Tayne Peregrine (hunterperegrine) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2009-06-29 06:43:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-06-06 |
Just a Touch
Who: Tayne and Salome
Where: Parking lot of cheap bar
When: Night
Tayne really needed to stop doing this. He really did. Alcohol was not a good answer to problems, and he knew it, but when he didn't have any other answers and he generally thought he deserved a nasty hangover in the morning? Well, he went for the alcohol, anyway. He wasn't quite drunk yet, but he was definitely getting there.
The last one had gotten rowdy, though, and Tayne didn't want rowdy, so he had moved over to one down the street, and was heading through the parking lot towards the door right now. It was a lonely looking bar, which served him just fine. Less stupid girls trying to hit on him, making him want to punch someone. Most likely his own stupid self.
Salome was out trolling for victims on a gorgeous night. Not dinner, mind you, as she'd already eaten and even if she hadn't, she could certainly find better blood than alcoholics at a local dive. No, victims. Or rather, chosen recipients of her gift. How much more fitting could one get than to offer the chance for death to sad, pathetic humans drinking what remained of their little lives away in a run-down, cheap bar?
But first, some reconnaissance. Salome wouldn't mind gifting everyone in the bar - and perhaps she would end up doing just that before she left - but she liked to sit back and watch first, observe the lucky humans who were going to get to experience a ride on the pale horse. Really, it was an honor for them, not that any of them were enlightened enough to realize it. She parked her bike and shook out her hair (a helmet did nothing for her save wreck her style), swinging a tight jeans-clad leg over the seat and heading inside just behind a cute little human male, stiletto boot heels clicking rhythmically.
The bike was pretty much impossible to miss, as noisy as motorcycles were, and neither was the woman clicking right up behind him. Tayne, being the gentleman he'd been raised to be even with a buzzing in his head, stopped at the bar door to hold it open for her. "Evenin'," he said simply, not giving the woman much attention just yet. After all, he wasn't exactly looking for pretty women at the moment, nor, for that matter, was he on the lookout for vampires.
"Hello," Salome replied pleasantly in her slightly husky voice, giving him a friendly nod and smile. She held off on giving him the touch just yet; she wanted to check out the rest of the bar first, enjoy a drink or two. Though she didn't expect to run into any supernaturals here, she was wearing her contacts, turning the glowing pale, sickly green of her eyes a normal rich brown. She preceded the adorable little human into the building, sidling up to the bar and flagging down the bartender to order something suitably fruity and girly. And alcoholic, for all the good it would do her.
Probably a good thing she had the contacts in, since when he did look up, he probably would have noticed the vampire tell. Tayne knew his stuff, or as well as anyone could who wasn't one. He didn't follow her and sit next to her, or anything, he just came in a couple seats away, climbed up onto one, and waited for the bartender to finish with her drink before he demanded one, too. Then he smiled a wan sort of smile and asked, "Black and tan please?" Simple, not too heady, and a good starter; his usual starter, even if he wasn't exactly... starting with this bar.
Salome took a sip of her drink (it was good, even if she couldn't get drunk) and listened in on what the man ordered. "That's an unusual choice," she commented with a small, friendly smile when the bartender headed off. "For this place, anyway." It looked like most of the patrons were drowning their individual sorrows in copious pitchers of cheap American slop. Salome was as patriotic as any American, but her years spent living in London had definitely made her a beer snob.
"Not a huge fan of cheap beer," Tayne admitted, casting her a glance. Pretty, he supposed, in that exotic kind of way. God, he hoped she didn't want some guy to get her laid. He'd already had problems with that at the last bar. "Tend to like a good, solid ale better, but mix the two, an' I like that best. --Thanks," he added to the tender, who set the drink in front of him, and he took a gulp.
"I lean more towards the stout, myself," Salome said. The thickness reminded her of blood, the bitter aftertaste intriguing. "But I can't blame you, either way. The stuff they call beer here is appalling." He wasn't very talkative, but she couldn't say she minded - her eyes were constantly scanning the other bar patrons, weighing their various merits and trying to decide where to begin her night's work.
The way she was scanning the bar made him wary. At least she wasn't scanning him anymore. "You lookin' for something?" he asked her after a pause, glancing over the few other patrons, himself, as if he could find whatever she was looking for, himself.
Salome glanced back at him and smiled. "Just imagining," she said easily, giving him one more little scanning, slightly predatory look, because she had a feeling it was unnerving to him. It certainly would be, were she not wearing her contacts. "I like to wonder about people. Why?" she countered then, still conversational. "Are you looking for something?"
It did unnerve him. It made him look away and flush, hoping to hell she wasn't going to pull something like Vivienne had, that he'd just fuck up because he was fucked up. "To get very drunk," he said simply. "And then pref-- pref-- hopef'lly getting home without running into anything."
"Why?" Salome asked curiously. "Why are you looking to get drunk, that is," she clarified, because obviously it was logical for a human to want to get home without running into anything. "I'm sure if you call a cab at the end of the night, you'll be fine. You'll have to come back for your car if you drove, but you won't hit anything." Unless he hadn't meant a collision by that.
