Rubbing Elbows (Tag Demos)

[Kami]

Things were allot easier when I was human.
If I flited around playing my Axe for extra cash, sleeping on friend's couches, no one cared.
Now I'm a vampire. And somehow, my actions are going to reflect on Ozzy.
Oddly, knowing him better now, you'd think that the poor guy couldn't get much lower on the food chain.
But, he doesn't deserve my issues bringing him down any further.
So, it's time to try and find a real job...
I'd tried looking for gigs, band stuff... but not being able to walk around in the sun, totally cuts down my options in that field.
Of course, there's always the old stand by, Bars.
Open at night, I could be a bartender... or a Barmaid... or even a bouncer with my new strength.
And in a city that caters to vampires, I'm sure there's always a position open for that somewhere.
I've put applications, and shook hands with all sorts of bars and bar owners, already.
The night's about half way over, and I end up on the more posh side of town... the bars looking less like dives up the strip.
De Sade... sounds nice and naughty. And a bit more classy than some dive called Melba's, 3 blocks down.
It actually looks much more pleasing inside too.
Walking in, I give the place a look around, noting that there seem to be a good number of vampires around.
Bonus... this place could be owned by a Kindred. That would help with understanding work schedules.
I head up to the bar, giving a good look around, when I hear glass breaking behind me.
I turn to see two rather large looking vampires baring their fangs, going at it right here in the bar.
I glance around to see no one jumping in, and I can't really tell who might or might not be human in this crowd.
Ozzy says the first Tradition is the Masquerade... which means if a human catches this kind of fight, the two guys involved could be sentanced to a final death by the Prince.
And yet.. here they are in public, fighting.
I may not be the brightest crayon in the box... but I'm pretty sure this is worse than stupid.
I must admit I'm feeling irritable tonight.
I've been going through crowds of rowdy drunks in the bars on the bad side of town... I was really hoping this bar would be different.
With a sigh I turn, watching the fighter's moves a moment, before placing myself into the fight.
My goal here is to act as a bouncer, stop the fight with minimal damages...

((Storyteller says to roll Strength and Dex with difficulty of 6))

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[dice=10][rand=634036089750288635535277290530487923056928318080143716943541882386]

[Kami]

((Judging from roll, I'm going to have to come up with better moves and roll again to finish this...))

Inserting myself into a fight with vampires who are obviously drunk, and yet obviously stronger than myself, may not have been the best choice of my night.
I manage to get a choke hold on one guy, but the other is still a wild card, hitting me in the face for the inturruption.
And now it's 3 on 3... instead of 2 on 2.
I've been in a fight or two in my lifetime, so I manage to hold my own against a couple drunks, but I don't seem to manage getting over their brute strength.
Plan B: Taking it personal now.
I pull out my butter fly knife, and attempt another tactic:

((Storyteller says Dexterity and Wits, difficulty of 5))

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[Kami]

((now that's more like it... an equalizer...))

I stab one of the goons in the leg quickly, his howl getting loud as I turn and hold the blade to the other's throat, his glazed eyes going wide in his drunken stupor.

"Take your buddy, and your fight, and get out.
Go break the Masquerade somewhere I don't have to see it."

I hiss, showing my fangs, pressing the blade deeper as I do, to put my point across.
It seems to sober the guy up... or scare the shit out of him, I'm not sure which, because the moment I press the blade hard enough to draw the slightest amount of red, he moves, doing everything I said.
I watch them leave, cleaning my knife on my jeans, putting it back away.
Technically, I just broke the first Tradition in trying to stop them from doing it.
I look around the room, surprised that no one seems overly shocked by any of it.
I head up to the bar, and stand there looking at the bottles a moment.
After adding to that scene, I probably made a bad first impression already.
I can imagine the interview now, "Oh yeah... I just stabbed a guy in your bar... But I'm a great barmaid!"
I think it's time to ditch this job hunt.
I need a drunk human to feed on... this just has not been my night.

[Demos]

Early night tonight. Typically, I like to lay in bed, waiting for the sounds of the club to awaken me, the thrum of the music, the sounds of the crowded masses below. Owning Sade comes with the added perk of getting to live there, and its a feature I quite enjoy.

Tonight though, I had some business in town that had me out of bed and out the door when the club has only barely started moving.

Annoying. I barely have time for a snack, selecting from among the numerous women that cluster close to my stairs, waiting for me. They're not ghouls or vampires, but groupies...groupies of me. Aparently being the only Toreador man in the city carries with it a certain...reputation...One I don't hesitate to enjoy.

Its over all too quickly, the feeding, toying with the mortal woman until she explodeds, and then leaving her in my bed, out of her mind with pleasure, no doubt happily awaiting my return.

Perhaps I'll have time to savor her more later.

For now I'm out the front entrance and away to see Lysette. Our business together is brief, but sweet. Just another one of my lessons, a teaching on the long and illustrious history of the clan.

Of course I'm less than pleased to find a fight on my return.

It shouldn't be a surprise, not after a month of hosting vampires in my business. Aparently not all clans have the same reputaiton for civility that the Toreador have garnered.

I watch it play out with irritation, some pale skinned biker with facial tattoos facing off against what would appear to be a gangrel in a sharkskin suit. No mistaking those fangs...Probably Brujah versus Gangrel, though its pretty much open game to guess. Lysette has said I musn't stereotype them. Never assume anything.

Its hard when its the third fight you've had to break up this week.

I'm just in the middle of discarding my sportcoat when someone beats me to the punch. A redhead in punk apparel who steps in, trying brute force to little effect, and then brining a balisong into the game. That changes things considerably, and before long both of them are cut and running. Nice.

