Grand Re-Opening (Open/NR)

The flyers had been posted by some street dwelling hoodlums for a small amount of credits. Sophora was good at getting any hormonal males to do her bidding, flash a smile, sway her hips and hand the guys the flyers. ‘Grand Opening – Crimson Passion’ was printed in bold red lettering at the top. Of course she worried about being under staffed, but due to the lack of qualities in surrounding populace she couldn’t find those that matched the job description. She would hope that the night’s party-goers would be interested in a job or at least partnership, although she never was good at partnerships.
For the night a handful of rock bands and a metal band had been paid to play from sundown to sun up. The building in which the Crimson Passion was established was well built for the area of business, making sure there were almost no windows on the bottom floor, and the walls would hold what sound there was inside.
Sophora herself would be the host of the party, dressing in her finest to attract the crowds. Though she had only in the evening fired her assistant for lack of responsibility, the lousy chick couldn’t pay attention. She had come close to grabbing the hidden blade and ending her right there, but decided it better to let the poor human walk. Ah, but she fondly remembered when she came across Xavier… The way his short black hair shimmered in the moonlight, the blood splats on his cheeks from the most recent slaying of an Angel and she had held the same hidden blade to his neck. “Make one attempt at your weapon and you’ll have a one-way ticket back home.” She had warned him. But when their eyes connected, she felt the original sin rise into her gut. The forbidden passion of the Angel and Ugh, she couldn’t get rid of it.
Back to the here and now, she sat at the bar. The club was somewhat empty save a few guests and some mediocre band was doing a cover of “Down with the Sickness.” It didn’t sound good. She would have to do something about that; make note perhaps that she wouldn’t have them again. The nice cold Vodka in her hand made up for the horrid music.
The plan for the night was to be on guard for any trouble as security was sparse, and to meet new faces in Edge. She had been there for a long while, every since the war, but hadn’t be social. Now was the time. She brushed back the straight black hair from her blue eyes and tucked the feathers back in her waist-band.
“Dante, I need another glass of vodka and a twist of orange if you will.” She asked.
“Yes ma’am right up.” And he slid the drink across the counter.

Things were getting pretty interesting. It was very entertaining to sit back and watch what was going on with his family. Alec called him a stalker or a creep, and maybe it was a little weird to be watching things unseen. People were dying and entire cities were being wiped off the map; there was still a gigantic black cloud on the horizon from where New Vegas burned. "Ground Zero," it was called.

Alec still had his terrible temper, albeit he was alot calmer than he used to be, compared to the days when he was in that "Squad" of his... what was it called again? Chaos something. Some kid with a potty mouth and a baseball bat was the leader. That seemed like a long time ago... Actions looked to be picking up, as the Demon that was the Boss of a now smoking hole in the ground re-appeared upon his Great Grand Daughter's island before his Grandson Alec Jr. The old man looked forward to that fight like an upcoming episode of your favorite soap opera, but the familiar itch came upon him to walk, to get out, to wander... an itch he frequently scratched.

Darkman was familiar with all of the shithole bars, clubs, and holes in the wall all over the city. Not to say Crimson Passion was a shithole mind you, but this was the one place he was UNfamiliar with. The re-opening of somewhere he'd never been, interesting. It wouldn't hurt to step inside, have a look around, wet the throat with a drink or 2... or 3...

His Camouflage in place, though he was quite sure no one in here would know what he looked like or who he was regardless, the Founder of Edge, entered Crimson Passions. He was dressed in his usual attire of full black, Alec comparing him to "Neo" from the "Matrix" movies; a pair of sunglasses that he seemingly never removed covering his eyes.

Hmm. Hardly any windows, dark, but he didn't remove his sunglasses. Nice. Just how he liked it. A live band was making an attempt at a "Disturbed" song he liked, (Stupify being another) but the band... needed help. A+ for effort though... Not bad. Not bad at all, this could become a regular spot of his. He lit a cigarette and considered something liquid with a sting...

Ability Being Used By Darkman:

What did you do when you wanted to both hug and slaughter your best friend at the same time? You drank. Or at least, that's what you did if your best friend happened to be staying in the same building that you were. It didn't matter how big the tower was, she had to get away from her friend's very presence or she was likely to do some /redecorating/ of the destructive kind, and she was sure that would piss off a lot of people.

