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Penance. The act of confessing to one's sin in the presence of a priest so that one may find forgiveness and redemption in the eyes of God.

The confessional booth stood in the dimness of the church like an ominous threat, reminding Aliyah that she was a sinner...a sinner that must repent with true sorrow in her heart. Without sincerity, it would be nothing and her Gates of Heaven would remain forever closed. At least, that was what her parents had always preached, demanding that she attend confession once a year. There darling daughter, their blessing, could not live a life of sin. But, a darling...she was not.

The thought of her parents drew the blonde to her knees, her blue gaze locked on the screen that would soon separate her from a priest. An image of her parents burned itself in the back of her retinas, drawing an overwhelmingly unexpected round of homesickness. As strictly religious as they were...they were her parents, and she loved them. It had been a few months since she had been home, and for once, that bothered her.

A gruff, but annoying accepting voice suddenly filled the silence, causing Aliyah to jump. "Have you come to confess your sins and beg forgiveness from our Lord, girl?"

Teeth immediately met lip, pushing back all retorts to his question. This was the way it always was...her blatant disregard for her "faith" and disappointment of not only her parents, but the church as a whole. So, instead she nodded silently, aware he could not see. "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I am a liar, a betrayer. I have conspired against my own blood and I doubt even your God could save me..." she replied, softly, hands knotting in her lap.

The priest was silent a moment, seemingly considering his words before speaking. It annoyed her, small fires starting at the end of her nerves. "Child, our Father will always offer your redemption if you are willing to seek out and repent. You are here, and that is the start you need."

The fire spread. The cord snapped, and Aliyah let out a bitter laugh. "Are you serious?" she questioned, rubbing at her temples. "That is the biggest crock of **** I have ever heard. Your God is not going to forgive simply because I come and spill my life story to you...some broke man behind a screen.

As soon as her words were out of her mouth, she stood and moved through the pews to the church doors with the calls of the priest behind her. She knew it was a terrible idea to come here. Harper Rock was a swing-through city while on her way to Toronto, and the church doors had seemed like a welcome piece of home. Until she walked in the door only to be met with a feeling of trepidation, an anxiety settling in the pit of her stomach.

With the fresh air now filling her lungs, Aliyah glanced around the streets, looking for a potential place to stay for the night. The sky was quickly beginning to darken, and she despised driving at night. Before she settled down, though, she needed a drink and the club a bit down the street seemed to offer some promise.

As she approached the Necropolis, she frowned. Clubs were hardly her usual scene, the male population liking to assume their wandering hands were welcome. That is, until they found themselves on the ground in the fetal position, anyway.

A smirk settled on her lips as the thought and she pushed her way into the club, moving to the bar immediately, ignoring all other activities around her. As she dropped onto the barstool, she smiled at the bartender. "Could I get a bottle of Redds, please?" The male nodded and a moment later the bottle was before her.

Her eyes closed as she let out a long sigh, raising the bottle to her lips.

Just another night hanging around in the Necropolis Nightclub, listening to rumors and pointless conversations as he passed tables, weaved around the crowds of humans and vampires co-existing; for the time being. Jaeger despised people, he was happy to sit by himself and not be bothered unless it were his family, which was rare for him to run into as of late. He had become a hermit that enjoyed a little b&e and hoarded trinkets along the way; that was his thing. On occasion he found himself thirsty, a hunger that over powered all sensible thought processes which turned him into a ravenous monster. On the outside, he was just another man with mystery in those hazel eyes, mistakes embedded in his skin in the form of ink and scars which were hidden mostly besides his hands and face.

Jaeger bought a drink at the bar and went to resume his stance at the right side of the entrance to the club. His back pressed against the wall and one boot clad foot propped against it as well. He rolled his shoulders and allowed his eyes to scan over the occupants while he took slow sips from his drink, nostrils flared now and again as people moved past him stirring the air around him. He cradled the drink in his left hand and used his right to rub at his crinkled nose; obviously some of the scents were not all that enjoyable, and rather than cause a scene, he snorted and shook his head as if ridding himself of the stench.

Not long after, the door to the club swung open and his head turned, chin lifted as his nose caught that distinct scent; an outsider. He watched as that little blonde took in the area around her retreat to the bar. His foot tapped against the wall as it remained propped, teeth skimmed his bottom lip as his head tilted a bit while he studied her from a distance. She didn't seem like a threat, obviously. Not to him. But small chicks could surprise you in this place; he was no fool. After about forty-five minutes of watching her and watching the other patrons fail at communicating with her like the pathetic saps they all were, he decided to give it a shot. What did he have to lose anyway? Aidan was always telling him that he needed to get out and something about meeting new people, right? He squinted, brows scrunching as he struggled with his thoughts and polished off his drink. All right, he was going to do it. That empty glass was placed on a vacant un-bussed table as he walked past it, smoothed his inked hands over the front of his black petticoat before tucking his hands into the pockets at either side and slowly approached the blonde.

Jaeger didn't initiate anything with her at first, he just took up the seat beside her, propped his elbows against the bar's edge, nodded to the bar tender and had a napkin placed down in front of him with a glass of whiskey on the rocks. He curled his right hand around the glass, casting a side glance at the little blonde, raising a brow as the glass met his lips and he tilted his head back to take a slow swig from it. As he swallowed, he set the glass down and cleared his throat, that hand retreated into his dark brown hair raking it back in a nervous fashion; why the f***k was HE nervous? Fighting with his own inner demons, he turned to her and offered a genuine smile before he spoke. "Hey.. New around here, huh?" Well, that was bloody pathetic. Obviously she was new, and now he was a creep for even noticing that. Great. He sucked it up and grabbed for that security glass of whiskey, taking yet another sip from it as he dragged the heel of his boot against the bar stool's leg.

The more alcohol she consumed, the better she began to feel about the whole fiasco with the priest. That action alone would have her parents screaming in agony long after they died. Perhaps they would even scream at Heaven's Gate, begging for their little girl to bend on her knees to ask forgiveness. Yeah...and Hell would freeze over, first. If they were going to beg, they would have to at least beg for something realistic.

The patrons of the bar generally left Aliyah alone, and she hardly minded. Conversation had never been her strong suit, and it was best avoided. Her short temper tended to cause problems more often than not, and being around potential drunks could only add to the fuel. Occasionally a stranger would approach, give her a terribly unseductive smile and offer a drink...to which she quickly refused. She would be no one's drunken one night stand, even if she never did see this city again.

Three bottles of Redds in, and her spirit had lifted considerably, which aided in her patience as yet another male sat down beside her. Except, he didn't speak, not at first. He went about his business with the bartender, and she watched him from the corner of her eye. He had tattoos covering his arms, but other than that, he looked okay enough. Less creepy than some of the guys staring daggers at his back, anyway.

And then he offered her a greeting, and a smile. She sat quietly, for a moment, letting him sweat. Finally, she peeked over at him. "I suppose you could call me that..." she replied, shrugging up a shoulder, her blonde hair falling forward. He did not need to know that she was only passing through, as that was none of his business. "A regular here, huh? she mimicked with a smirk, eyebrow perking up toward her hairline.

Her hands locked together around her bottle, but she kept her attention trained on him. What harm could one conversation do, anyway?