"Because," he said firmly, "I'm an ass, and I don't know how to fix it, so this's the next best thing." He rounded off his point with another gulp from the glass. "An' I'm expecting to get a cab called. Or I'll walk." Though that was a damn long way home, if so. "Why are you imagining?" he tossed back at her.
"Because it's fun," Salome said, hiding a smile. He'd obviously had a few before coming. "Haven't you ever wondered who these people were, what brought them here tonight, what's waiting for them at home? What they've done with their lives, what they haven't done..." She trailed off, shrugging. "Why are you an ass? Maybe I can help."
"'Course I wonder. When I'm sober, anyway. Doesn' everyone?" Another swig, and then, at the last, he gave her a wary look. "I can't tell you. Jus' I was an ass to a girl, and I feel bad, but I can't be what she wants. I can't talk about it." Except he kind of had. Just not the important part, which was the part he couldn't talk about, so he was good. So far. Right?
"It seems like things would be a lot more boring if they didn't," Salome agreed. She leaned her chin on her hand, watching him with a curious expression on her face as she sipped from her drink. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Sometimes an outside perspective is what you need to work through it. Why can't you be with her - or do you just not want to? You seem like a nice guy."
"I can't talk about it," Tayne repeated stubbornly, or maybe nervously, or probably both. "S'personal, and I can't get into it." He paused over the rim of his drink and added, "No offense. S'nice of you to offer, anyway." Made him want to edge away a little, lest she guess, or not guess and hit on him. Girls were making him nervous today, dammit. He hated that.
"All right," Salome said, hand up in a gesture of surrender (or at least, backing off) when he got a little excited in denying her. "It was just an offer; I'm not going to hold you down and demand the truth," she joked, flashing the tiniest bit of fang as she smiled - just to see what he did. She wanted to know if he was one of those fascinated by vampires or frightened of them. Of course, the smartest ones were both fascinated and frightened. "I'm Salome, by the way."
Even verging on drunk, Tayne recognized fang when he saw it. He was a hunter, he had such observations pretty well drilled into him. Perhaps surprisingly to her, in neither a fear or fascination reaction, his eyes narrowed a little, and he toyed with his drink rather than taking another mouthful. "Tayne," he said simply. "Nice to meet you." Only not so much. He couldn't begin to guess what kind she was; most anything was open, really. Even those damn Horsemen vampires could wear contacts, if they were smart.
"Same to you," Salome replied pleasantly. "So, Tayne, have you been in Scarlet Oak long?" she continued, just a normal girl out for some conversation. "Or are you just passing through?" Having a girl in the area suggested he was at least a regular visitor, if not a resident.
"Live here," he answered, wishing he were somewhere else. Or she were easy to recognize as something. If she were a Luna House vampire? He'd be just fine with her. Or an Azrael House, he had no beef with them. But there were so many vampire families that he did have beefs with. "Have my whole life, except for the four years I spent in college. You?"
"Live here as well," Salome answered, nodding and taking another sip of her drink. "For a little while. It's a nice, quiet little place." She could practically see the gears turning in his head, and it was utterly amusing. Sapphira was her default house if he should ask; she had the looks for it, and although brains were a little uncommon in that house of mirror-hogging twits, it wasn't strictly unusual.
Tayne hadn't decided yet to ask. He was waffling: he wanted to know, he'd never guess, but he didn't want to be obvious about it. Of course... alcohol tended to make obvious questions even more obvious. Another reason not to ask. "Not quite as quiet as it used to be," he pointed out, finally taking another drink from his glass. A small one.
"Nowhere is," Salome agreed with a small shrug and a faint grimace. Most days, she didn't mind being out in the open - it certainly made things easier for her at work. Humans just lined up for the chance to get a lapdance from a vampire. On the other hand, it made being out without her disguise much harder. Even moronic humans who fancied themselves vampire slayers knew what to look for now. "I value what quiet is left."
"Heh. 'Specially not as quiet for you, I guess." Vampires were probably the most affected by the Light of May, since they were so involved in it, and people had that weird fascination with them. Stupid people, anyway. At least weres had benefits from coming out: being able to prove they weren't dangerous, or if they were, proving they were perfectly happy to take precautions. Vampires, well, they couldn't really even hide.
"Something like that," Salome allowed with a faint smile. He had no idea - now instead of just having to avoid clueless vampires who didn't understand the magnitude of the work her Family was doing, she had to avoid humans on top of it. "I make do with what I can find. It's not so hard, most of the time."
"Yeah?" Tayne eyed her, trying to discern what she meant by that. Not so hard-- doing what? Being what? "Get a lot of freaky, obsessed, wanna-be donors?" he asked. Okay, now he was verging on the potentially dangerous territory. Not to mention making it pretty obvious he knew what she was, at least to some degree.
"That depends," Salome replied, raising an eyebrow at him. "Are you volunteering?" Not that she wouldn't take a bite if it was offered - she'd never had a donor complain yet. Even when her donors weren't exactly volunteers. She wasn't going to give him a real answer; it was a rather rude question to be asked. Her feeding habits weren't any of his business.
