Sea-Licious

[Emeritus (DELETED 4718)]

--The following transcript was live action roleplay--


Cristiana:
The Metronome Club hummed with the vibrations of the loud pumping music through the speakers placed throughout the building. The floor pulsed under her feet, she could feel it through her shoes. It was becoming too much to even sit there behind the computer. Grabbing a jacket off the the back of the chair, a light jacket compared to her normal blazers. She was dressed in a simple black dress but headed home to change into the designer jeans that hung in her closet. Tonight, she needed to get out of the club before something awful happened.

From the Lascivious Legacy, her building in Cherrydale, she texted Emeritus, “Need a night out, you free?” The following text was the location of the yacht she had sitting in the Rock Bay Harbor. No one could miss her boat, sitting there in hues and tones of purple. It was a large boat, like most were, the name on the side of the boat was Sea-licious. A drink in one hand, the pole in the other, she sat relaxing trying to catch something for one of the fishing tanks in the castle like house.

Tonight she needed to get away from the normal routine; her mood was sour even at work. Maybe if she sat with a friend, talking and joking, it would lighten up the dark emotions left behind from her husband having left the city without word to her. She never understood why they ended up fighting over every little thing instead of supporting each other and leaning on each other. This boat, not too far off, was the last place they’d fought. She came back to replay it in her mind, see where the downfall of their relationship went. The blame was on her, he had said as much. It was her fault for keeping secrets from him. Yet to her it wasn’t a secret, another childer had come to her in confidence. She couldn’t very well go breaking his trust. That had been a difficult situation all around.

Emeritus:
He sat quietly on the bench, pretending to read a paper as he scoured the passersby for a potential victim. Never one to kill but always searching for the one that would have the best taste. The cigarette between his fingers had nearly burnt itself out as he spotted a beautiful brunette jogging along the path, as he rose to begin the small chase his phone buzzed, startling him.

“Need a night, you free?” a message from Crissy. His eyes stayed locked on the woman as he typed out his reply “but of course ma petite, fifteen minutes.” he hit the send button before quickly catching up to the jogger. Humans were always easy little things to charm but he had now given himself a deadline so he skipped the usual games, merely running his fingers through her hair and a soft kiss on the neck, making sure the wound was sealed and she sat slightly dazed in the cool grass before he left her.

The docks were by no means familiar territory to him but he had directions that made it easy enough. He stopped at the boat bearing the name Sea-licious, calling out to Crissy as he made his way up the ramp. It was a gorgeous boat, there was no mistaking whom it belonged to given the designs. He smiled to himself, “never one to be outdone are you mon amie” he mumbled as his eyes took in the entirety of boat, though failing to spot her immediately.

Cristiana:
She looked up from her spot, fishing as she always did on the boat. “Outdone?” She asked curious as to what he meant. If she had any sense as to what he meant, it escaped her tonight. The boat was decorated to her taste, she’d done it herself. It hadn’t been that bad, she thought. For her it seemed pretty simple and standard. Maybe it was a little on the extreme end, but she liked comfort. It was her favorite colors; Purple, black and white. She’d have every place dressed in those colors if she could, but some places were more for others then herself. She had one apartment, in West Towers, that had a purple theme to it.The boat had a purple marble floor on the first and lower level. The top level had a mini bar and black marble floors. Below deck, a hot tub in the stateroom. She could see how some might think of it as posh.

The look she gave him was friendly, warm and inviting. “Please come sit, I have a spare pole if you’d like to join?” She said from the fold up chair she used to fish on. There was a cooler with food, things to nibble on and snack on nearby. The bait box sat open on the cushioned seat within grabbing range if she needed a new lure.

There was something about these waters. During the storm they get riled up but the rest of the time it was simple waves, calming. The fish were biting nicely tonight. She’d caught several and thrown them back into the black waters glistening with the moonlight that hung high in the sky. No clouds in sight to cover the reflection. “How have you been dearest? Anything new and exciting going on?” She asked reclining back in her chair. The lure remained bobbing in the water but her grip loosened on the pole saying that she was paying more attention to him then the fish.

Grabbing a beer, he popped the cap before sitting in the offered chair. “You fish?” a small smile creased his lips as he sat the beer down, grabbing the pole and casting into the water. “Mmmm, can’t say a whole hell of a lot, no. Just trying to keep myself busy and..” he pulled his shirt collar down to expose the healing wound he had received in a recent skirmish with a hunter “out of trouble.” He reclined in the chair, getting as comfortable as possible. “Beautiful place you have here..and for not being out done..” he laughed quietly “your taste is anything but subtle, I ******* love it.”

