Jill Schwarz's Story

The music was loud, the rythmic beat felt as if it was pounding inside his skull but the man sat at the bar didn't mind this one bit, it just added to the atmosphere in the room creating a thick and primordial, animalistic charge that hung in the air as the customers either raved to the beat or sated their varying thirsts. Smiling to himself as he saw the revellers having a good time whilst the staff tried their best please them, the figure sat at the bar picked up his drink and downed it's content; feeling satisfied at the burning sensation of the whiskey and a coppery taste of something that wouldn't be found in a lot of people's cocktail. After ordering another drink the man lit up a cigarette, taking a long drag on it before letting out an equally long exhalation the individual scanned his environment; as he looked past the usual customers and the "entertainers" he noticed the owner of the nightclub was no where to be seen but his favourite pet, one which was rumoured to be the owners right hand man despite only being a worker, was working the floor as he usually did, the man he was looking for on the other hand was as absent as the owner.

Hmm, Petrov mentioned the parte codardo di merda would be paranoid but this is ridiculous, the man scolded in his head picking up his fresh drink and once again downing the contents, his one good eye fixed on the entrance. After some time had passed, his mark finally showed up and headed towards the watching man, his head was down and the man looked like he would run as soon as the watcher made any movement as he shuffled towards the bar. "H-hey there Carth what's with the sudden meeting, ey?" The newcomer asked, squirming as he made himself on one of the stools next to the more imposing man. "Well Jacob it's the usual stuff, one of us has been running amuck amongst the donatore dii sangue and Petrov's found out," Carth mentioned light heartedly a casual grin on his face as if he was filling in an old friend on the latest gossip, noticing a slight tremble in the smaller mans lower lip, "And he's asked us to get rid them." At this last sentence Jacob seemed to visually relax, causing the grin on the other man's lips to retract I to a smirk.

With a nod of his head he signalled the bartender who had been waiting on them to serve them two drinks, Carth's usual: a whiskey cocktail containing sugar syrup, single malt whiskey and his most favourite liquid, A- blood. For the man who was no longer squirming on his seat, a screw driver was poured but with something else added to it as well, a little something extra Carth had tipped the barkeep to add once the mark had shown up. Picking up his own drink, Carth saluted both the man behind the bar and the man sat next to him and drank his beloved liquor in one gulp and waited for the other man to follow suit, to which he did as on que. With the smirk still on Carth's face he asked for his tab and payed it, grabbing Jacob under the armpit and half dragged him out the back exit, the drug that was added to the drink was now taking hold of the man as he made no attempt to resist the only thing he could do was whimper. When they where safely out of everyone's sight in a back alley that stunk of urine, Carth threw the man into the closest pile of refuge, his whimpers growing in intensity. "P-please don't do this, we're buddies right? You wouldn't kill a buddy over a mistake right?" Jacob begged on his knees, tears in his eyes a glimmer of hope in those brown doe like eyes that maybe he could squirm his way out of his inevitable demise. "I don't make the rules." Carth said flatly, as he pulled out a colt .1911 from a hidden holster attached close to his left shoulder and attached a silencer that he produced from his pocket.

"It's nothing personal." And with that said, he placed the tip of the silenced gun to the begging mans forehead and pulled the trigger, shielding his face from the splash back as Jacobs vitae as the man's body slumped backwards, bending it's back in an unnatural way. His job still not finished the armed man placed a carefully aimed round into the body's heart and that was it, job over although conscious wise it wouldn't be over for another week but still he was done and that was all that mattered. He detached the silencer and placed everything back were it had previously been, he even went has far as picking up the spent cartridge and dropped it, nonchalant into the closest trash bin. He needn't worry about the body being discovered, it would be nothing but dust in half an hour or so, with that on his mind he pulled out his mobile phone and called his employer. When the call was accepted he stated, "It's done Petrov, the 'miscreant' has been dealt with. If you need anything else I'm just a call away." He let out a loud sigh as he hung up, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it, hopefully that's it for the day but... The night is still young.

William's deep pink eyes narrowed as he peered over the shoulder of his guard. "Who is that?" He demanded thrusting a narrow pale finger at the screen, the blurry image of a man flickered at the bar. The guard blinked and leaned in squinting at the screen.

"I dunno." He muttered. William smacked him in the back of the head with his cane.

