Survive the night Who: Tanith and Treat (and Etzli!) When: Nighttime Where: Scarlet Oak -> Hotel di Sei Ali
Giving the catsitter a copy of his cats’ feeding instructions (the original was stuck to the fridge), Treat reminded her that if anything happened to any of the cats, there was a specific clause in the contract that allowed him to sue her for malpractice. The lady - Margaret or Marjorie - responded that she was a professional and he could leave reassured the cats would be safe. Treat had more to say to the woman but a glance at his watch told him it was about time to leave to make sure he got downtown before Tanith did. He didn’t want her waiting for him. Taking a warm outer coat from the rack by his front door, he reminded the catsitter about Morticia’s special needs as she walked away from him, waving a dismissive hand. Narrowing his eyes at her, Treat left his house and walked over to the black BMW M5 he had finally invested in after driving around his Lincoln rental for a while.
His clothing choice was extremely modest as far as color went. White shirt, black tie, black vest, and the tan overcoat he wore made up his attire. He didn’t want to attract too much attention tonight, even if Tanith was sure to turn some heads. He just wanted to make his appearance, play nice, and then go to his hotel room for bedtime. And then go home the next day. Loosening his tie as he got into the car, he glared one more time at the catsitter he couldn’t see and then drove away. He turned the radio on and let some popular new song play as he sped downtown.
Pulling up to the curb in front of Sunny’s Diner, he checked his watch and let the car idle. He was only just on time, owing to his dilly-dallying with the catsitter. He hoped she hadn’t arrived early. The car was a sedan and significantly less stretched than his rental, but he was fairly certain Etzli would still fit in the back rather snugly. He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket in case she tried to call.
Though she’d had plenty of times to have second thoughts about this whole idea, in the end, Tanith was glad to have made these plans... ridiculous though they may be. Her instincts had paid off: Domina had meant to send as many employees as possible to work the crowd. Being able to say that she was already going with a client - and having it not be a lie, since the werebitch knew by your scent and heartrate when you were trying to lie - was pretty damn priceless. She was even willing to humor Treat and bring That Damn Cat. And for his part, Eztli seemed pretty excited about the idea.
One of the perks of living in a brothel were the wardrobe possibilities. The group closets were something Tanith had never looked into before, but happily raided tonight. Her outfit consisted of no leather at all for a change, and the Dolce & Gabbana satin and lace bustier dress probably cost more than most Scarlet Oak residents made in a month. The only downside was that it made hiding her weapons tricky. She didn’t even attempt to humor the idea of a gun, settling instead for several silver knives on a garter. She’d placed a spell on one of the rings she wore, so it would alert her of other magic - primarily wards. All in all, she thought she made a pretty fantastic bodyguard. Eztli teased her about her ego on the drive over, and Tanith did a good job of ignoring him. As the limo slowed to a stop outside of the diner, Tanith could see that Treat was just arriving. Tanith silently hoped she wouldn’t immediately regret this. She opened her door and stepped out before the driver could make his way around to open it for her, and she waved him off dismissively. Not a single raindrop landed on Tanith as she walked over to Treat - this look had taken too much work and her element wasn’t necessarily kind to a tidy appearance. She let The Cat get soaked. He grumbled a little about that. “Lorimer,” she greeted breezily. “You ordered a witch?”
Treat left the car with an umbrella in hand. He smirked a little as he noticed she was perfectly dry. He had harbored concerns about getting his leather interior wet. Oh, Etzli was wet. While his initial instinct was to worry about his interior, the cat lover in him won. “Kept to your no-leather promise, I see,” Treat teased Tanith with a small smirk, walking around to her side of the car. Looking up at the umbrella, he added, “And I was all ready to be a proper gentleman for once.” Opening the back door first so Etzli could hop in, he held the door open for Tanith. He hadn’t bothered offering the umbrella to her as she could clearly keep herself dry without his help. And offering would only earn him some sort of sharp retort. He registered the fact that he had called herself a witch...he was fairly certain that had never come up in conversation before...not that they had had many before this week. He had pegged her as an elemental from the first time they met but, clearly, the darling Miss Tanith had other secrets up her sleeve. Or, in her current get-up...up other places, Treat could only speculate. He had decided to bring the guns (but leave them in the car) for the sake of common sense, but also because he was fairly certain weapons were not going to be taken kindly in a “peaceful” dinner setting. Treat snorted. Peaceful, my ass.