The sound of the water breaking against the bow was quite relaxing, a far different setting than the bustle of the Metronome. “Surprised you are actually taking a night to yourself, aren’t you usually affixed to working?” He drained half the bottle in a long swig before setting it back down and lighting a cigarette.

“What about you? Everything good? I’m glad to see that you can occasionally pull yourself out for a night.” he grinned playfully “and never in a million years would I peg you as a fisherman..fisherwoman? Whichever. You’ll have to show me around after we catch a few.” he finished the bottle, tossing it into the bin before reaching for another “want one?”

Cristiana:

There was a familiar tune, work, and the oh wow that you are not there. She remembered when she decided to take a few days off the job. Becky had thought the great plague had washed down on her, or worse. She texted or called everyone she’d known to find out what happened. People were shocked, but seeing Bebe in that state had them laughing instead, the answer came simply, “She is taking a well deserved night off.” The answer made Becky nervous and confused because Cristiana never took a night off. Now, she did. Or at least tried to. She was going for a once a week, one night off thing.

“I normally try to take one night a week off, but I worked this afternoon while everyone was sleeping. Well, while the majority of vampires were sleeping. I was at the wedding shop then. I tried the club but it was in full swing so I had to leave. It was giving me such a headache.”

The collar of the shirt came down to expose the wound he’d been inflicted with, “Do you need me to heal that?” She asked concerned. It was becoming increasingly impossible to do anything without being spotted or attacked these days. The hunters were everywhere, some people even spoke of having their homes broken into. Now, poor Em was attacked too. Pity washed over her face looking at the wound. This was why Tyt needed to remain a permanent fixture in the community. Not as many as she’d like would agree, but it was her opinion.

A bottled was lifted from the opposite side of the chair, a dark battle too large to be beer. She was content drinking straight from that bottle and not sullying a glass. The liquid was made by her, for mainly her. Her own little special brew, “Thank you but I am well off my dear.” It was stronger than the cat piss he was about to drink, no matter that the beer in her chest was a lager. Hers was still better, a version of blood cherry whiskey that was smooth going down but the burn hit only mere seconds later. She had grown use to the burn, and use to the drink. It wasn’t for the faint of heart seeing as the alcohol contact rivaled moonshine. “I try to get away as often as I can, but lately, with the party tomorrow eve, I am trying to prepare myself.” That was the perfect excuse.

Emeritus:
He shook his head slowly, responding to her offer to heal him “nah, keeps me motivated.” he smirked “something to think about when they become the prey. Is it just me or are is starting to seem like those bastards are multiplying like rabbits and getting a bit more brave?” He cracked the beer open and sipped it slowly as his thoughts lingered on what had become a nightly routine of hunting the ones that claimed to be hunters. Between the hunters and paladins life in Harper Rock was requiring a bit more caution from his kind. “You have much trouble with them? Not exactly like the Met is unknown to the vampires here, have to imagine sooner or later they’d get wind of an establishment that caters to us, yes?”
He finished the rest of the beer, giving her a small smile “you do know you work far too much, yes? Between organizing parties, running the club, your wedding place, yeah, need more time to relax woman.” Now that he was thinking about it it wouldn’t even take one hand to count the times he had seen her not working on something.

The pole gave a small jerk but he was paying no attention. “You left the Met in Becky’s hands?” he had met the woman only a few nights ago but felt certain with her being Crissy’s thrall she was more than capable of keeping up with the enormous workload, “better hope things don’t get out of hand, no?” He crushed the cigarette out, flicking the butt over the side. “How long have you had this place?” With the cool air on his face, the subtle rocking of the boat, he could easily get used this, his thoughts immediately lingered on purchasing one for himself.

“What’s that?” he gestured towards the bottle in her hand. He inhaled deeply, trying to place the scent of the liquid “some kind of...whiskey? Bourbon? Ah, the party is tomorrow, yes? Kind of looking forward to it.” he grinned mischievously “grass skirts and coconut bras, should be fun.” he nodded “Even bought one of those wooden masks today and..” he lowered his voice slightly, almost as if there was shame in admitting it “lime green flip flops.”