A glance above to the halo hovering above her head had her dimming the thing down to where it wouldn't be noticeable by humans: though she hardly cared if anything non-human noticed at this point. Boots made a top 'tap' noise on the sidewalk as she walked towards the Crimson Passion. Legs were covered in a blue pair of jeans. Upper body was covered with a gray and white stripped cami was covered with a black vest that was open. Long red hair was back in a ponytail, keeping it from her lightning blue colored eyes, the ponytail hanging down to almost her waist.

She stepped inside, gaze flickering around as her ears took in the music that was being played; it was a lot better of a song than most places played. Her gaze narrowed on a somewhat familiar figure with the cigarette and so that was the direction she moved, hands slipping into the pockets of her vest as she did so.

"Hmm...."

“Damn this music.” She muttered as she let the remainder of vodka slide down. It sated her thirst and quieted the rage. It had been thirty-minutes and this band would be ending soon. She’d send them on their way. It wasn’t typical that Sophora was picky, but the guests didn’t seem too hyped by the music, and if the customers weren’t hyped, neither was she.

She stood up from the bar stool, adjusting her strapless top and her belt. The skin tight leather pants were making her hot. She gave a brief glance to the dark figure that had just come in, and then the not so human that came in just after that. She would smile and nod in their direction as a welcome. “Anything the two new guests want, it’s on the house of course.” She spoke to Dante.

It was time to open the night and let the Metallica Tribute Band get the crowd hyped. Later she would welcome a new DJ to the club, a talented and rising young man. But for now she would pull a cigarette from the top of her ear where it had been resting and take for the stage. Besides, entertaining was one of her new-found loves, dancing came second to hosting.

On her way to the back of the stage to get the headset, she had run into an old acquaintance. Friend or foe she wasn’t too sure as much time had passed since.

“Ms. Valentine…” The young man addressed her.
“Lofren, it has been awhile. As you can see, I am quite busy right now.” Sophora responded.
“I see. Still holding that grudge? Well I didn’t come to stir old flames, just wanted to see how my former brother’s girl was. You know a few rumors are going round’. Supposedly your establishment here has attracted some very important people. Becareful.” His breath smelled of sulfur and was repulsive.
“I can hold my own Lofren, and I am no longer your ‘brother’s girl’. He died and that part of me died with him no thanks to you… Now be on with yourself, I have an opening to attend with.” She brushed him off and went backstage.

The headset didn’t take much effort to fix to her ear. But she couldn’t kick the memory of Lofren and Xavier. They were supposed to be brothers, demon brothers nevertheless. But that wasn’t the point. The point was, Lofren was right there when the Angels came to kill Xavier, he could have saved his brother, but he didn’t. Sophora didn’t have time or a place in her life for cowards.

“Are you ready to party?!” She shouted over the music, her voice reverberating off the walls. With that she gave a wicked laugh that was almost amusing. The band playing stopped and began moving their set. Sophora took the stage, pushing through the crimson velvet stage curtains. Each step she could feel the black heeled boots she wore clack against the stage floor. The lights, a mix of red and purple illuminated her presence.

“Welcome to Crimson Passions, where all your dreams, fantasies and exotic nightmares are true. Where the pulse in your throat pumps to the beats of the stage, a place of non-stop drinking, dancing, a little this and a little that, tonight will most likely be one of the best you’ve had yet. I am Sophora Valentine, owner and operator of this establishment, and as my guests I expect all of you to enjoy yourselves, don’t hold back. Besides we all have a little animal in us. As a celebration of the re-opening of Crimson Passions, the first rounds of drinks are on the house. Next up we have a Metallica Tribute band, later DJ Juno. I’d like to thank all of you for allowing the Crimson a place in Edge City. Enjoy!” She ended with a feminine and swaying voice on ‘Enjoy.’

Backstage again, she threw the headset on the counter and headed back for the bar. Finally lighting the cigarette she had held in her hand. Ah, the Smokey poison felt great entering into her lungs. That was the good thing about being a non-human, death by cancer-sticks didn’t apply.

At the bar once again she took a seat. Dante already had the drink waiting for her return. She exhaled the smoke and took a sip of Vodka from the glass. Sophora glanced over towards the dark figure again, staring for just a split moment before turning back to her drink. She was thinking about what Lofren told her, important people, how important? She wandered.

Someone very familiar to him came into the club not long after he stepped inside. One of his Grand children? He had so many now, it was hard to keep up with all of them. Sooner or later he was certain he'd find out. A Zippo rose to be flicked open and reveal fire, blue at the bottom, yellow at the top, to be used to light the cigarette dangling from his lips. It looked like the band was wrapping up.