"Don't give me I dunno. Give me names. Watch him, and figure out who that other man is." He snapped. He knew from experience that these things didn't simply go away. He needed to take action before the shit storm blew in his direction and ruined the crops he'd worked so hard to sow. He turned away, leaning on the silver handle of his cane and pulled out a cell phone. It was an old flip model colored purple and green as most of his things where, the image of a white rabbit printed on the front. He pressed a few of the buttons and typed in a message before flipping it closed then left the security room, leaving the guard chatting on the coms.

William walked down the narrow halls that lined the upper floors of his club, he could feel the vibrations of the electronic noise coming from the dance hall of the night club but the sound itself was muffled thanks to the money he'd spent in noise cancellation insulation, it still made he head ache, which was why his own living quarters where several stories up still. These floors belonged to the staff and for the few who could manage to afford a private evening with one or two of his ghouls the price was higher than admittance to the club AND the Feeding floors combined so the rooms on that level where never filled completely. William took to the stairs and carefully worked his way up them, hoping that his Little Cat got his message.

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Robb, meanwhile had been on the stage. Treating the guests to suggestive glances and winks as he shook his arse on stage. He'd started off in little more than a fluorescent green suit coat and pants and a loosely done purple tie, his pale shapely torso visible to all as he danced to those who enjoyed that sort of thing, tossing his tie and coat into the audience until all he wore was the pants low and revealing on his waist, an equally fluorescent pink G-string just visible. Robb had felt his waist vibrate as William paged him and he finished up his act, bowing low and giving the women at the front a wink of his blind eye, and a grin. Robb had a body nicely suited for his job, thin, his stomach flat but not emaciated, muscles just rippling beneath his skin. For an 87 year old he had a body to die for. He left the stage and pulled on a dark purple dress shirt over his bare torso inquiring on the nearest guards what had happened.

"Some suspicious guy spotted at the bar. Spotted him going off with another guy might've been drugged. He wants us to bring the guy up to him for payment." The guard said. All the guards where dressed in all black with the logo of the club stitched on their breasts and a purple and pink tie. They all wore earpieces and radios and they all carried both tasers and guns. Every single one of the guards where big burly men with at least basic training in the art of subduing a rowdy party-goer. Half where also trained in killing vampires.

"Why does he want me out there?" Robb asked, exasperated. The guard merely shrugged. Robb sighed. "Two of you come with me, let's go offer this man a rare visit with the White Rabbit."

Jill sat at the bar section of the club with her head lying down. She was bored. There hasn't been much activity on her part in a while. No jobs or any trouble that involved her or anyone she knew.

"Hey, this isn't a motel, Jill." The bartender said. He was a nice guy and was one of the few humans that Jill could consider a friend. "If you're sleepy then go on home. It doesn't look like there's much going on tonight."

"Don't you find it a little weird?" Jill replied finally sitting up. "This is the city of sin and yet everything seems fine. I came to this city for some fun. Plus it's a good place to spend money as well as get paid." The bartender shrugged.

"You can't get lucky every night. Just make sure if you're gonna stay, at least order something and don't fall asleep. It makes me look bad." Jill nodded in agreement and the bartender went to deal with other costumers. He didn't know what Jill was. He didn't know that Jill doesn't get to choose when to sleep. Didn't know that by the time he was old enough to check into a retirement home, Jill would still look the same as she does now. It's not something she liked thinking about but it was always in the back of her head.

Jill looked around and saw many other Vampires as well. The city was filled with them. Los Angeles, Houston, New York, and Las Vegas seemed to attract vampires like theme parks attracted youth. Jill's attention was drawn to two men talking with each other. One was a decently tall man with what looked like a missing eye. The other individual seemed like he'd turn tail and run screaming if a rat ran across his feet. He looked weak.

The two talked briefly then the little guy seemed to relax. But it was only briefly until something was said that got him really scared and suddenly the big guy was hauling off the little one towards the back. Jill stared after until they disappeared from her view. The bartender saw her curiosity and walked back up to her.

"Don't even think about it, Jill. Not your business." Jill gave a smirk.

"I'm hurt that'd you would think I'd pry into other's business."

"I know you, Jill. You're a thrill seeker."

"So I'm willing to bet that was a dead man walking." Jill started to get up from her chair and the bartender gave her a hard glare. "Come on, Pete. You know I can take car of myself."

"Bah! It's your life. You just better not end up dead or I'll kill ya." Jill's smirk turned into a smile.