Cristiana:
Many of moons she had left the employees to fend for themselves, when someone called injured or hurt, an emergency happened or like tonight she just needed a get away from the club as per her usual routine. “They will be fine, Becky sees to everything I cannot when I am unable to be around, if she knows what is good for her. The woman is capable of almost anything she puts her mind to, but luckily doesn’t know it just yet.” Which is how Cristiana got away with ordering her around so much. The woman worked day and night, as hard as Cristiana did to keep things afloat with the 3 wedding shop locations, the Metronome Club, the decorating business and the Society of Allurists. It was a hefty plate but Crissy managed time for all of it, and then spared time for friends and family. “Becky isn’t alone. I have Mick, Michelle, Mikhail and Elsa Beth who work in the bar. There is others, a day crew. It’s pretty well staffed. I normally run the mid afternoon shift after lunch dies down and before dinner, when it’s slow. Then to the back office to balance the ledgers, so it needs to be fully staffed at all times. No one is ever alone there. The wedding business, all the locations, are pretty well off. That little conglomerate is taking off nicely. Business hasn’t been slow with all the mortals getting married before the end of summer, then fall weddings. Christmas and Halloween are huge wedding times.” She said thinking of the busier seasons when she picked up more hours.

“Mmmhmmm.” She hummed the answer having needed this time to relax. “They are quite daring in their attempts. I was feeding the other day and this little ******** shot at me.” From the side of the chair, she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a zippo lighter. Lighting one of the tips, between the puffs of smoke and words, she said, “I ripped his head off of course. But only because he shot me in the shoulder first. I thought it was a fair trade.” But many of them have gotten away in the past. “Have you had one sneak up on you while you are sleeping yet?” Oh how they run like hell after that first shot. It had happened to her and many others. “They are tricky little beasts. we should rid the city of them as soon as possible.”

Even she had to admit, this was relaxing. The pole giggled and jumped, but she held tight not bothering to pull the lure back. The hook was through the fishes mouth and he was struggling to get free. “It is a blood version of Cherry whiskey with a kick, it is stronger than any version of moonshine you’ve ever had. Trust me, a sip of it will go straight to your head. I make it at the club. This is rare it comes out perfect so the supply is for my own personal use. Would you like a glass? There are some up on that upper level there, hanging above the bar. Grab one and I shall share.” She motioned for him to head into the upper deck where the long seat took up most of the area. A mini bar was placed casted in fine silver over to the one corner while a plant of some sort with pretty and large flowers was over in the other corner. It was nice up there, always having that crisp sea air blowing through the windows. The skylight didn’t provide much blocking from the sun, and most of the time she kept it open anyway. With the doors closed and the skylight open, she could sun bathe without risk of a human seeing the smoky waves coming off her body, thanks to her mortal pinkened complexion, she tanned ever so slightly. She’d never be a bronze goddess, but there was a definite tint when she had the time to do it. Tomorrow would be a good day to do that and go get a spray on tan for the event. She’d be the only vampire there with a touch of golden skin. .

Hearing him whisper about lime green flip flops, she laughed. Her own pair were, of course, purple with large flowers over the top to hide the thong between the toes. “I wanted something to send out the summer, since the nights will start getting longer and colder here soon, with a bang. Something this town would remember. I was surprised when Becky told me a donation was made, so there will be a cash prize for the dance contest. Are you thinking of shaking your groove thing?” She chuckled to herself wondering if he could dance.

[Cristiana]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

Emeritus:
He laughed rather loudly, “shake my groove thing? Mmmm, we’ll see how it goes. Get a few drinks me and I’m prone for just about anything.” He went to the upper deck to grab a glass, holding it in front of her when he returned. “A luau does seem appropriate for an end of summer party, hear the Samoan population is ridiculously huge in Canada.” there was no hiding the sarcasm in his voice “But I eagerly look forward to the winters. Back home it’s cold nearly all year long so I handle that much better.”

“And no, cannot say I’ve had a hunter stupid enough to approach me while I’ve slept. I do keep my apartment locked and would hope despite their gusto, walking into an apartment building and taking shots is something they wouldn’t do. But I do agree..” he lit another cigarette, keeping his head lowered slightly “they don’t seem to fall as fast as they need to. There obviously needs to be some restraint on our kind, but let that be taken care of without the indiscriminate humans, yes?” He rubbed his shoulder idly, the pain was virtually nonexistent but there was still a certain amount of stiffness. “Between them and the paladins and those nasty little blood thieves I do have to give the humans a certain amount of credit, being able to almost go toe to toe with us is a little impressive...and I absolutely adore that look they get in their eyes just before they take that last breath.” he smirked “It’s worth all the little wounds they can give.”