Darkman moved himself over near the bar area, asking the bartender, Dante, for a double shot of Bacardi. When Darkman began to fumble about for credits, Dante held up a hand. Darkman could read the words "First round's on the house" on his lips over the music, which caused Darkman to nod his head with a grin.

While letting the stinging liquid slide down his throat after downing the whole shot, the owner took the stage and made a speech. Yes, the young'uns that frequented the area, some of which being his children and Grand children, would love a dive like this. Darkman leaned back on the counter of the bar on his elbows, already feeling the effects of the alcohol. They wouldn't last long, because of the constant regen abilities, so Darkman would most of the time get slammed immediately.

Blowing smoke from his lungs and flicking ashes into a nearby tray on the bar top, he wondered what act would take the stage next.

She returned the nod of greeting to the female who seemed to be in charge of the place. Then turned her attention back to the establishment itself, taking in all of the details more, the band, the people, what she could tell was human and not so human...

Her blood was still boiling with her anger towards Demitria, but she was doing her best to keep herself from showing said anger: it would make her halo glow, brightly, and the last thing she wanted to deal with was some nosy human staring, therefore she kept herself in check, at least with her outward appearance. She simply sat herself at the bar, taking the empty seat next to her Grandfather, and figuring that the best thing to do was get herself a good stiff drink and hope it distracted her enough.

She ordered herself a Blue Breeze and as she waited for her drink to come she turned slightly on her stool, glancing towards the stage as it seemed that the band was changing. The idea of her first drink being on the house was a pleasing one, and a small smile formed across her face. She turned back around, giving a nod of thanks to the bartender before she picked up her light blue colored drink. The color itself was what had originally attracted her to the thing, but it also tasted magnificent.

She brought the glass to her lips and sipped it, her shoulders losing their previous tension. She knew the effects wouldn't last of course, but the taste itself was enough to have her relaxing. She was here enjoying herself, and Demitria was stuck in Darkman Tower for a week... Yup, see, she could see this in a different light.

She found herself as she took another sip of her drink wanting to say something to her Grandfather, and she was damn sure it was him. Though, she couldn't quite remember the last time she had seen him. Oh wait, she could... it had been the last time she had accidentally reverted herself into a child. Maximillian King had been escorting her to Darkman Tower, and her Grandfather had greeted them. That had been an interesting night, and had been only the second time she had ever seen her Grandfather. He just didn't seem to come around often enough.

So, what did one say to someone they hadn't seen in forever, and yet barely at all anyway? Hell if she knew, which was why she just kept sipping her drink, downing the thing rather quickly...

"So...."

Relieved from the speech and feeling the fading effects of the alcohol, she decided to have another glass. And double the vodka this time. She ducted out the cigarette and exhaled the thick grayish blue smoke. Then she pondered what to do next.

It just wasn’t right of her to sit at the bar with patrons and not speak. So she moved down closer to the dark figure and the other female, sliding her drink with her. Her thoughts were that at this moment she might be encroaching on a conversation she had no business in; of course she had seen the violence in Edge on more than one occasion, but from a distance.

But it bugged her to sit there and act as if she were not of good company. Though she had made a speech a few moments earlier, it simply would not be enough to calm her racing thoughts. She must be active and social.

“Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here? My name is Sophora, but you probably already knew that. Silly me.” She flashed a smile and sipped on her drink.

"So... crazy times right now, huh Dez?" he asked with a slight grin, the scenery beginning to move in his perspective. As he could only enjoy the effects of alcohol, or the nicotine buzz from a cigarette for several moments before the regen started fixing things, like it always did, Darkman put down the other shot immediately, squinting his eyes somewhat from the burn, that lovely burn. The feeling of fire slowly sinking down into his gut. Good shit, good shit.

He didn't have to look toward his Grand daughter to know she'd been sitting next to him a while now. His camouflage didn't work on someone who already knew who he was. To them, he'd feel like just an ordinary person, but if they knew already the disguise was useless to try and use with family.

"Ghosts, Demons, entire cities being wiped off the map? Ha ha... Devil Guns. Your father is trying his best, I know. But he still has a bad attitude... And you, if you don't change your tune, i'm afraid, are heading down that same path." Darkman patted his large left hand, large enough to grip her entire head if he wanted to, atop the red head. "Malkavians are crazy, but your friend... she didn't really mean any harm. It was all just a bunch of unfortunate circumstances. Calm down..."

