Bright Lights, Bloody Nights, Big City: Vampire Game Thread

[Bratty]

She looks to the crowd, and looks around for Wright. "Break time's over. Time for Round 2. Listen, mister," She smiles sweetly. "It was nice talkin' to you. I hope to see you around more often." And she downs the rest of her drink, getting up from the seat at the bar to go look for Wright. She has to pay her respects. Then, another song and dance, and then time to fade into the woodwork for another night - to be forgotten.

[Josh]

He began circulating through the room, but paused after a moment. There was a subtle vibe, nothing so blatant as when Chicken Boy came rampaging in the other night.

His demeanor shifted, and with it shifted the flow of the party. Gaeity slowly drifted to suspicion, the laughter ringing false. He made his way through the crowd, searching for the intruder on his domain...

[Bratty]

Cassie makes her way through the crowd, and sees Wright. Why does her heart leap up in her chest when seeing him? "Wright," She yells to him allowed through the crowd and makes her way over to slide up to him.

[Josh]

That was right, he didn't have to give the singer bimbo another couple of drops tonight, being as how she was his last fucking ghoul. Putting on his happy face, he took her hand and twirled her around when she reached him. "Hey dollface," he murmured in her ear as he put his hand on her waist possessively and began ushering her along in his search pattern for the other kindred.

If Cargo's backers had sent an Assassin to whack him out, she was in ideal position to take the first hit for him.

(Which just went to show how truly oblivious he was about the Assassins.)

[Bratty]

He was actually being nice to her. She could feel an underlying edge about him, but he was being nice to her?

Part of her says a quick prayer that another mishap does not happen. Just five minutes of peace. She needs to repair things with him. After all, he did take her in and give her a chance. Even if he locked her in a basement, beat her up, and took her letter and money. Maybe he was under a lot of stress. Perhaps if the stress went away for five minutes, he could be a decent guy.

She nuzzles back against him, feeling his strong arms about her waist. "Papa" she mutters in a slurred fashion that has nothing to do with the alcohol. Even like this, he makes her feel warm and tingly. "Bout time you showed your face," she teases. "I can't hold down this crowd forever without you."

[Josh]

He maneuvered her through the crowd, ever-cautiously keeping her in the line of fire. "I'm a busy guy, sweetheart," he murmured in her ear. "But I just had to come out and see you..." he lied cheerfully.

Well, he did have to give her another drink, but she was pretty damned low on the list of priorities.

[Bratty]

"Busy? Anything I can do to help?" She asks, hopefully. Anything to take his stress away. He really was a different person when he wasn't stressed. And here she was, sober for the first time since she walked in the joint. Well, almost sober.

[Josh]

So eager to please, so very kind. If he'd been alive, he would've sighed. Compliance through fear was so much more fun. Well, he'd start laying the groundwork for that right now. He stopped her, pivoting them in time to the music.

"Actually, maybe I can help you..." he whispered. "See, this asshole got into your shit, found a letter..."

If she asked who, well, there were the fuckers who'd died yesterday. He'd pin the blame on one of the corpses, easily enough.

[Bratty]

She stops dancing immediately, standing stiffly and looking very out of place all of the sudden. Her face washes white, and she looks like she is going to faint at any minute. Her eyes widen to the point of disbelief. She is quiet for what seems like a long while, but, in truth, is only a few moments. Suddenly she feels ill, really really ill.

"Oh?" She plays off, like it doesn't matter at all. Her heart has risen into her throat, and she can hear it beating through her ears.

[Josh]

"I want to help," he whispers. He plays his fingers along her spine, touching each vertebra in turn. "If you'll let me..."

[Bratty]

Her eyes tear up - baby blues blurred in a glassy effect. She looks up to him, with hope and desperation mixed alike.

"How can you help?" She asks with quivering voice.

Although she does not seem to notice his touch, in truth, in an ironic way, it is comforting. Humans need contact.

[Josh]

He took her chin in his hand. "I'm not a monster, dollface," he said, voice dripping sincerity. "I got cash, I can get her set up. What's wrong with her?"

