x

[Bambi]

W E A R I N G

School. She wasn’t really sure why she even bothered anymore, really. The only things she even managed to accomplish with even going to college was being a cheerleader and meeting new girls to hook up her mistress with, or to convince to go to her clubs, and, sometimes, to borrow for herself for a while. She hadn’t learned a damned thing in four years, anyway. This was her fifth year as a freshman, and most of her friends had already graduated and moved on. Almost all of them had moved away, ready to find their own way in life, while she was still here, still partying, still not growing up. And she was just ******* fine with that.

She was standing outside of one of the university bars, already several drinks in for the night as she nervously glanced at her watch. It was plenty late enough for the vampires to be making their way out for the night, she well knew, and she was feeling the pressure from her master. The woman was beginning to grow impatient with her, insisting that she do this sooner, rather than later. She didn’t like the feeling of displeasing the woman, but the thought of dying was, for lack of a better word, absolutely terrifying. What if her plan didn’t work? What if, rather than being turned, she was simply murdered? She doubted that mattered much to her master, but it mattered a lot to her.

She stood nervously, her leg jittering beneath her, tapping her heel wildly against the sidewalk as her blue eyes quietly swept back and forth through the faces that came and went on the street. She would know a vampire when she saw one, surely. She’d lived with one for years, now. She’d known the signs, and had learned more than she’d ever cared to learn about them in her time over the summer. She learned just how effective the gun in her bag could be against one of them, provided the bullet was put in the right spot. She was hardly shy with the weapon, having used it often in the name of her master over the years, but tonight it made her bag feel like it weighed a thousand pounds. Everything was just so out of her control, and tonight was the deciding factor for the rest of her life.

She would live another few hours, or she might live forever. That might not be so bad, either way, when she thought about it. She wasn’t going anywhere with her life. She wasn’t smart enough for any sort of real job. The most she could hope for was possibly making a passing porn star, at best. She didn’t have the body to be a model, and she couldn’t do math to save her own life. Gun to her head, she wouldn’t even manage a cash register. No, the best she could hope for was something degrading and, in the end, very short term in the way of success. She wasn’t going to be beautiful forever. Unless something happened tonight; unless everything went according to plan. She would be okay with that. She wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol finally grasping hold of her, or the inner pep-talk she was giving herself, but she was suddenly feeling a lot more courageous. She could do this.

[Juliet]

It didn't feel like it had been as long as it had since Phoenix had turned her. The night that the fadebeast had come out of nowhere, startling Jules and prompting the woman to see how the sobbing beauty that would become her sire was doing, if she were alright. But, in the time she'd spent in Harper Rock, Juliet felt that times had changed. Humans and vampires mingled freely on most nights, some could tell, others could not. As she noticed a few faces she'd recognized throughout the years as business associates, Juliet wasn't surprised. Some of the men didn't realize they overstepped their boundaries outside of bars, flirting on naive young girls.

But then again, wasn't she doing the same thing, preying on them? Although Juliet was naturally pushing her mid-twenties, Cassadee was closer to thirty. It wasn't something that particularly bothered her, really, as it only made her look more business savvy to partners. The thought was dismissed as she slowed to walk and lifted her hand to pull her hair free. It made her lookout attire look a bit more casual, the woman walking a bit and pausing to look for the cute redhead from earlier. Even if the girl wasn't interested, she was sure she could probably coax one of them to give her a taste, after all, it helped when you were charismatic.

However, as she realized she'd lost track of the redhead, her attention fell to the young woman on the sidewalk. Her curiosity peaked as she could see the fact her heel was tapping, the brunette debating on what to do. In her pocket, a small one big enough to slide her phone into against her hip, the device vibrated obnoxiously against her hip bone. It was likely one of the lawyers she'd been dealing with recently in a lawsuit, but Juliet had no desire to deal with it now. They were perfectly capable of reviewing the tapes with out her, not that she particularly cared to deal with it, ever. A man had broken into Blood Diamonds afterhours, expecting it to be empty of staff.

He had not expected the shotgun pointed at his chest, nor did he expect the trigger to be pulled. "Excessive force." The officer on the scene had commented on the official report after looking at the rocksalt that had been used rather than a lethal round. She could have shown him excessive force with her fists. As she thought about this, Juliet made a face.

The decision to go see the younger girl was made quickly. As she approached, Juliet could tell that she'd been drinking - she could smell it, but at least she didn't smell like she'd downed the entire bar. That was never attractive. The game system dress was cute, something different compared to the other styles that she'd seen girls wear here and there. "You know, if Princess Toad looked like you, I would have killed Bowser ages ago. I'm Juliet, and you are?"