"Uh, no." Tayne shook his head quickly. To him, he saw nothing wrong with it, and couldn't imagine that it had been rude. After all, he didn't converse with a lot of vampires. More often, he was staking them. "Sorry, not volunteering. Jus' commenting that a lot of people... you know, being vampire-crazy and shit."
"People don't often realize I'm a vampire unless they get close," Salome said, shrugging one shoulder. "Lucky me. If people want a vampire fix now, they can head down to Heme to get it. They've even taken most of the danger out of such an encounter. As much as can be, of course. I take it you're not one of the crazy vampire fans."
"Not 'xactly, no." Oh, the understatement of that statement.... While Tayne did not exactly hate vampires as a whole, he was still definitely wary of them. Vampires had always been a popular kill for a hunter like him, since they were easier to spot than demons or demon-blooded, and less likely to get you turned into something else than weres. "At least the crazies can be taken care of so they don't bother you, anyway."
"Taken care of?" Salome echoed, raising an eyebrow again and fighting a smile. "Interesting choice of words. I trust you're not speaking in euphemism. For the most part, I can outrun the crazies." A vampire's natural athleticism and her bike meant that very few could catch her if she wasn't in the mood to be caught. Not that she turned away human crazies all that often; she usually gave them a little touch and was done with it.
Tayne rolled his eyes. "You know I didn' mean anythin' but them bein' flocking to Heme, like you said. Though the mental pic' of you outrunning a whole mod of 'em is kinda funny." He had to at least admit that. Because it was. He'd never really imagined the huge popularity vampires had would be this... well, huge. It was like they were all automatically movie stars. It weirded him out, to be honest.
"I'm glad you're so amused at the thought of me being run down by psychopathic fangbangers," Salome said dryly. "It would be like me sitting back and laughing if you found yourself in the path of a mugger or something." Which, she had to admit, might be funny indeed with the right circumstances.
"Vampire-fans aren't out to mug you," Tayne snorted, glaring a little. "Ain't the same 'tall. More like if I'd turned into a movie star and had fans who mobbed me." As if that'd ever happen. Ick. "Big diff'rence."
"No, but some vampire fans are out to chain me down and drain my blood for recreational drug use," Salome retorted. "I'd rather be mugged, thanks." She gave him a small glare in return. "Not everyone who chases vampires is interested in a bite and an autograph. Some would kill me where I stand for no better reason than I'm different. Just because I could hurt someone doesn't mean I will." Even if that was exactly what she'd do. But god, if it wasn't sometimes hilarious to play the injured innocent party.
Tayne looked taken aback, but it rather quickly turned into an annoyed frown. "That's totally not the 'vampire fans' I was talkin' about, an' you fuckin' know it. Those're hunters, not groupies, hell." Holy shit, the vampire was getting snitty with him, over something he'd obviously not meant. What the hell.
"And what would you call celebrity stalkers?" Salome asked logically. "They're fans; in their deranged minds, they don't understand that what they do hurts their obsession. It's a thin line between someone who idolizes vampires and someone who wants to be one so badly they'll drain someone's blood. And above all that, I wouldn't trust a hunter to hide in a mob of fans." She shrugged. "I just call it like it is."
"Okay, okay, fine," Tayne grumped. "You win. I don't think about vampire-loving mobs enough to get this shit." He didn't want to sit here and be lectured by a damn vampire. He pulled out his wallet and drained the last of his B&T. There were other bars he could go get shit-faced in, and he was going to find one.
"I wasn't trying to argue," Salome said, hiding her amusement at his grouchiness under a faint hint of apology. "Just to give you a clear picture of how things can be. It's dangerous for all of us now, whether or not we do anything to deserve it."
"Well, thanks for that." It came out reluctant and still annoyed. He was still finding himself a new bar. He couldn't possibly get shit-faced with a vampire right there, no matter how nice or not-nice she was. Leaving a few dollars on the bartop, he started to get up. "Guess I'll see you 'round, miss Salome." Weird name, but not hard to say, at least.
"Perhaps you will," Salome agreed. "It was interesting talking to you, Tayne. I hope you manage to get your girl troubles worked out." She reached out as he moved past her, lightly brushing her fingertips over the back of his hand. "Be safe," she wished him, hiding her irony under apparent sincerity. He'd feel the effects of her gift soon if not immediately, weakness and an unfortunate tendency towards accidents. The poor boy would never know what hit him.
He didn't notice the effects immediately, but he did back up so hurriedly that he tripped over one of the barstools and hit the ground with his rump and a rattle of wood on the floor. Grimacing, he picked himself up slowly. "Thanks," he said, not really meaning it, and giving her a wary look as he rubbed the back of his hand where she'd touched him. If she was a horseman-type vampire... he was gonna be pissed.
With that thought, he booked it for the door. Maybe he'd just go home... on foot... yeah, that was sounding like a pretty damn good idea, to him.
Salome only just barely avoided laughter; instead, she pasted a look of concern onto her face, though didn't bestir herself to help him up. "My goodness, are you all right?" she asked. In the next second, however, he was up and running towards the door. Chuckling to herself, she turned back to the bar and her forgotten drink, intent on spreading her gift to most of the rest of the patrons before the night's end.