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Every passing second was another spike of pain as she tried - a token effort at best - to keep her arm and collar still. Her need to know what was going on around her, what was happening, was infinite and burning. She might know the feel of the rattling earth rather well, but not at this level. This was doomsday stuff, and stories told by her science teachers about the horrors of past California quakes.

She was from the so-called Ring of Fire and could understand the shaking. It was the frigid cold she couldn't come to terms with, and she could feel the chill pulsing in her injuries.

"Can you...get my jacket?" she said to the woman helping her as her brain began to clear somewhat now that her arm boned where set to mend. "The red wool one, over there." She motioned with her chin to the couch she had woken up on.

She found herself being ignored by both men. That was perfectly ******* fine with the redhead. She gave them no piece of her attention in return as she lowered herself down onto her back, picking up the bottle of whiskey. "Let me know if you happen to dig up any vodka...or absinthe," she grumbled, taking a swig of the alcohol with a faint hiss.

Nikolae was alone with the odd female vampire and the bleeding human for a few moments while the male returned to running around like a rat trapped in a maze. A very dangerous maze at that, the Dragon mused as he shoved the light-fixture off of his table with a grimace. It was almost peaceful for those moments, despite the shaking room and bits of ceiling fluttering down like parchment paper around him. The woman still refused to speak, and the human was probably sputtering on her own blood. Would she last the night, he wondered, as he watched the pair silently.

The man was back, and sitting right across from him in the seat his Raeth so often took. If nothing else, seeing the little club be all but destroyed by the odd storm was a silver lining of sorts. The man spoke, quickly, and by the tone and the request Nikolae felt he might finally have his answer to the question of this stranger. The man must be worried for someone, or someones, if he wanted to make a call so desperately. The Dragomir shrugged and plucked his phone back out of his pocket, sliding it across the table to the man casually. He still hadn't received word from his newest childe, but for most anyone else he could just blast a few words into their brain if he truly needed to.

"It keeps going in and out of service," He admitted with a sigh, flickering his gaze toward the caved entrance with a growing scowl of his own. "But you should be able to get a text out when the service comes in again." He added with a slight nod.

Though the mans abrupt request wasn't exactly a hello, how are you, Nikolae found he couldn't begrudge the man. The Dragon was afterall himself worried about his progeny. Perhaps the male had fledglings of his own to be worried about. The longer they were trapped here, the longer something could go wrong for his own loved ones, and already Nikolae was considering casting shadows around the place to blind the damned human long enough to dig their way out. He was pretty sure it would work.

"Can you...get my jacket. The red wool one, over there."

Zodiac looked over and saw what the woman was asking for. She needed to move around a bit anyways, so she got up and retrieved the jacket. The girl was probably getting cold now. Her style of outfit was the kind of thing you only stayed warm in if you kept dancing around and she was doubtful the girl would be dancing anymore tonight.

"Let me know if you happen to dig up any vodka...or absinthe,"

"Oh, now you pushing things," she thought to herself as she returned with the coat. She laid it down next to the girl's good arm and jotted a three word message.

Potty break, brb.

And then walked off in the direction of the rest rooms. She wasn't sure if 'brb' qualified as one word or three, but it got her out of the room. She needed some time to think now and keeping watch waiting for the ego twins to blow up was not helping matters. She pulled open the door to the women's room and slipped inside. She leaned against the door and breathed deeply to calm herself. "City full of options and I end up here." she frowned.

Sharp eyes spied the small, frosted window above any normal line of sight in the wall. Zodiac climbed up on the sink and opened it so she could get some kind of view of the outside world. A broken and frozen landscape greeted her eyes. The winds were still whipping things around and the snow was either still falling or drifting. A couple options came to her as she peered out into the polar cold. She was something of a contortionist, so squeezing herself through such a tiny window would not be impossible, but time consuming. She could see it now. Half in, half out, and some living soul walking in and catching her in the act. No. She could also assume her animal form and just fly out. Her snow owl body was built for this kind of weather, but flying about in the wind and white out conditions in the dark might take her well out of the town or drop her into an even more insane situation. Her landmarks she used to navigate in the air were all snow covered or blacked out.

She cursed in Romany as she pushed the little window closed and sat down on the sinks. Another cigarette was lit as she ran through her options. There was no one in here she cared about at all. Even the woman she had helped. It was an act of kindness on her part simply because she saw no sense in hurting people needlessly. A thought came to her now. The ego boys would be getting hungry soon. As for herself, Zodiac reached into her coat and felt the relic sitting securely on her arm under her shirt. She had no need to feed unless she did something using her blood or was injured. She hoped the girl was some kind of charmer especially if the boys both got the idea she was breakfast. Would she get involved?