“You say a cash prize? More motivation to get everyone to relax and act the fool?” he walked slowly to the rail, his hands gripping the cool metal as his eyes stared into the darkened water “It should be fun to see the turnout, I can imagine you and Tempy doing limbo. Oh, who’s doing all the cooking for this? Do I need to bring anything?”

Cristiana:
“It was my idea in a way. You seen the thread in the Society of Allurist where Aura, your favorite person,” the words there dripped with the same sarcasm he’d given, “She suggested a cook out, I said make it a luau. Well if I am going to throw it then it’s going to be a luau. I am having white sand being flown in tomorrow, which was why the flip flops were so important. The place is being redone after closing tonight. Plastic laid out covering the main area to bring in the sand and water features. It will hopefully seem like a beach. There will be flamethrowers and eaters walking around. Sword swallowers, a professional bunch of luau dancers at the end of the night after the dance competition. And yes, cash prizes. So far the donations are five thousand, I will chip in some but I am not breaking my account anymore then I have to for this. I’ve done it in the past and… it’s time that ended. I have hired professional to come in, with the clubs petty cash funds, to cook and clean, lay out the event and clean it up after it is done. The only thing I am providing is the drink. You need to bring you, and maybe Eve if you can drag her out. I provide everything else. The fun is up to everyone. Of course it is neutral ground, so no one can fight or they will be kicked out.”

In one smooth motion she raised up from the chair going to him, “Are you okay?” She asked with a hint of concern in her voice. “I know how it can be with those hunters, they really get to be annoying. We have something to keep people in check, that’s Tyt. People complain the most about the ones who do the most for the community. It will be a tough road but they always stay strong. The hunters will be dealt with, so will the paladins. They always are. Those cheeky bastards are sneaky, they have connections but we are better. It’s cute how they think they have a foot to stand on. You never know, one might come along and formidable. This city is is a crazy one but it’s worth it. You will see, just wait because the stronger you grow the better it gets.” She smiled weakly trying to encourage him.

A touch of her hand to his, she gave a squeeze. “This party will be good for everyone in the city. So we can all get together and rekindle friendships, meet new people and get close once more. It will be good for everyone.A few nights of good drink, food will be good. But I can only offer one! Hopefully enough will be see some smiles.” She spoke softly in the hope he would reflect on that instead of what was flowing through his mind.

Emeritus:
He nodded slowly “yeah, I’m fine..just thinking about things. Indeed the city does need a few good nights, I may be young but it doesn’t take a genius to see we need a bit more bonding between our kind. The humans are good at sticking together, we could learn from that, no? I do what I can to make sure the hunters and paladins don’t see us as easy targets but with so many that get reckless, kind of hard not to see the benefit in what Ty does.” he laughed “I’m sure I may be a little biased given my ties to Vel and all, but still, not maintaining our secrecy only hurts, well, everyone.” his hand rubbed his shoulder again as he gave her a small smile “And it’s good there are those like you that are willing to host completely neutral events. I get that we will never have a fully unified thing going on, but it’s nice when connections can be dropped and just relax.”

“For the party, I can bring myself. Already talked with Every, she’s got things to do so won’t be able to make it so I’ll probably stick around for most of it. Hopefully meet a few more faces I’m yet to get to know. Are we expecting Tempy to entertain with a few more songs?” He flicked the butt out into the water with a smirk “going to pollute these waters!” His mind wandered slowly between his upcoming hunt and the party the following night. “****, don’t think I’ve actually taken a night to kick back and do nothing in ages. Not sure I’m going to know how.” another laugh escaping him “I’ll make sure Bjorn comes, think stress is starting to get to that girl, perhaps introduce her to Becky?”

He knelt against the railing, draining another beer as he breathed the salty air. A cigarette twirled between his fingers as he tried to hide the stress from showing on his face, lighting the cigarette he stood up quickly. “Do you do a Halloween party?” he absentmindedly bit his lip, he was never one to show a single person his stress but now that he was able to let his mind relax his thoughts began roaming all over the place. He gave the woman another small smile as opened another bottle “what about shots? Got anything a little stiffer?”