Tanith smirked and rolled her eyes. “Why start now? Be a gentleman with the cat, if you like.” Eztli headed over as quickly as possible, and hopped into Treat’s car without hesitation.
”Someone should have manners,” he said, and Tanith could tell he thought she was being rather childish. Look at all the fucks she gave! ”Hello, Treat. It’s good to see you again.” He nuzzled affectionately at Treat’s arm before settling down.
“Maybe you two can get a room, as long as we’re at the hotel.” Tanith piped in. She almost regretted saying it, however, as it was really a mental image she could have done without. Eztli did some more mental grumbling in her direction, so Tanith sighed and willed the water out of his fur. It all splashed into the gutter without ceremony. Damn cat, she thought, ignoring his response that he could hear her as she got in the car. This was going to be an interesting evening.
“I’ve found it’s always beneficial to be nice to the person that’s watching your back,” Treat responded calmly as she got into the car. “As for Etzli, don’t worry. I’ve made sure he has comfortable accommodations for the evening,” Treat added soothingly. Cougar-sized pet bed and all. As fond as Treat was of Etzli, he had no intentions of letting him in the bed tonight. He knew what he wanted in his bed, but the results remained to be seen. If she put up any resistance at all, he would play the gentleman. Closing the door after Tanith was inside, he walked around to his side of the car. Shaking the excess water out of his umbrella, he tucked it next to the driver’s seat and pulled away from the curb. It wasn’t too far to the their destination, though the drive was long enough that conversations needed to be had to avoid the strange awkward silence.
As the speed limit increased, Treat leaned back in his seat and took full advantage of how easy the car was to manage. “How’s work?” he asked with a small smirk. He still had some work to go before he could bypass Cameron and go straight to dealing with the vampire himself. He’d put off talking to Cameron in case the answer was no, to be honest...but tonight he would see the man and maybe a quick conversation regarding the matter could be had. Not that he planned to spend too much time socializing or talking business this evening. He had a litany of things he’d rather be doing this evening. Like the lovely witch in his passenger seat, for one.
”That’s more than Tanith has ever done. Thank you, Treat,” Eztli chimed in again. Tanith snorted and cast a look over her shoulder at the cat. She couldn’t believe it, but it seemed like he was playing it up. The damn thing had taken to sleeping in her bed! She didn’t argue with him however, instead looking back to Treat. Smirking back at the question, she shrugged faintly. “Is that a question you actually want to know the answer to?” She wondered if he’d come to terms with that bit yet, and reminded herself that it didn’t matter either way.
“You’re welcome,” Treat responded out loud to Etzli. Treat still had some trouble reconciling the fact that he could speak telepathically with the cougar. Shrugging at Tanith’s comment, Treat kept his eyes on the road. “It’s conversation,” he replied. “And slightly better than ‘how about this weather, huh?’ which we can both clearly see is horrible.” Treat made a turn that finally brought him on the road out of Scarlet Oak. He frowned as he remembered that wretched vampire bar was on this road. While there wasn’t anything he could do about it, it wasn’t as if he had to respect the fact that it was there. He glanced outside Tanith’s window as they passed Heme and then turned his attention back on the road. A vampire that enters dreams, huh? Treat’s frown deepened as he recalled a conversation with Tanith. It only gave dream eaters a bad name. Not that dream eaters had a name exactly. And thank goodness for that. All he needed was for his supernatural-supportive father to out himself.
“Speak for yourself,” said Tanith. “I quite like the rain.” Which was probably entirely unsurprising. Her eyes flickered over Heme as they drove past as well, a look of distaste clear upon her face. “Work is work. It pays the bills and often annoys me greatly. But it’s a good work-out and enables me to learn a great many things I can put to good use.” She looked back at Treat. “And on that note... have you done anything with the information I had given you?” She did not think it likely - she would have heard something about it, one way or another. She supposed there was something to be said for not rushing in blindly, but she’d never been the most patient of people.
Of course, she would. “I guess it has it’s benefits. I prefer snow myself,” Treat responded. He liked the cold well enough - people slept in longer - and snow days meant he could avoid work in his office. He nodded as she talked about work. “Surprisingly, it’s how I feel about my work sometimes,” Treat responded. He had become a lawyer because it seemed to make sense to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a prominent lawyer in DC, marry Morgan, go into politics and continue the cycle with his (adopted) children. He’d been stupid to let that fantasy control his decisions. “I have yet to speak with my colleague, if that’s what you mean. He isn’t like me...or you,” Treat responded, thinking of Cameron. “I’ve always thought he was rather milk-in-the-mouth and with his wife having been recently attacked by vampires, he’s more jumpy that usual, I would imagine. I don’t want him to do any premature that may jeopardize our...arrangement or his own position. Patience, darling. Good things come to those who wait.”