To get involved would be to reveal to them both who exactly she was and she had no desires to have either of their attentions past what had been going on so far this night. If it was her best (mortal) friend Jennifer she would fight tooth and nail to save her. A few others came to mind as well. Not because they were human, but because they had earned her respect. Something not too many vampires had managed to do. Cases in point were debating over a cell phone in the other room. The girl was, simply, a girl like a hundred others she passed on the streets every night. Everyone unique and having a story of their own to tell and live out behind their eyes when they briefly made contact in passing.

She considered again contorting out of the window and letting this all be someone else's problem while reaching into her purse. She began to roll a joint. Ford boy must not have had any luck finding an exit or else he'd be gone like a fart in the wind by now. She wondered about the downstairs, but it was possibly more of a mess than the upstairs. She heard water running somewhere but no sign of it on the floor she was on, so odds were it was filling up the basement. Teleporting was still an option. She could whistle up some spirits to try, but then if it didn't work then she'd be hungry and then three vampires would be looking at Miss Find me some vodka or absinthe like a cheeseburger.

She banged her head against the wall, then lit up the joint and took a deep drag and held it. Her karma was running as normal. She could not have found herself snowed in with Tempy, or some of her friends, or even in a strip club or coven meeting. Oh no. She gets some girl who can't even walk in her heels right and two examples of vampires are the superior life form.

" Când soarta decide să înşurubaţi-mi, ea nu brambureala din jurul!" she muttered to her thoughts.

Translation: When fate decides to screw me, she don't mess around!

Potty break, brb.

Well, that just sucked ***. Slowly, very slowly, Jana pulled herself to sit up, pulling the coat over her shoulders with her one good arm. She didn't button it, leaving it open but covering her shoulders. Her entire body was thrown off by the pain in her shoulder and arm, adjusting uncomfortably but still adjusting.

Bright blue eyes trailed over the destruction surrounding her. The fire by the bar was something of a disturbance, but she couldn't decide if she should move closer to the warmth or farther away. Fire was dangerous, no matter how comforting and warm - especially that close to that much alcohol. With that thought, she took another swig of whiskey, hissing as she set the glass bottle aside. For a moment, she thought it could get no worse.

Still, as she sat where she was, gazing around the emptied nightclub, not a paragon of destruction, and saw the tall figure with tattoos, who looked rather frantic for some reason or another, and the other man whose cell phone seemed to be working sporadically. There was an instinctual fear in her heart as she watched them, but she couldn't place it, pinpoint it. She just found herself frightened by both of them - moreso the one who looked frantic.

She suspected the true nature of much of the nightlife here in Harper Rock, but was unaware of the full truth. Her first roommates in this city had both been like these others. Blood-drinkers and night-stalkers. She had tried to force it out of her mind, but the theory was still there. She had no reason to think these people as such - the only one who fit the stereotypical visual criteria was the woman who had helped her out.

"Just be glad you don't have anyone to worry about," she muttered to herself, shifting to try and stand, to try and prop herself on the couch again. Fifty bucks says we'll be stuck here 'til noon.

Nikolae watched the twitchy male silently as the man typed in his text to whomever it was he needed to contact. Given he had no idea who the man was, he figured it was a sure bet he wouldn't have a clue who the mysterious recipient of the text might be. He wasn't surprised to see agitation flash over the mans face either, the Dragon had afte rall warned that the reception was spotty at best tonight. No doubt the powerful towers were suffering backup from the hundreds of calls frantically being made, let alone the storm and earthquake probably making the things sway and interrupting the signal entirely. Still, he was glad that his phone was returned to him. It was new - he'd tossed his old one the night he'd decided he'd had enough of the braggarts, bullies, and liars that filled the city streets. Surreptitiously he glanced at the screen and concluded that his earlier assumption had been right - he didn't recognize the number and it wasn't one of the ten he had programmed into the device. He winced inwardly at that reminder, he really did need to add at least a few of the men and women who made up his larger bloodline at some point. Pocketing the phone, Niko turned his body a fraction of an inch just to keep an eye on the silent female vampire crossing the room. If nothing else, he'd learned the hard way about letting strangers have sight of your back. The wounded mortal wasn't any concern, he figured if she was one of those odd blood thieves she'd have fared a lot better at the wound she'd received. She'd probably have attacked the mute vampiress by now, and the the Dragomir might've had real cause for concern.