[Bambi]

This should be easy enough. She shouldn’t be so afraid, considering what she stood to gain, but Bambi had to put all of her will into keeping herself from trembling in sheer terror of dying tonight. At least she had a choice in who it would be that would do it. She felt the warm thrill of the alcohol in her as she kept shaking her leg, restlessly glancing from face to face as they pass, seeing several eyes flit her way, before moving on, swept up in the conversations they were already engaged in. She was enough to garner a moment of interest, a flash of hot lust, before they were on to bigger and better things.

Had she come out later in the evening, after everyone else had been drinking as much as she had been already, then things might have been a lot easier, were she looking to get laid. She took a steadying breath, and collected her nerves as she prepared to head down the street, past a few of the other bars to see if she could spot a possible suspect when she turned her gaze to the street, and nearly jumped out of her skin at the proximity of a woman that had all but slipped out of the darkness right on top of her. She swallowed the feeling of having her heart in her throat as the woman slipped a less than smooth pickup her way, though it gave her a long pause, blue eyes staring at the woman with a blank expression as she tried to pull together exactly what the hell she was talking about.

She blinked once, slowly, and glanced down at her shoes, trying to think through sluggish thoughts, when she saw the dress. The dress, you idiot. She laughed, then, a little nervous sound that was incredibly unlike her. She cleared her throat and gave it another try, the sound much more confident and rich, then, as she shook her head and gave the woman in front of her a flirty smile, her hand lifting to push the tumble of blonde hair over her shoulder and gave her a gentle shrug. “It’s hardly a fair competition between a tiny fat Italian plumber with a 70’s porn ‘stache and a woman like you, Juliet. I’m Bambi.” She smiled, even as she let her fingers brush along the length of her pistol’s barrel in her bag. This woman was a vampire. She could just see it. All of the signs were there, as well as that feeling that just surrounded her.

Though, she supposed if she had to have a choice, a beautiful woman would probably have been her first pick for either of the scenarios the night was going to end in. And this one was prettier than most, as far as normal people were concerned. She was par for the course in the world of vampires and beautiful goddesses. It really struck the blonde, then, just how jaded she’d really become to conventional beauty after her time in the world of the undead. She was nice, too, it seemed. So she felt bad about what was probably going to happen next.

[Juliet]

At first, it had always been difficult to hunt. A flash of a smile, a flash of cleavage. Guys fell for it easily enough. They had always liked accents, and she'd been bilingual most of her life. She'd learned Spanish and English at the same time, speaking Spanish at home, and English in school after they'd gone to Texas. It didn't help that her first body had been pretty. She still had pictures of Juliet Crawford, her face having been missing in the mirror for several years now. An eighteen year old girl who had just lost her cousin, April, months prior to an illness she hadn't been able to beat. Now, she was in the body of a thirty-something British chick - not that she was complaining.

Men still liked her accent. Women loved it. But the sound was all wrong to her. Sometimes, it threw her off - that sexy little purr that she didn't recognize was coming out of her mouth. And this, this was one of those times. It sounded strange, but she decided to ignore it. It didn't surprise her when she noticed how nervous the girl was, in fact, she had to resist the smile that curved across her lips. It was hard not to laugh at the blank expression. She was cute. When it took a little longer than she suspected for the girl to realize what was said, her lips twitched a bit at the corners. "Oh this is perfect." Her green eyes moved from the girl in the dress to the entrance of the club nearby, and back.


"Oh definitely not, I've got him beat by about six inches," There was a tilt of her head, "And that won't even count my heels." Oh, that was bad. That was so bad. Juliet tried not to physically cringe - she probably would have punched herself at this point, a mental sigh escaping past her lips. It had been a lot longer than she'd thought. But. At least she was trying, right? To get back on that horse? "It's nice to meet you, Bambi. What brings a cutie like you out here, aren't you afraid of the vampires?" She asked, giving a smile. She could hear her pulse, the nervous laugh. Bambi was adorable.

[Bambi]

As far as vampires go, this one was cute. About as smooth as broken glass with the pickup, but cute. That, though, didn’t do anything to calm her nerves. It only made her all the more nervous, her stomach twisted into knots as she twisted her bag in her hands. At least she knew that something about herself attracted the woman’s interest. That much, at least, was in her favor. She hoped, anyway. She was often wrong about these sorts of things. It was entirely likely the woman would rip her head from her shoulders and leave her corpse in a dumpster behind the bar.