“You’ll have plenty of that here,” Tanith remarked, and she was very nearly smiling. Her element meant an obvious fondness for snow - and she was happiest in the winter. Michigan had been an obvious place for her to eventually end up in.
Speaking of work, this was interesting information to Tanith, who valued information and liked to know what make people tick. Always stay a step ahead, and all that. “Lot of work for a career if you’re not that into it,” she commented, though her tone was casual. She couldn’t really pick at anyone’s life choices. She’d fallen into a job that disgusted her because she was good at making people suffer, and getting paid for it seemed like a pretty decent deal. Her expression was nearly a wicked grin at the mention of Treat’s ‘colleague.’ “When you say he’s not like us... what is it that we are?” She knew what she was. Bloodthirsty and full of hate. She wouldn’t have previously pegged Treat as the same.
Treat chuckled at the mention of snow. “I’m looking forward to it. Got a couple of fond memories in the snow,” he responded in an unguarded moment. There had been plenty of good times at the old house...and at Yale...and Treat’s mouth twitched. “The cats are plenty funny when their paws go numb and then spend the rest of the day acting like they’re learning to walk again.” Treat looked at Eztli in the rearview mirror. “Sorry, Etzli.” It was true, though. And he liked watching the snow fall. It was possibly the only piece of nostalgia he’d let himself keep.
“Hm,” Treat shrugged. “I had different plans when I set out on this career path. Not to say that I don’t think I wouldn’t have chosen the same career if I had the chance to do over. Just not the most sympathetic lawyer at the moment when the justice system I work for is skewed,” Treat responded. As a lawyer, he was a vessel of the law. But why would he want to be a vessel for a law system that allowed murderers and good-for-nothing monsters to roam free? Tanith had already told him about her own career choice and so he couldn’t ask why exactly she stuck around in the brothel she worked at. He really had no choice but to answer the next question she posed, though it felt like he was doing all the talking at this point. “Different...he’s still got faith in the laws of this country. He thinks that he can change things peacefully. I don’t think that he’d be able to pull the trigger if the bastard that attacked his wife was sat down two feet in front of him,” Treat replied. As for himself, he hadn’t hesitated to shoot the bastard that had killed Bless. Treat tried to keep his face straight. No use creating more questions in that direction. “And a child,” Treat paused and looked over at Tanith. “To me, at least. I’m sure you know the kind.”
Eztli said nothing, but Tanith heard him sigh softly. She’d managed to piece together that he’d made his way up from far south - possibly even Mexico - so snow was something he was probably not looking forward to. Another reason Tanith felt he could not be her familiar. Cats and water just didn’t mix. Snow was actually something of a nostalgic point for Tanith, too. She remembered her parents taking her and Kammie on a mountain holiday when she was very little. Eztli perked his head up in interest, but Tanith pushed the thought fiercely away.
“I’d say it’s a bit more than skewed,” she said, darkly. Tanith had absolutely no faith in things like justice and law, which she saw to be very abstract ideas that people liked to believe in to comfort themselves. “You know, the more I hear of this man, the less I like him,” she sighed. “I get the impression that he’s not too fond of people like me, either - which is fine. As far as I’m concerned he can go play at politics and fuck himself roughly. I just can’t deal with the peace and love, hug a vampire bullshit every corner is trying to spew in this town. Politicians will argue over what is correct until they’re blue in the face. And none of it is doing any good.”
Treat let out a breath. “You got that right,” he commented on her stance on the laws. Though he shrugged when Tanith shared her opinion of Cameron. He hadn’t expected her to really. And Cameron was less than likely to understand her choice of careers. At least less understanding than Treat had been. The National Humanist Movement that Cameron was associated with was running media coverage but a fat lot of good that did. Treat also knew of another organization that he wasn’t necessarily supposed to - one that was considering more action than talk - though even that hadn’t made its presence known. “No, I didn’t imagine you would really want to hang around him too much. He has a distaste for all supernaturals. Though being with him has its benefits. The appearance of respectability often averts suspicion away from less...acceptable actions.” While Treat had come to Scarlet Oak under Cameron’s invitation and he’d come with every intention of helping out, he’d been disappointed by the lack of action. Sticking around with the Calverts and the NMH made him seem like less of a gun-toting vigilante, though, which was a good thing.