[Bratty]

She searches his eyes for anything that would give her a sense of doubt. She gets lost there and finds her mouth opening, despite the promise she made to herself and her Mama. "She has consumption. Oh Wright," She exclaims suddenly, and throws her arms around him, softly sobbing into his arms. "Can you really help her? Please...I ain't asking for me, but for her - can you send her half of what you would have paid me? $20 a night? I won't ask for nothing else but room and board. I would earn my keep. Oh, Wright, please?"

[Josh]

He smiled a triumphant smile over her head.

Oh yeah, he owned this one now. Patting her back reassuringly, he murmured down to her.

"Don't worry about it, dollface. We'll get her into town, get her the best docs. It'll be okay."

This...

This was going to be fucking spectacular. Break two for the price of one.

[Bratty]

She holds him tightly to her, clentching his clothes in her fingertips. She whispers voice soft and hoarse with emotion, "Bless you Wright. Bless you" No matter what else happens her Mama will be safe.

She wipes her eyes. She has to compose herself to make herself useful. She has to earn her money. She gives a small emotion filled smile to Wright, gratitude oozing from her, "Come on, Papa. There's someone I would like you to meet. He is a business owner like you."

[Josh]

He tensed. She'd found the other kindred. It had to be. He let her guide him along, games with his little toy forgotten for the moment.

[Charon]

Marcus came to a stop infront of the delapitated church. Here was as good as any. He stepped in, being careful not to touch anything that seemed to weak. Looking for a good place to store things, he eventually pulled up a charred pew, taking some of the floor with it. Beneath was a small space that he could easily fit something into. Grabbing the papers he'd forged he slipped them in there. He could easily move them again if he found the preacher's haven, and carrying those around in his pocket had made him rather jumpy. One did not want to get caught with sabbat papers, forged or not.

Replacing the broken pew Marcus went back to his car, crossing himself as he came out. With that he made his way back towards Wright's place.

[imperfect vision]

He stood here, bright target painted right on his chest.

...a quirk of the brow as Cassie wanders off, and returns attached to another person. He clasps his hands together as he watches, pondering if this is her current patron. He applies the plastic smile and awaits his impending fate.

[Josh]

A newcomer on his territory, nobody he recognized.

At a time of impending war.

To say that he was dubious of this intruder in his domain would be an understatement. His hand possessively draped on Cassie's shoulder, he nodded his head in greeting, an insincere smile on his face.

"Hiya. New in town?"

[imperfect vision]

"Fresh off the train, I reckon the sayin' is. I asked around for a jive-jumpin' place and this was the top of the list." He nods. "Seems I found more th'n a party, now."

[Bratty]

Cassie's smile remains, geniune, sincere and sweet. The rest of the world be damned, her own hell has been given ice water. And here she is, already doing service to both her benefactor, and this nice gentleman she met earlier this evening. One hand rests on Wright's across her shoulder, the other positioned on her waist.

[Josh]

"Met with the right people yet?" he inquired politely.

Oh fucking yeah right, new in town, just looking to get settled in. What kind of fucking sucker did they take him for?

He oughta have this asshole blown away on the spot as a statement on insulting his fucking intelligence.

[imperfect vision]

"Decided I'd see the sights. Didn't make sense to me to meet a bunch of nobodies when I'd be out of here like dust in the wind." He smirked and slightly tipped his head to one side. "So far I'm likin' what I'm seein', so I guess I have to find the hot spot and make with the pretties."

His eyes remain steadily upon his host of sorts. Pretty dame, nice club.. man has to have some connections.

[Bratty]

She giggles lightly. The new guy is a smooth talker. She looks up at Wright and asks, "Should I be leaving you two alone to talk about business?"

[Josh]

Admittedly, that was an admirable avante-garde disrespect for the rules and institutions, something Wright was extremely fond of.

Unless, of course, he was using the rules and institutions to his own end. "Don't know where you come from... 'pard... but the local heavies are kind of touchy about unannounced guests, you know what I mean?"