As it was, the males sudden outburst drew a frown of reprimand over Nikolae's features - the younger vampire was going to cause a hell of a scene if he continued on in that manner. He cracked his knuckles and pushed back against the booth he was lounging in. "I'm guessing you didn't get the memo. The storm of the ******* century is out that door. You really think I'd be hanging out in this dive if I could make it home? My home is literally blocks away." Even as he spoke there was an ominous crash against the wall and icy water began rushing beneath the barred door. His gold slitted eyes narrowed irritably. He'd be pissed if his Temple was destroyed by a freak weather system. "I'm told it's just as bad elsewhere in town, too." He offered with a shake of his head. He'd at least managed to receive Raeth's mental message. "If we get out what exactly do you propose we do?" He mentally calculated the time a moment. Sunrise wouldn't wait forever, afterall. "Why not just wait out the storm then..." Then he'd knock the human out and teleport his *** out of there before summoning his loved ones right to him, do not pass go and don't collect two hundred bucks.

He rubbed a hand across his face with the sinking sensation that he might be the sanest person in the room. Not an uncommon feeling - he often felt that way about the whole damned population - but not something to be taken lightly when trapped in a building that may or may not collapse at any minute. If it did he'd be two parts wounded and one part elated. Maybe the reverse, he amended ruefully. "I'm Nikolae Dragomir, nice to meet you." He muttered under his breath. Vampires would hear him, but then he was starting to think the pair here were caught up in their own heads too much to even notice. Hell, he could probably sneak to a private room and try that teleportation trick right that minute without their notice, he mused. Of course, given the storms destruction there would be no telling where he might end up - roasting in a building caught on fire or right into the waiting arms of a damned fae. Either would be his luck.

It was comfortable in the rest room. She sat on the sink counter and smoked two joints slowly. Since she had some kind of inner weakness when it came to toxins and chemicals, some of what she sucked into her lungs was finding its mark. Not enough to be all giggles and silly, but enough to take the edge off her anxiety over her current surroundings. It would not last long, but hopefully her thinking would be clearer for a few moments.

Once more she glanced up at the window. She probably could make it back to the mini bus if nothing else. Granted she would still be stuck, but she would not be paranoid over her surrounding company. She relaxed and reached out her thoughts to Jennifer. The girl that helped her run her little empire within the city.

"How much of our business is still standing?" she asked. Suddenly it was a bit harder to focus on the girl's thoughts and it was not due to the cannabis. It was like a radio station slightly off tune in a car.

"Pandora's....fine. No clue.....The Eye..... In...teahouse now. Others seeking...........here as well. No power, but....You?"

"Don't ask. All of ours okay?"

"Who I can find...... Karema never came back.....Holding the fort."

She nodded mentally. "Just stay safe, love."

Zodiac let the connection fade. Something was odd now. A storm for the ages and a series of earthquakes happening via nature? Maybe. All that and something playing with their powers? Not likely. What could manage something like that? The Crow? Was he/she/it doing this to remind everyone who was really in charge here before showing its face again or was it something else?

Again the back of her head bounced against the tile wall in frustration. She needed people she could work with. She rummaged through the small purse again and took stock of what she had to work with besides a lighter, some papers and the remains of the baggie. Her cell phone-worthless now, her wallet, her lock pics, comb, brush, make up, keys, some odd cash, cigarettes, and a couple items she had pilfered during the time she was waiting to perform, a pair of guitar pics and her flute she used to play when she got Ginny, her cat, to dance about. "If my name was MacGuyver, I'd be in hog heaven," she fumed to herself as she snapped the bag back shut. As she stood up, her ears caught the sound of water running again, but louder now. "That's not good," She took a deep breath and put the oversized sunglasses back on before exiting the bathroom.

The girl had managed to get to one of the sofas and was resting as best she could, while the other two were still looking across the table at each other. Her ears led her eyes to the doorway and she saw the small torrent of water starting to snake its way inside. It was not like the place could fill up like a fishbowl. There was too much damage for the club to be that water tight. But depending on the temperature, some feet could be frozen to the floor or worse she'd imagine.

She walked to the bar and sat up one of the stools and took a seat. Her heels settling on the rail keeping her feet off the floor for now. If only it would calm down outside she would take the chance to contort through the window and take her chances in the storm.

Jana sat up straight very abruptly at the sound of rushing water. "**** **** fuckity **** ****!" she stammered, shoving herself to sit on the back of the couch rather than the couch itself. She didn't want to be in the way of that water, especially in this temperature. Once it slowed, it would freeze solid, whatever was in it stuck until the ice thawed out. She knew that much about the cold.