“Hm, why move to Scarlet Oak, then?” Treat asked casually. He knew his reasons for moving here: Cameron Calvert’s invitation and distance from his father. And, at this point, he’d already bought a house, settled the cats in, bought a car, so on and so forth. Moving would be another hassle he didn’t want to deal with. Besides, there was enough distraction and food in Scarlet Oak at the moment. And there was nowhere else he thought would necessarily be more suitable. After all, moving back east would just put him back closer in his father’s grasps and any further west would cause his mother to have a mental breakdown.
Tanith almost asked why Cameron was the way he was, but thought better of it. People often hated things they feared, that was simple enough to figure out. Besides, if she opened that door then Treat might ask why she hated vampires the way she did, and that wasn’t a road she would ever go down. With anyone. “I was here first,” Tanith answered, easily. “I was working my way through the state, and I got a job here and stayed, long before May and all the shit it brought. I can’t guarantee I’d ever find a job that pays so well anywhere else, and I like the climate of the state. Why should I have to move on? I’d much rather stand my ground and force the parasites back into hiding. Or extinction.” Either possibility suited her just fine.
If truth be told, Treat wasn’t sure of the answer to that himself. He’d always assumed it was just some form of bigotry not backed up by any specific reason. Treat smiled at the reason Tanith gave for her being in Scarlet Oak. Made sense, he supposed. “So you just randomly got the job, huh?” Treat teased. He’d always sort of wondered how Tanith landed her current career. Ad in the local paper? Or, you know, knocking on the door of the brothel and giving some references that would vouch for the fact that she could snap a whip? Or maybe it was one of those...’she looks like the kind’ sort of deals where they saw you at a coffee store and slipped you a gilded business card with a location. As they reached the general area where the hotel was supposed to be, Treat started watching street names. He was certain he’d know where the hotel was. It seemed like there was some decent enough fanfare surrounding the grand opening.
“Yes, actually,” Tanith answered, easily. “I was in a bar and some piece of scum grabbed my ass. I made an example of him.” Making an example of him had involved flipping him to the floor and shoving her boot in the back of his neck until he begged for forgiveness. “Later this well-dressed woman who looked more like a professor than anything else asked if I was looking for work. The idea disgusted me, but the figures she was giving me didn’t.” She shrugged. “It’s a living.” Tanith was looking around too, and eventually her eyes settled on spotlights in the horizon. “Must be the place.”
Treat’s left eyebrow lifted up in amusement. “Funny how these things work out,” he responded. It was a pretty odd story and he wondered about the truthfulness of it for a second before letting it go. It didn’t really matter, he supposed. Treat followed Tanith’s line of vision to the spotlights ahead. “They’re making a pretty big deal about this, it seems,” he commented. “I wonder why exactly they thought a peaceful dinner between opposite ends of the supernatural rights movement was a good promotion for their opening night. I’d fire my marketing agent.” Treat merged into the right lane as they approached the street they were supposed to turn on. He looked at Tanith again. “So that’s really how it all happened,” he mused out loud. He chuckled.
“The less I know about how vampire-kiss-ass minds works, the better I sleep at night,” Tanith said. And she was getting precious little of that as it was. She supposed some of it made sense, wanting to align with the new top of the food chain. Tanith liked her way of doing things better. She was slightly surprised at Treat’s chuckling, and she looked to him with a raised eyebrow. “No, you’ve caught me. It was really all I dreamed about as a little girl. My mum even had to make my dolliess little leather catsuits. Career day at school was certainly interesting.” She smirked and rolled her eyes. “That’s really how it happened.”
“Your mother must be very proud of you, then, achieving all that you’ve dreamed of as a little girl. Personally, I wanted to be Optimus Prime as a child. See where that dream got me,” Treat joked as he pulled up to the hotel. “Snazzy,” he commented as he looked up at the hotel’s facade. Driving up to the valet service, Treat left the engine running as a valet came up to him with a ticket. Taking the ticket from him, he opened the back door to let Eztli out. While he was certain the hotel staff had been briefed on the presence of familiars, he wasn’t entirely sure they were quite ready to come face to face with a cougar. Eztli was still the largest of the familiars Treat had ever personally come across. Walking around the car, he watched as a frustrated hotel porter tried to help Tanith out of her seat. Once she was upright and the porter’s feathers were sufficiently ruffled, he walked up to her and offered his arm. “Ready for an evening of glitz and glamor with Ann Arbor’s finest monstrosities, my dear?”