She offered the slender brunette a smile, a single finger curling a lock of golden hair about in a simple twirl of the digit. She gave a light giggle at her joke, and shook her head. The joke was pretty terrible, and she wasn’t entirely sure that it was really supposed to be a joke, as lost as she was with the reference at this point. The question of hers, though, was worth a laugh. She thought she was so very clever. The thought brought a curl to her lips.

This is what it’s like to have the high ground. I could get used to being the clever one.

She shrugged a shoulder and gave a purse of her lips as she appeared to think over the question. “No,” she finally answered, her bright blue eyes turning to the woman in front of her, then, and focusing on her. “No, I don’t think vampires are really anything to worry about at all. They don’t really seem like anything special. Hardly something to be afraid of. Having to hide in the dark? Skulking around all this time, hiding from normal people like you and me? Look at me, do I look like anything that should frighten any sort of “ultimate predator?” No, sweetheart, I don’t think so. I’m not afraid of any vampires.”

She smirked, a sly, coy smile of a woman pleased with the bait she’d set. She was sure that, at least to some degree, that would ruffle some feathers with this superior beast. She took a deep, steadying breath and pushed her hand back through her silky blonde hair. “As for what brings me out here, well, I think it’s the same as what bring most of us out here tonight. A little booze and a good time; maybe a pretty new face to wake up next to in the morning.” She lifted a hand, letting a single fingernail slowly trail down the woman’s forearm. “That is what brings you this way tonight, isn’t it?” she asked with a tip of her head.

[Juliet]

It never ceased to amuse her, the personalities of people - which, truly, was saying a lot given the fact for a spell, Juliet had two: Cassadee took over on occasion, more prominent traits of the woman taking over when Juliet was in a bad mood. It had been a lot of Cassadee that had aided in Juliet getting over Jamie, escaping that painful place where she'd been for almost two years. Even so, now, Juliet had to force herself not to run her thumb over the area where her engagement ring had sat for so long. The ring had been a constant reminder and eventually, she'd been driven to take her own life.

She still remembered the lack of pain, the fact that the only time she'd felt anything other than numbness had been the constant terror she'd felt in the Shadow Realm. It had been a time to escape. It was there that she'd decided not to date again for a while, to heal. It was better than to sit around and be miserable, really. To heal. But that was then, and this is now. She couldn't help but think she'd need to practice some, the pick up line had been awful, but at least her deliverance hadn't been well, too awkward.

It had been a while, too, since Juliet had cared about the masquerade before it'd fallen. She'd supported her sibling about whether or not he protected it, but she'd always found the idea appealling - perhaps had it been known before April had gotten too ill, her cousin would have survived. She wouldn't have died in that damn hospital bed, scared. April's own parents hadn't desired to leave Mexico, and while Juliet's father had been in Toronto, the ******** hadn't even remotely batted an eye about the death of his niece while his daughter mourned the loss of her best friend.

Hell, the man hadn't even really said anything about the death of his own daughter, when Juliet took over the body of Cassadee Hawkins.

It had been weird, going to her own funeral, too.

As Bambi seemed to think, Juliet simply smiled. Her fangs concealed for the moment as her shadow twisted slightly at the woman's words. She chuckled, "Who said that it has anything to do with being the ultimate predator?" The woman couldn't help but consider it all. At one time, she supposed people were chasing power, that they were looking to run everything and everyone. Humans, vampires. It wasn't her style. "But no, I wouldn't think you would frighten anyone. You'll never know what happens until you're pushed to that level of survival. Animals, vampires. Even human, we're all vicious when cornered."

Juliet hummed. The noise a soft sound before she lifted her shoulders in a gentle shrug, "I was out for a run, actually. Stopped when I saw a few different pretty faces until yours caught my eye." She answered, honestly. "So, in the long run, I suppose so."

[Bambi]

A coy smile played across her lips as the voluptuous blonde tugged at the curl of hair wrapped around her finger, her cheeks tinging a subtle pink as she resisted the urge to giggle like a blushing schoolgirl, realizing too late that she was a blushing schoolgirl, technically, though admittedly older than one typically brought to mind by those words. She bit at her lip, worrying over the glossy flesh with her flawless teeth as bright blue eyes looked over the woman in front of her. She had to move things along, if she intended to do this. If she started to sober, she knew she would lose her nerve and run away from what had quickly become one of the least threatening vampires she had met.