"Oh, you know me. As careful as ever. Have a good one, Pete." Jill took off towards the back slowly. She didn't want to, literally, run into the guys she was following. And if she did then she'd just say she was going out back for some silence from the noise of the building. Either way, Jill was glad that something could cure her boredom.

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Alan smiled before watching Anais stand and walk to her room, he walked with her but halted, staying at her door, leaning on the wall beside it, waiting for her. It was about fifteen minutes until she emerged in her lovely black dress, he looked at her, up and down, every detail then her makeup less face, so youthful and unblemished. She, indeed, didn't need make up. But maybe like most women, she would start using it at one point, his only hope for that venture was that she refrained from overdoing it and going orange or using so much eyeliner that she looked like she was punched in the face. In Las Vegas, women in short sparkly cocktail dresses, super high heels, dark fake tans and the overuse of perfume was quite common. He hoped that Anais didn't take their 'style' into account to her own, lest he have to hold her down and take the make up from her pretty face himself. He was a particular man but it was certain, he loved natural beauty and since he was from Africa, he was not used to such things as make up, heels or perfumes. He was quite unfamiliar with them, he put it down to attract the opposite sex but what of same sex couples? Very confusing.

Once he was done admiring Anais' dress choice and so on, looking at her boots he looked back to her face and smiled. ''You will be surprised what two feet can do barefoot, perhaps you will do better with protection on your soft feet.'' He put a hand on the small of her back and began to walk her with him to his bedroom, getting his keys, wallet and a side firearm. Taking his blazer off to put the harness over his shirt then put it on again. He then walked to Anais and smiled down to her, taking her out from his bedroom and walked her to the elevator, going into it and pressing the button to go to the ground floor. ''You look very nice Anais. Much better than most women around here.'' He smiled to her briefly before the doors of the elevator doors opened. He was hit with the wave of the scents of different people, loud music and people, his ears twitching to it all. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he stepped out from the elevator. Humming lowly to himself, speaking to himself. ''The night is young..''

He opened his eyes, his face along the casino as well as Alesso's and his father's. They were known, bodyguards escorting him and Anais to a car in the front of the hotel and casino. Closing his eyes every time a picture was taken to save his eyes the temporary blindness. Paparazzi going mad by his appearance and even more so to see him with a woman, no doubt wild stories in the news would appear on the new and newspapers when daybreak came into the dark sky. Once in the car, he breathed, looking at Anais. ''I hope you are okay... very overwhelming, I know.'' He folded a leg over the other after putting Anais' seat belt on her, seeing the cameras flashing before they left and started to drive, he put his own seat belt on. He looked at her again. ''You will like this club, we will get you a drink there. Perhaps you can try a few things there and get some food if need be.'' He smiled before fiddling with his cuffs, he often did this when nervous. It was a hour's drive to 'The White Smile' and he got out, waiting for Anais to come out, from there, he put his hand back to the small of her back, looking at the bodyguards at the front of the club, no doubt they knew his face. He tilted his head at the door. ''No doubt William is walking about now, perhaps he can sense my presence to.''

Anais was pleased with Alan's reaction. A light blush turned her cheeks a sherbet pink, before fading. He walked her to his bedroom, to pick up a few things, a hand placed on her back. She swallowed the fear that threatened to make an appearance, and steeled her nerves. She was not going to show fear. She had resolved that years ago.

After Alan had pocketed his keys, wallet, and a sidearm, Anais was ready to go. She could feel the silver knife in her boot, a comforting feeling to her, as it meant she had both protection and a little bit of family with her. They walked towards the lift, where Alan voiced his opinions on the dress, creating another hint of pink on her cheeks. As the elevator opened, she was hit with all the strange new smells she hadn't quite gotten used to yet. She could smell perfumes, the scents of people, and clothes, in the air and into her nose. She had to force herself to stand still and not recoil, because the scent was a lot stronger than she was used to, especially as a Ghoul. As a human, in her old life, before everything in her life went crazy, Anais knew that she could have never smelled the things she could now. Taking a deep breath through her mouth and holding it, Anais entered the elevator with Alan, and could soon hear the hum and hubbub of people in the casino, and the thud of the beat. Anais decided that she liked the stairs more than the elevator. There wasn't a falling sensation there, and it didn't smell of everything that had been in the room.