Tanith didn’t like to think on her mother too much, and especially not whether or not she’d be proud, so she said nothing about it. “I don’t know, that sounds like a good fit. Robots, lawyers.. all the same, right?” She was personally just daring someone to object to Eztli. Sure, she didn’t like the cat, but if the place insisted on catering to supernaturals, they were damn sure going to cater to her. And if it meant the overgrown furry beast insisted he was her familiar, they were going to cater to him too. She ignored the porter completely, but had a certain amount of satisfaction in the nervous glance he shot in Eztli’s direction. Perhaps the cat could be an amusement after all. Smirking again, she even took Treat’s arm - for the sake of appearances, of course. “Let the freak show begin.”
Tucking her arm into his, he led her into the main lobby. Taking it in, Treat approved of the hotel’s furnishings, even if he didn’t approve of its vision. He couldn’t deny that it was a classy upscale hotel...one that he would normally choose if he were visiting Ann Arbor instead of living in it. Treat enjoyed hotels. It was like a buffet of dreamers. Releasing Tanith, he turned to her and said, “I’ll be right back. I’m going to see if I can pick our room keys up before dinner begins. I’d rather not wait in a line with a vampire if I can help it.” Walking up to the counter, Treat pulled out his wallet to provide identification. “I have a reservation under Lorimer? It’s supposed to be able to accommodate a cougar,” he informed the lady behind the counter. She started typing away, looked at his ID, and asked, “Just the one room this evening?” Treat nodded with a smile as she reached under the desk for magnetic strip keys. Handing both to him, she added, “It’s Room 713. Enjoy your stay at the Hotel di Sei Ali.”
Returning to Tanith, Treat handed her the key he hadn’t stuck inside his shirt pocket. “You’re in Room 713 with Eztli,” he told her as he took her arm again without any preamble and started guiding them in the direction the giant signs pointed to. The bar came into view first and Treat turned to Tanith. “Would you care for a drink?” he asked, gesturing at the bar. Normally, he wouldn’t approve of any of his security detail having alcohol, but he really wasn’t too concerned about his safety and protection tonight.
While Treat headed to the front desk, Tanith took the opportunity to scope the place out. After a brief look around the lobby, she stood off to the side, jerking her head casually so that Eztli would follow her. She’d felt a sort of pull once they walked through the doors, thanks to the ring she had cast a spell on. This place was warded - heavily warded. Not quite as heavily warded as Ad Gustum, but then again, Ad Gustum was warded against very specific things. These felt broader. She wanted to investigate them, but not make it obvious that she was doing so. She stood with her back to the room, pretending to be interested by a sculpture near the corner as she quickly pierced her fingertip and murmured a quick spell of inquiry. While the blood dripped, layers of magic became visible to her eyes. She frowned. Too many to count on limited time. Eztli casually licked the blood off of her finger, and the spell was broken. ”See anything interesting?” he asked her, quietly. Smiling faintly, Tanith gave a single nod. ”I think you’re actually enjoying this,” he added. And she supposed she was. In a way.
When Treat returned, she put the key in her clutch without a second thought. She allowed herself to be lead, still doing a mental tally of some of the wards she had seen. Nothing that alarmed her, that was good. Treat’s question made Tanith smirk again. “Gee, boss, am I allowed?”
Treat looked at Tanith, amused. Are you really going to fight me every step of the way? he raised an eyebrow at her quizzically before turning back towards the bar. “As long as I don’t go to jail for it, you can do whatever the hell you want tonight,” he responded with a smirk as he dragged her along to the bar. “Gin and tonic,” Treat told the bartender. “And whatever the lady wants.” He looked down at Eztli. “I don’t suppose you drink cream, do you?” he added with a smile as he offered Tanith a hand to help her onto a seat not expecting her at all to take it but did it anyway because it was the nice, proper thing to do.
Tanith sighed, as if he had really killed her night. “Well that’s rather limiting, but I suppose I can work with it. I’ll take a martini.” When she drank, it was usually something much stronger, but she didn’t necessarily want to get drunk tonight. Not in a new place so layered with magic, and vampires to boot. As predicted, she didn’t take his hand, but she did take a seat without any smartass remarks. It occurred to her that not many people would bother with his level of manners (selective though they may be) with a woman in her line of work, and she wondered if that had occurred to him yet. Really, she was in a good mood. Even if the idea of Treat ordering something for The Cat was ridiculous, she was more curious as to whether or not the staff would oblige him.