She tucked her other hand into her bag, manicured nails gently brushing along the barrel of her pistol as she tried to summon courage from its presence. She hadn’t even done the deed, and she was already feeling guilty for misleading this poor woman. She released her lip and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, she closed her mouth again, stopping herself. She had been about to tell her the plan, to bargain with this killer. She couldn’t do that. She had very explicit orders to avoid that at all costs. She huffed, the sound loud as she blew a lock of golden hair from her face, the silky strands landing against her cheek.

She let her free hand slowly travel up the woman’s arm, until her wrist rested on Juliet’s shoulder. One hip cocked, that sensual smirk tugging at her lips, she tipped her head away from the bar. As much as she wanted another drink, just a little bit more to steel herself for what she was about to do, she instead opened her mouth again. “Then I suppose tonight’s your lucky night. Yours is a face I won’t mind seeing in the morning.” She stepped closer, the warmth of her body seeping into the woman’s cool form as she pressed her soft figure against the more fit frame of the Englishwoman.

“What do you say we get out of here? Find someplace quiet to get to know one another a little better?” She gave the woman a gentle squeeze with the arm that lay across her shoulder, pressing herself closer. Her other hand pulled from her bag and laid across the brunette’s hip. She hoped that the woman was as hungry as she looked, that she carried with her more than just the one appetite every vampire endured.

[Juliet]

The giggle was cute, and the blush was absolutely delicious. Juliet smirked, chuckling quietly as she simply took it all in. She told herself to relax, to let it all come back to her naturally. Don't push anything. When she got nervous, she got awkward - her 'date' as Phoenix had called it, with Ric had proved it. Then again, at that point, she'd also been so hung up over Jamie. The thought of her ex-fiancee had her heart briefly recoiling as she shifted her weight from her left foot to her right. She counted to ten. Hazel eyes looked over the way that Bambi bit her bottom lip, the way her clothes hugged her body.

She was different, alright.

Maybe, though, different was good. It was a sign of change of taste, after all, wasn't it?

"Is something wrong?" She asked as she saw her close her mouth after looking as if she were going to speak. Was she reconsidering things? The question danced behind Juliet's thoughts before she felt her touch. The idea of her staying the night was interesting, her fangs visible briefly as she smirked before they retracted. It wasn't a threatening motion, but a warning to see her reaction. "Well then," Juliet slipped her arm around Bambi's slender waist and gave her a gentle squeeze, "I suppose that's a good thing to hear when going to be with someone, hm?"


Where was a location that was close? Juliet could think of a handful of places - she had several apartments in the area, but the makeshift one in the basement of Divulgences... She'd take her to the boat, but Rice didn't like strangers and the last thing she needed was her not-so-little duckling chasing someone out of the residence. "I know a place not too far away, if you don't mind a few unopened boxes here and there." She gently nudged Bambi in the direction with her hip, a smile crossing her lips.

[Bambi]

The fangs.

She’d almost forgotten about the fangs.

That wicked smile, even in that pretty face, made her heart stop in fear. It wasn’t until she felt the muscle slam against her ribcage like a nine pound hammer that she even realized that her heart had skipped a beat. She swallowed thickly and offered a coy smile. She could play dumb. That wasn’t hard. “No, no, nothing is wrong. I was just thinking.” She felt the woman’s arm slip around her waist and she moved into the woman’s side with the squeeze that Juliet offered. She melted into her, and offered her a sly, pleased smile. She gently rest her head against the woman’s shoulder for a brief moment, until she gave her a nudge.

Bambi moved with her, though she would let the more slender brunette guide her along the way as they walked. Her arm around Juliet’s waist slid from around her, letting her hand slide down her backside, fingers dipping into the tight confines of the lone pocket against her taut cheek. One thing was sure, the vampire had a nice ***. She gave a subtle grope and left her hand in the pocket as they walked, offering a faint chuckle as they walked along, away from the crowd of people, away from the bar, her font of liquid courage. She would be on her own, soon enough.

She gave a quiet laugh at Juliet’s suggestion and gave a nod against her shoulder. “If it means I get to see what’s beneath this paint you call clothes, then I wouldn’t mind if it was a quickie in the bar bathroom.” She laughed at that, then, and shook her head. “Not to sound trashy. I just find you just… irresistible. I’m exaggerating.” She gave her backside another quick squeeze to emphasize her point as they walked.

It wasn’t exactly a lie. Juliet was an incredibly attractive woman, and the element of danger that she presented drove the vivacious blonde wild. Coupled with the adrenaline of knowing the mortal element of what was about to happen, she was excited. There was a thrill to being on the verge of life and death.

“So where is this place you’re stealing me away to? I won’t mind the boxes, but I’ll need someplace soft to sleep.”