Anais soon picked up Alan's soft humming in her ear. She thought she recognized the tune vaguely, but she thought it was also her imagination. She decided not to ask, but let her facial expression convey what she was thinking - intense curiosity and intrigue to what the tune was. A little while after, she heard him mutter the words, "The night is young" and again, said nothing, but turned towards him with a confused expression. It faded quickly and the elevator door made a ding! and slid open. Once again swallowing her fear, she stepped out with Alan and watched with a sense of caution, yet she felt excited. She felt important when bodyguards escorted them past large portraits of Alan, Alesso, and Alan's father. The portraits still captured her attention, even with the real Alan beside her - even with him beside her, she was sure the Alan in the portrait breathed.

She was surprised when people began taking pictures, but only because they were of her. She expected Alan to have his photo taken by everyone, because he was rich, and owned the casino - but she did not expect photos of herself. She tried to hide her face, to protect her eyes from the near-constant flashing from the cameras. Only after they had escaped the paparazzi did she realize why there were photos being taken - she realized what she must have looked like to people who didn't know their story. She happily slid into the seat beside Alan, glad that she was out of the public eye. She breathed out heavily, eyes wide with the slight surprise of the whole experience. She sat back into the seat as Alan put her seatbelt on, and she smiled gratefully at him. The cameras continued to flash as the car pulled out and they were on their way, much to her relief. She nodded at Alan's words. "It's a little bit more than overwhelming." She huffed quietly, trying not to sound rude. "They're getting the wrong impression of us." She stated quietly. It was true, at least in her opinion. She listened to his kind words, deciding not to mention that she didn't drink either, but thought to herself that she might try some, at least tonight. She placed her hands over his as he fiddled with his cuffs, trying to keep him calm, as Alesso had hinted at earlier. "Master Alan, we're going to be okay. There's no need to be worried about anything. I'll make sure of it." She smiled reassuringly at him, giving his hand a quick squeeze before placing it back in her lap.

The car journey would be a long one. However, it passed quickly, and mostly in silence. She slid out of the car as elegantly as she could, observing a sign that displayed the name 'The White Smile'. She suppressed a smile, as a thought flitted through her head that it was perhaps a little ironic that a vampire club was named something they were so iconic for. Then they were off, weaving through the bouncers and bodyguards. Where to exactly? Anais wasn't quite sure entirely. Perhaps they were going to search for William, or maybe even have some fun. Whatever they did, Anais could hardly contain her nerves or excitement.

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Anais was glad for Alan's hand. She was quite overwhelmed by everything, but as they entered the club and the paparazzi were behind them, the shattering beats of the music soon drowning her thoughts and she grinned to herself. She had a feeling that it would be a good night, or at the very least, exciting.

As they entered the club, Anais almost thought that Alesso was around, or had been. There was hints of what smelled like him in the air, and Anais frowned. She doubted he was here, so she supposed another Sauria was here. That made sense. They walked over to the front bar, obviously going to get a drink of some sorts. Anais was confused. She'd never really taken shots and didn't know what went well together. She frowned, biting her bottom lip slightly, before she was lifted up onto the stool. That made her jump a little, and she flinched, before laughing out loud. She felt silly for jumping, but she swung her legs from the stool like a little girl anyway. Her feet didn't quite touch the floor.

Luckily, Anais didn't have to order her own drink, as Alan ordered her a lemonade and vodka. The shot glass was placed in front of her - a colourless, bubbling liquid that smelled strongly of alcohol. Slightly unsure, she picked up the glass and clinked it with Alan, before sipping at it. The bitterness of the alcohol exploded across her tongue, along with the artificial sweetness of the lemonade. It was strange, as the liquid almost counteracted itself, and Anais decided she liked it. Before long the liquid had disappeared, and her head was feeling slightly foggy, and she felt all the more confident. She smiled over at Alan and told him, "It's really nice. The bitterness of the alcohol and the sweetness of the lemonade kind of balance each other out."

If Alan had suggested dancing before the shot, Anais would have declined politely. Now, she smiled back at him and slid off of the stood with grace, her boots making a quiet thud as she hit the floor. The song that had been playing and a new one came on, something more electro, if that's how you could describe it. Not knowing how on earth she was supposed to dance in a club, she shrugged, nodded her head in response to the question Alan asked and took him hand and headed to the dancefloor.

At first, she had no idea how she was supposed to act, but after a few minutes she was jumping up at down with the rest of the crowd, and laughing. her head still felt strange, but it was blurred out by the dancing. She could not stop laughing, and eventually let the music drift her away.

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