Eztli, for his part, cocked his head to the side and looked rather bewildered himself. As much as a giant cat could have expressions. ”I hunt regularly,” he answered, as he sat beside Tanith’s legs, ”But I take what I can get.”
Treat ignored her dramatics and simply shrugged when she didn’t take his hand. He hopped up on a bar stool himself and chuckled at Eztli’s response. He was fairly certain big cats weren’t supposed to have cream. In fact, his own cats were not allowed it because most cat experts would tell you that they become quite obsessed with it. “Can we get you anything, though?” Treat asked Eztli. “Or are you comfortable enough?” He looked up as the bartender placed two drinks in front of them. Efficient. If it weren’t for the fact that he was about to be in the presence of who-knows-how-many supernaturals, he’d be impressed. Even if it was for opening night, the staff was pretty well-trained. He turned to Tanith as he took a sip of his drink. Clearly, they couldn’t continue the conversation they had been having in the car. There were other things to talk about, however. He cleared his throat. “So, what’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?” Treat put his best cocky grin on as he tried his best not to laugh. Personally, he wasn’t a pick-up-line sort of person, but it was early and there was nothing better to do than to get on Tanith’s nerves by being a complete git.
Tanith sure as hell didn’t know what was and wasn’t good for cats - of any size - and if Eztli knew, he wasn’t telling her. In fact, he sort of took care of himself - which was sort of a requirement for living with Tanith anyway. ”I’m quite content, thank you,” Eztli answered, his large tail twitching in amusement. Tanith wondered how long it would take for someone to trip on it. That could be potentially amusing. She looked back at Treat, and tried to figure out whether or not he was trying to stifle laughter. “Really? Resorting to that already? And we had gone so long without me imagining what your face would look like covered in blood.” There wasn’t actually a lot of annoyance to her tone though, and that was a start. “Besides... no nice girls here, I don’t think.” After sipping her drink and finding it acceptable, she took a look around the bar. She wrinkled her nose at some of what she saw. “Just socialites and fangbangers.”
Shrugging, Treat took another sip of his drink. “If that’s what gets you off, love.” Treat followed her eyes around the room as she surveyed the area. He half-recognized a handful of people none of whom he particularly wanted anything to do with. Most of them, however, he simply did not recognize or care to. “Anyone we should be concerned about?” he murmured softly before he took another drink. Louder, he added, “Oh, but I haven’t even gotten to my good stuff yet,” Treat complained. “There’s one about your dad being a baker, one about it hurting when you fell from heaven...oh! And I’ve got one about a Rubik’s cube that’s bound to make anyone blush.”
“That’s a loaded question,” Tanith replied, snorting lightly. Then again, Tanith was the sort who would walk into crowded room and automatically distrust everyone in it. She had yet to see any Ad Gustum clients, which was a bonus, as that would have been a headache she didn’t particularly feel like dealing with tonight. “This place is heavily warded,” she murmured softly, sounding more amused than anything else. “I did a quick look and didn’t see anything that troubled me.” That didn’t mean nastier spells weren’t there - they very well could have been. She just hadn’t picked up on anything yet. For shits and grins, she almost called him out on that Rubik’s cube comment, but played along in the end. Speaking in a normal tone again, she replied with, “And I suppose this is the part where I say I haven’t got an angelic bone in my body.”
Treat nodded at what she had to report. He was naturally expecting a ton of wards but more to keep people in line than anything else. Unless the owner of the hotel specifically wanted a brawl and absolutely horrid publicity, they would want to keep any little arguments from sparking into anything larger than a few nasty words. Turning back to Tanith, Treat laughed. “I suppose I could say I’d like to check that out for myself but I rather like my teeth where they are in my head.” He took a sip of his drink and stroked the stubble on his chin. “Let’s see...well, how about you hop in my lap and we’ll talk about the first thing that pops up?” he grinned at Tanith. Usually, he only used that line when he’d already practically caught his prey. Tonight, however, he wasn’t planning on necessarily catching Tanith. She was already caught whether she liked it or not.
With lines like that it was mightily tempting to remove a few of his teeth, but as Tanith opened her mouth to unleash a scathing reply, Eztli piped in instead. ”Is this human mating? Because I have to admit, it’s a lot sillier than I had expected.” And that statement completely derailed Tanith, and she had to look down at the cat to figure out if he had really just said that. Why did I bring you again? she thought. Eztli looked up at her with far too innocent a look for her tastes.