Cristiana:

A worried look crossed her face, deep concern sunk into her mind over her friends state of mind. “Em, is there something you’d like to talk about? If you need anything, an ear or whatever, you just say so and I will be there for you.” She said going to get that drink, the bottle she set down beside the chair. She filled his glass to the very brim of the glass. For a small moment she swirled the liquid in the glass, “Here you are dear, better than several shots in a row.” The glass was held out for him to take from her. Her alcohol make everything better, or at least dulls the pain for the evening. She was the first one to know. It had worked many of nights for her, for one night she could forget her missing wayward husband.

“You are right, instead of fighting each other we should be forming together to take these hunters. To free our city of threat, but it starts with getting our kind to stop violating the masquerade. If people only respected that some of our kin are trying to save us from ourselves. Even I slip once in a while, I think we all do. But not so much as others, who freely flaunt themselves. That is sad, in many ways, how people just go out thinking that this is not a responsibility since they are free of their mortal coils. It is, in some cases, worse.” She shook her head, “We need a night to come together and remember who we are, without stress. I use to throw many parties, Halloween was one. Christmas. You name it! Some were just for fun,others had themes. There use to be a party every few weeks.” She did miss those nights. People seemed to forget what it was like just hanging out and not having worries. Now it was all about who and what you knew. The city was changing, she could feel it deep in her bones.
“Uh, you might want to hold off on Bjorn and Becky meeting. The last time Becky met someone thrall, she ended up dating them. I keep her busy so she doesn’t go into a depression like she did after the two broke up. I am not sure what happened but I found Becky on the balcony ready to jump off from the tenth floor. Since that night, I have made sure she was busy working to get her mind off of things. I am not sure them meeting would be such a good idea. Becky gets attached easily.” She let her little secret out, the one she had been holding on to for so many years. No one until this night knew why she treated Becky as she did, but now Em was privy to it. Maybe he would see she wasn’t just this overlord of working the poor girl to death. She was trying to keep her from death, a true death.

Emeritus:
He sighed audibly, nodding before responding “The fact that some have no respect for our existence is more than troubling..” he smirked “and yet there is bitching about the bounty system and having to pay for crimes, funny.” The fact that he once only read and fantasized about vampires made actually being one mean that much more to him and bother him so much more that there were those that were willing to give a **** less. He smiled as he looked into the woman’s face “maybe one day cherie, I’ll be comfortable enough to open up about things.” Having his human life stripped away and learning to deal with this new version of himself sometimes felt overwhelming, one thing he could never show another.

“She’s yet to spend time around anyone, hell, even I barely acknowledge her. She may be a beautiful and kind woman but I’m a little afraid to allow myself to get close to her. But, she serves me well and I make sure she stays safe. If Becky gets attached easily though, maybe it’s something best saved for another time.” He drained a couple glasses of her custom whiskey, his head tingling with the euphoric dizziness as he made his way to the ramp leading back down to the dock. A weak smile upon his face, he bowed politely “it’s been a wonderful night out here, but..” he checked to make sure his gun was still strapped to his side “think now would be a good time to find a hunter and let out a bit of anger.” His eyes glistened with a hint of his caution-to-the-wind attitude the liquor had given him.

“Look forward to seeing you tomorrow night.” he bowed his head again. “Stay safe mon amie.” He stumbled slightly down the ramp, nearly falling over the railing when he tripped on an untied shoelace, muttering profanities as he knee-led to fix the problem.

Cristiana:
The way he downed the liquor made her eyes widen, what it did to his head after was even more so disturbing. This was not something for the faint of heart. When she drank it, it was sipped and savored. She should have warned him better. It was far too late now to take it back, instead she just waved him a farewell.

When he said his goodbyes, she nearly jumped out of her skin. It was like he knew about the letters being delivered when she had not spoken to the soul about them. Instead she decided the booze was getting the best of her mind and set the glass down, “Good luck in your hunt dearest.” She called out before going back to fishing. The fish, even though he’d tried to pollute the waters with his butt of the cigarette, were still jumping and waiting to be caught. Who knew, maybe she would catch the big one tonight. She could always use another fish tank for the building she owned. After all, she’d bought a few from Rudy but Becky had won one at her request, she’d never actually won one herself. It could be a new achievement. If she’d seen Em tripping over his own laces, she’d have giggled or snorted at it but she only heard the sound causing her to get up and look over the edge of the boat. He knelt over tying the laces, once she seen that she giggled into her hand going back to her seat. It was going to be an interesting night for him indeed.