Still, the water's rushing sound was some form of comfort to her. She loved the sound of water. It always soothed, even rushing as quickly as that was. The ice was a definite downside for her. Ice was solid water - it didn't move, it didn't change. Water always changed. Water flowed, twisted, curved, splashed...water was alive. Ice was dead. The logic wasn't something most women her age really thought about, but it was in the corner of her mind the entire time.

The bubbling and gurgling of the water brought a song to her mind, and she began to quietly sing, bobbing one foot as she crossed her legs at the knees, her good arm resting across her legs, fingers snapping the song's beat. It took a lot of effort not to bob her shoulders to it as well, but the song played through in her head, memorized from several times listening to it.

The song mellowed her out somewhat, calming her head, and as she drifted towards its end, she heard a voice she had thought to have abandoned her. Her grandmother. "Be very careful, my dear. Not a soul in this room is as they seem."

"Like I don't know that," she muttered back to the elderly woman's voice. She had no idea that the others in the room would be able to hear her. "No one is ever who they say they are in this damn town."

"It is far worse than you imagine, child," her grandmother insisted. "Be on your guard. Have you your gun?"

"Left it in a safe place. Same with the sword you told me I needed to pick up." Her tone was a grumble, a sound full of annoyance more than anything else. "Should've brought something along, then, shouldn't I have?"

"You will likely wish you had, my little one. Please...take care."

"Don't leave."

"I never shall."

Nikolae flinched at the man - Jesse, he silently corrected himself - and his tirade. Clearly the other vampire wasn't a fan of waiting around. Or being trapped. Or other people. He returned the mans handshake easily, a firm grip though nothing so strong as to indicate he was challenging the male. The Dragon squinted at the other man, and for once felt his usual nonchalant mask slip as amusement made his lips twitch with a ghost of a smile. If Jesse couldn't handle a little storm he had to wonder how the other vampire might've handled the insanity that the town had been a few years before. The word cut-throat just didn't quite cover it. Refusing to dwell on the past - at least any more than he usually did - Nikolae waited until the male had gone quiet again, and then waited another long silent minute. The sound of water still worried him, but at least the ground wasn't quaking anymore and that definitely counted as a step in the right direction. The human was muttering to herself, and from the smell of it still bleeding though it had somewhat been staunched. Nikolae passed another appraising look on the tightly-wound man in front of him, gauging whether or not the man would have to be restrained from doing something less than pretty. Like murder in a public place. He grimaced. Nikolae wasn't exactly the paragon of laws, though he'd had his hand in creating them once upon a time, but some things he was firm about. Outing his kind to humans was high on that list, followed closely with generally annoying him. So far the man hadn't done either, and truth be told Nikolae was sort of glad the stranger had managed the impossible feat of surprising and drawing amusement out of the cold Dragon. He'd begun to wonder if his ability to feel was completely gone. It was a nice reminder otherwise.

He drummed his fingers on the table, weighing his options whilst glancing now and then to the door the female vampire had disappeared through. She might've found a way out by now - and good luck to her, he thought to himself. He only hoped she hadn't got herself stuck in a window or eaten by a fae. Or worse. He wasn't sure what was worse but there probably was a worse out there somewhere. When she re-emerged he was only a little surprised, so much for the rescue party of one. Finally issuing a sigh, the Dragomir rose fluidly from his seat and tilted his head back toward the blocked entrance.

"There's only one way in and one way out. I'm sure between the two of us we can dig it open." He paused, squinting toward the human again. She was far enough away from the entrance that he was pretty sure she wouldn't notice any amazing feats of strength. Still, he'd probably cast shadows in the little entrance to hide their actions anyways. "Let's just hope there aren't any electrical lines down. Waters a great conductor." He muttered and strode toward the place he'd come in not too long ago. Truth was, he couldn't really stand to stick around the place another moment either. If the earthquakes were over, it had to be safer out now. He'd swim to the Temple if he had to.

He paused a few feet from the door, eying the pooling water at the stairs warily. If he got electrocuted, he promised himself he'd make the high-strung vampire pay for it. He'd grab his arm or something. Nikolae Dragomir wasn't going down alone, and he definitely wasn't embarrassing himself by being taken out by a simple storm. He glanced over his shoulder at the human one more time. "Stay over there. It's not safe." He called out, not really because he cared much about her safety, but more to ensure she didn't come snooping. Looking up to the ceiling as though for guidance, he finally shook his head and took a stomped step forward into the water, not realizing he'd been holding his breath until he let it out again. Then he leaned forward and wrenched the first bit of wood and plaster from the stairway, tossing it behind himself to the club floor.

"And for the record, I'm a dragon." He added with a chuckle and amused shake of his head.