“No,” she finally said. “It’s not. But that was easily one of the most disturbing things you’ve ever said, Cat.”
When Treat didn’t get a reply except Tanith looking down at Eztli, he assumed the cougar had said something rather innocent-atrocious that completely threw Tanith. Treat considered it a gift from the heavens as he hopped down off his chair. The alcohol was doing positively nothing for him as far as amusement went and he’d realized there was nothing at all amusing about the people milling around the bar. Plus, he’d noticed that the lady who just walked into the bar area was a prominent vampire well-known for being outspoken regarding supernatural rights...and as he wanted nothing better than to shove his silver ring down her throat, he thought an exit might be more appropriate. Plus she was beelining for people he recognized as the Calverts and it was not a night he wanted to be dragged into politics or sassy eye-rolling. And if Cam caught his eye, there’d be no reason for him to stay away. “How does going in for dinner sound?” he asked Tanith, his voice suddenly serious.
Tanith looked up and followed Treat’s line of eyesight, and frowned at what she saw in the room. Yes, she knew that one, and was in complete agreement with wanting to avoid her - albeit for slightly different reasons. She knew she was in no danger of being pulled into anything, but Treat could have been. “Lovely idea,” she replied, tone slightly darker than it had been. “It suddenly stinks of death in here.” Eztli snorted, and Tanith got the idea that the statement was a lot truer for him. He often bitched about the scent of all the vampires and their, ah, fluids in Ad Gustum. That made Tanith very happy to have an ‘inferior’ human nose. Eztli gave her room and she stood, turning her attention back to Treat. “Lead the way.”
Treat left the other way out of the bar, trying not to cause any attention to fall on him or anyone in his party. With all the familiars around them, Eztli was not necessarily out of place but the sheer size of the cat alone could have been a matter of notice. Luckily, however, everyone was either too drunk or wrapped up in some sort of silent feud to notice their exit. Treat let out an audible noise of disapproval once they were outside into the more brightly lit section of the hotel. He looked around and saw one or two people he recognized, but not anyone that would necessarily attempt a conversation. He rubbed his cheek in agitation. “I think it should be this way,” he said, voice softening into a conversational tone again. He offered his arm to Tanith. “What are you both in the mood for?”
“An army of dead vampires and a long bath in a pool of their blood,” Tanith answered casually, without missing a beat. “But I suppose that’s not what you’re asking, is it?” Eztli snorted and shook his head at her answer.
”How did I end up with a human with absolutely no manners at all?” he complained.
“You chose me, Cat. You’re more than welcome to leave at any time if you don’t like the way I do things,” Tanith replied, easily. Wishful thinking. She was slowly coming to accept that she was just going to have to deal with him following her around everywhere. She looked back up to Treat, a perfectly innocent expression on her face - which seemed rather out of place on a person like her.
Treat couldn’t stifle a chuckle at her response. Looking down, he gave her one of his best charming winks. “I‘ve heard the service in this hotel is pretty excellent. If you play your cards right, I might be able to procure that for you.” And then he added with a fake shiver, “Ugh, never make that face at me again. It feels like the face you put on right before you rip someone’s entrails out.” He looked around for signs leading them to the restaurant. “Army might be a bit much, though, let’s try...oh, how about four?” That’s about as much as Treat had managed to accomplish in one night, though Tanith didn’t necessarily need to know that. As far as she was concerned, it was an arbitrary number he’d pulled out of his behind.
“It’s no fun if it’s ‘procured’ for me,” Tanith replied, grinning now. “Better to get it myself. You know, to guarantee it’s fresh.” In the grand scheme of things Tanith had only killed a few vampires - though that wasn’t information she was going to share - but there was something endlessly satisfying about making the bastards suffer. “Four is a good number, if I must settle. Not necessarily enough blood to swim in, but it would do in a pinch.” Eztli sighed heavily, as if he was pained greatly by the fact that his human had no manners at all. Tanith ignored it. “Shame any of the bloodsuckers here would probably be missed.”