She'd probably be freaked out from Darkman knowing so many details while not being around at all. Darkman would only grin, used to that reaction now. It made him laugh whenever he was around Alec because he always got extremely furious. How would Destiny take to him being a weird old peeper? He grinned while trying to guess her reaction.

The owner, Sophora, came and took the other seat next to him then, asking if it were alright for her to sit there. "No i'm sorry, that seat was reserved," responded Darkman to Sophora, but before she could get up again he'd put up his hands with a grin, signaling to her that he was joking. "No no, i'm just teasing. You have a beautiful name and a nice place here, Sophora. My name is Dar--Derk," The liquor was sort of clouding his head, throwing him off some. He fumbled somewhat, but kept his grip on the ball. "Derk Mann..ing. Manning. Sorry. It's been a while since I last drank."

"I can't blame him for wiping that city off of the map... though, it's too bad that Demon wasn't there. It better find a nice little place to wither and die before I find it... Last thing I want is Amaranth to have to grow up fighting each and every day because some idiot wants to pick on her. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt."

"And at least I'm practicing rational thinking... Which is why I'm here, having a drink, instead of back home throwing Demitria through walls and beating on her until we're both so exhausted that neither of us is capable of moving, or thinking..." The pair had done it before, of course. Not inside of Darkman Tower obviously, but they had destroyed many cities in their random 'play fighting' when they were both younger: hurling cars at each other, throwing each other through buildings, tearing up the streets, and all in the sake of having some fun and blowing off some energy. Back then Destiny and Demitria had both had so much pent up energy and other than the occasional fight had had no way of venting it: and that had solved both of their problems. Of course, she had never exactly asked how everyone else had thought about their version of 'play fighting' that would have left almost anyone else dead.

She listened to her Grandfather introduce himself to the female who sat down nearby and grinned before hiding the expression in her glass as she downed the last little bit of the lovely looking blue substance inside. She placed her glass back down on the bar and reached into her pocket, pulling out the needed credits for another one before signaling the bartender, placing the credits down on the bar in front of herself.

"Another, please." She watched as her empty glass was taken and a new drink was being made. She would probably switch up later, but for now, she liked this drink and it was what she was going to be sticking with.

"I thought perhaps I would have to find someone else to converse with." She laughed. His way of joking was usual but at the same time, he could pull off seriousness very well she thought. It had been a while since she'd met someone new.

"Thank you Mr. Manning. It was not a birth name...Rather an acquired name from time itself. Derived from Euphoria, but that's another story for another time." She paused taking another drink of the cold straight Vodka.

"Please, I told Dante here to give you both drinks on the house. Yes, silly me, I hope you didn't think I meant everyone has to pay after the first round. My bad, I apologize. But the two of you look rather different than those surrounding me. I figured I would show more kindness and hospitality." It was true. Everyone else except Lofren that was around her, was human or bluntly showing there humanity. But these two, they rather gave off a different aura. She knew auras well, because every time she saw Xavier when he was alive, his was bright red. So much anger, so much sin upon his shoulders. Ah and then there was Blue, Lofren, his greed and murderous ways had given him away. Though, the two she was speaking to now, held no color, just a sense, a smell, and a feeling in Sophora's gut that meant something wasn't exactly natural.

"I apologize for speaking too much. I tend to babble and this vodka only work for a shor...only works so much to tame me..." She almost slipped up. "I do hope you find the Crimson to your likings, and a comfortable environment to have downtime. If I can get either of you anything, feel free to request."

It was about time some good music started playing. A catchy Metallica song, would be better if played by the original band, but it was on par with tradition. She mellowed in the rhythm and sipped her drink.

Destiny's temper was about as bad as... well, Jr, whenever someone had really pressed his buttons. His vision began to move as if someone had thrown water in his eyes from the alcohol. Beating the ever living hell out of each other... a couple of girls. Yes, Darkman even knew about episodes of 2 girls engaged in epic battles in random cities that caused untold dollar amounts in property damage. These kids these days and their wacky ways of making up...

He also listened to what she'd said about that Demon, and took a second to have himself a look at his Great Grand Daughter's island by way of Psychic Navigation. It was only a second, but that second seemed like an hour to him. He was quite surprised with what he saw.

It would only take another second to telepathically share this image with Destiny, the image of Jr killing the same Demon in an almost effortless fashion. In her head he would say, "Seems your little brother beat you to the punch...I'm doubting the kids of this generation are going to have to come up the way you or your father did, so it wouldn't hurt you to calm down some."