Treat laughed again. “I’d always figured you to be hands-on,” he responded, spotting the restaurant. “Who knows, could be a fun date if you actually lowered your standards to...me,” Treat matched her grin with one of his own. “And, who knows, maybe there’ll be more than four if there’s two of us.” He gestured to the maitre d’ and held up two fingers. “Two, please, with space for the cougar...and away from anyone who can’t watch a wild animal eat.” Treat was making sure Eztli got fed and he wasn’t going to put up with any complaints from easily squicked people who would feel faint from Eztli eating raw meat. Going back to Tanith’s previous point, he agreed. “Yes, it is a shame. Obviously, we’ll need to have another evening together. What a shame, indeed.” Treat chuckled. Shameless? Sure, but he’d never been any other way.
“That would be my sort of evening,” Tanith had to give him. Even if the idea of Treat - or anything else - asking her out on a date was just flat-out ridiculous. Tanith didn’t do that sort of thing. When the need hit her then she found a warm body for the night, and it never went further than that. “Well Lorimer, I have to hand it to you, you’re the first person either stupid enough or brave enough to even suggest a date in a very long time. I’m not sure which it is, though. You may want to evaluate yourself.” She smirked as the host scurried to make accommodations, at least enjoying this part of having a familiar. He did seem to make people greatly uncomfortable. Eztli, of course, heard her thoughts and stood a little taller and prouder for it. Stupid cat.
“I’m fairly certain I asked you out when I first met you,” Treat thought back to when he’d driven Eztli to his unwilling ward. He guided Tanith with a hand on the small of her back as their maitre d’ led them into the dining room. Unless she intended on causing a full-blown scene, he was pretty sure he wouldn’t get backhanded at the moment. “Or maybe that was just an evening together where we skipped the dinner and movie part,” Treat smiled again. He honestly couldn’t remember. He remembered getting slapped for something, so he may have indeed simply propositioned her that day. That would explain why she was so snippy with him. Huh. He stepped away from her when their host pulled out the chair for her. Treat took his own seat and thanked the man when he handed him a menu. There was something about bringing a wine collection over that Treat nodded at dismissively. He finally responded to her comment about his need for psychiatric evaluation. Looking down at Eztli, he smiled at the cougar. “What do you think, Eztli? Stupidity or or bravery? Considering my shrink’s a hack and prone to report everything back to my father, I’d value your opinion more, I think.”
“Did you? I’ve blocked so much of that encounter out of my memory,” Tanith replied, tone dry. She only wished that she could. It had not been one of her finer moments. In fact, it was one of the more humiliating. Being beaten and outwitted by an overgrown furball. “No, actually, I remember. You kissed me, and The Cat tried to pimp me out. There may have been propositioning in there. Either way, you earned the smack you got and then some.”
”You were most unkind,” Eztli piped in. ”You certainly don’t make friends easily.” Tanith ignored this as she made herself comfortable. ”And I would say it’s a generous mix of both,” the familiar went on to answer Treat. ”Perhaps your survival instinct is faulty. Or you’re counting on a public encounter to hold her back. Either way, the evening won’t be dull.”
Treat covered his mouth with his hand as he tried his best not to laugh as bits of the day came back to him. Honestly, it wasn’t like he was particularly planning the events of the day or actually thinking about what he was doing at the time. Besides, he was new in town and wasn’t sure if he was staying...wasn’t sure if he’d ever really see the girl again...though he did ask her out...or, well, force her on a second meeting at any rate. “I probably did, yes,” Treat agreed, still trying not to laugh.
Looking at Eztli, Treat shrugged. “Possibly,” he agreed with the cat. After all, he did try and dispose of things that were well-known for the murder of others. They were infinitely stronger and faster than Treat and he still went after them. Maybe he did have a faulty sense of self-preservation. “I wouldn’t imagine the presence of other people would prevent her from maiming me if it came down to it. I guess the goal of the evening would be to avoid any actions that would cause her to want to maul me.” Treat paused and let his mind wander for a second. “No, it wouldn’t be dull at all, would it? Sounds like my kind of fun.”
It was hard to believe, based on the day they met, that there would ever be a time when Tanith could be around Treat and not want to maim him just on general principle. If she thought too much about that, it made her uncomfortable. Perhaps she'd developed extra patience for him when she learned that they shared a few crucial viewpoints. Tanith had never actually met another person who felt the way she did about vampires that wasn't so batshit and annoying that having anything in common with them made her want to rethink things entirely. She didn't do relationships - hell, she didn't even do friends, but it wasn't such an awful thing to spend some time with someone who wanted to make the same things suffer and die.
Face it, Eztli said, speaking to her mind alone, You're growing soft on us.