Ability Used:

Destiny got more to drink, and so did Darkman. Why not cheat the regen and keep this going for a while longer? Sophora said they were free, and listening to her speak it would seemed she was more observant that ordinary. He wondered if perhaps she could see through his camouflage, or the fact that Destiny here was an Angel.

"No apologies necessary Sophora, perhaps I could hear you babble to me more sometime. We more than appreciate the hospitality..."

Upon recieving her glass she looked towards Sophora and gave a nod and another smile. "Much appreciated, and I'm Destiny by the way." She raised the glass of blue liquid to her lips again, taking a long sip as she not only saw the picture of the slain Demon in her mind from her Grandfather, but also took note of his words. A sly smile formed across her face, maybe it was the momentary effects of the alcohol, but that picture amused her just a little more than what it probably should have: or maybe it was simply the fact that her lazy brother had actually been the one to handle him.

"You're right... just, old habits die hard, I guess. Sometimes I'm half expecting Raquel to appear or something again with her little group...", she responded telepathically to her Grandfather. He was right though, she was taking things a little too seriously. Demi hadn't gone off to that white city to go face the spirit alone and was in fact safe up in Darkman Tower, and Amaranth... well, she was a very powerful combination of Ghost and herself, she could more than handle things herself, and if not... Jr. and Ghost were on the island right now.

She picked her glass back up off of the bar, bringing it to her lips again as she drank more of the blue liquid. She found herself relaxing more with her new train of thought: maybe when she was done here she'd go back and see if Demi wanted to do something.. inside of the Tower of course. Or, perhaps, she'd wait until Demi could leave again and then bring her back here, it was a nice place after all, and Demi loved to drink, hell she was surprised Demi hadn't opened up her own bar of some kind, the girl could mix a drink like no one's business.

She couldn't help but feel an intense wave, a rush of psychic energy between them. She wouldn't try or attempt to understand the connection with them, but it was felt from a distance. Do not meddle in affairs not related to your person, was here all time motto. It never brought anything good. Besides, with this woman and man, she doubted in an altercation that even her well-trained hands would save her. She had lost every other battle besides the long ago one with Magonmon, and that was a lucky draw.

"Thank you, and it is a pleasure to meet you as well Destiny." It was good to know at least two people in a dark city such as this. Xavier had told her once or twice about Hell, and compared to this place, she certainly had no intentions of going there.

She turned to Dante, easing out of the privacy of those sitting next to her. "Have Lofren escorted out of here, and have we received any applications for work?" She was hoping that at least one application would be received in this understaffed business.

"No ma'am. And of course I'll let Brax know to throw him out. How are we tonight Ms. V? Doing alright?" Dante asked. He was a doll, gay as ever on the inside, but outside you couldn't tell even the slightest.

"All is well, Lofren just flipped my thoughts like usual. Next time he uses that shit on me, I'll have his tongue cut out and his horns shoved up his ass." She laughed it off. Something she was good at doing, as her thick shell made it hard to irritate her. Sophora was a brick wall compared to her forgotten sister. But then again, her sister was a bitch, always trying to seduce and destroy.

With a slow nod Darkman re-lit the cancer stick to intermingle with the feeling that the alcohol was leaving on his head and chest. He liked to hide and watch nowadays, rarely ever being mainstream if it didn't involve family, but rather he enjoyed observing and sometimes manipulating things from the shadows. He'd planned on becoming a regular here. Sophora... she was a generous host, and quite easy on the eyes to boot. Getting to know her better wouldn't be a bad idea. Keeping an eye out just in case something bad were to happen, or some shady characters showed up causing trouble, this wouldn't be a bad idea either. There were plenty of people he knew that wouldn't mind cracking open some skulls just for the fun of it should Sophora ever need that kind of assistance.

"Hahahaha, Raquel. That was interesting to watch too. Days of sending jokers after a 4 year old girl, to only have them all fall down like dominoes. Never laughed so hard in... well, a really long time...

Destiny picked up her glass once more and took another sip of the blue liquid. She raised a brow at her Grandfather and just shook her head with a soft smirk on her face. "I'm just glad it didn't go on for longer than four days... it got annoying quick when they kept coming back from the dead..."

Her gaze flickered to Sophora as she picked up on the last of the female's conversation. But she returned her mind to her own business and just took another sip of her drink. She looked to her mostly empty glass, contemplating if she should get another one or just call it quits and head home. She was a hell of a lot calmer now than she had been, calm enough to be in the same building with Demitria and not want to throw her out of a window, or through a wall... or the many other scenario's that had been playing over and over again in her head like a movie.

"Hmm... "