Slipping my sport coat back on I make my way carefully through the crowds to seat myself next to her on a barstool, leaning forward to speak to the barman, Ernie.

"Hey Ernie, get me my usual order...and one for the lady to. She looks like she could use one."
I turn to her, flashing my charmer smile.

"Hope you don't mind an AB negative with a twist of vodka....I call it a Typhoid Mary. Name's Demos."

[Kami]

I'm standing there, blankly staring as I wonder my next move of this 'grand' night, someone sits on the bar stool near me, his voice like music...
I've always been partial to sound, and I've never heard a voice with so many subtle tones...
I wasn't listening to what he was saying to the bartender, I was just listening for all the tones in that voice, and he turns towards me, his face just as beautiful as the voice.
Of course, he is talking to me now, so I have to pay attention to the words, he's telling me the drink is blood, with vodka in it..
Interesting.
I know, I'm really new to this whole vampire thing, but my forced mentor is an alcoholic vampire. He has to get the human drunk, before the blood actually gives him a buzz. You can't just add Vodka to it. It doesn't work that way...
Of course I'm not going to say this to the guy offering.
A bar, serving blood... they probably collected it the right way, and it just doesn't make such a snazzy opening line as 'Typhoid Mary'.
The hottest guy in the bar is buying me a drink.
If I were still human, I think I'd be a little excited by this sudden turn in my luck.

"Thanks. I really could use a drink.
Name's Kami."

I take a seat on the bar stool I've been standing near, beside Demos, but turned away from the bar, to look over the crowd.
I take a drink of the Typhoid Mary, and it really does hit the spot, making me smile some.
A bar... serving alcoholic blood.
This really would be a great place to land a job.
I glance back at the bartender, wondering if I should bother initiating that conversation.
Eh. My night didn't turn around until I gave up on the job part.

"Looks like I'll have to come back another time to ask for an application..."

And of course, it would be rude not to strike up some small talk with the hot guy who bought me the drink.

"So. Demos, Having a good night?"

Hmph. Sitting in a nice place, having a real drink with a sexy vampire... It's not landing the perfect job, but at least I can go back home not feeling like it was a complete fail.

[Demos]

She's a cute one, this girl. Red hair cropped a bit short for my tastes, and with the matter of fact bodystyle I find enjoyable. Theres a natural ease to the way she sits at the bar. Not displaying herself, not self concious, just aware.

She takes my drink off up gracefully, but with what I see to be a hint of puzzlment, somewhat at odds with her next statement. I can only assume that she didn't know this was a vampire bar. Thats not terribly surprising. I've gotten the word out as best I can through Ivan and Lysette's assistance, but its still a new operation, more in development than anything. I don't even have a proper bouncer yet...though one seems to have just fallen into my lap.

I love how that works sometimes.

Her question even gives me a perfect opening into the matter.

"Well, about a mintue ago I was thinking I'd have to break up a bar fight...but you did nicely in averting that...If you want a job here I ought to be able to help you out...I do own the place after all...."

Smiling mischierously, I step down from the barstool, and take her by the hand, leading her through the dancefloor, and to a black curtained area at the back, beyond which lies the VIP section and some of the less pedestrian areas of the club.

Vampire and slaves only, it has one of Ivan's men stationed outfront. Keeping an eye to make sure only the right guests enter, and that the girls within remain relatively unharmed.

"Evening Loki..I have some business to discuss with this young lady."

A hyena Gangrel, Loki smiles his rictus grin, and parts the curtain for me, even as I gesture for Kami to step in before me.

"Step into my office, and we'll talk business."

Strictly speaking, the VIP section isn't the best place in the world to recieve guests, but I enjoy the entertainment value that it offers. Anyone who has been to the average bondage club should know the basic layout. Girls in cages, in stocks, laid across tables, and dancing for their johns. Even a spattering of musuclar male strippers. Nothing surprising there. The difference is that the clients are all vampires, and that most if not all of them are either feeding, fucking, or both. The air is filled with the scents of sweat, sex, and most enticingly, blood.

I seat myself at the usual table, shooing away the latex clad stripped who moves towards me, and instead gesturing for Kami to take the seat across from me. When she's comfortably situated I speak again, keeping my attention on her, even as I'm aware of the room about us.

"Its a bit much to take in all at once I know, but if you are interested in a job...well you'd best be comfortable understanding what you're getting into. These girls belong to the Gangrel Primogen Ivan, and he's been kind enough to loan them out to me, as part of an ongoing contract I have. They're willing slaves who help my clients indulge a thousand different fantasies, just for the pleasure of the kiss. Not a bad deal really, and quite finachially sound, even accounting for Ivan's cut of the profits. His men handle this section of the club, keep things from getitng out of control, any of the women from dying unnessecerily..."

I let the last bit taper off, my mood souring slightly on that note. My own experience in the matter shadowing my thoughts before I clear my head, returning to the business at hand, bringing the smile back to my lips from habit as I contiue talking, slightly more distant as I watch the girls for a moment.


"If you decide to work for me you'll be based out on the main floor. I'll probably set you up tending bar...Ernie is a temp in that capacity. Someone else Ivan loaned me for the short term...But you can have the job fulltime. Run the bar, keep the fighting to a minimum...fairly simple. I can pay you fifteen an hour, plus tips...and you're welcome to feed here too, if that suits you."

I gesture across the room, and the girl from earlier returns, followed by a muscular male slave, whose thong leaves little to the imagination. The woman leans over my seated positon, offering me her bare breasts, and I take one into my hand, biting lightly into the flesh, just enough to draw a gasp from her, and a slight outpouring of blood, I lick the wound closed, enjoying the taste. Not vodka as the drink, something softer. Wine perhaps...I'm still getting a taste for it.

I turn from her, licking my lips before I speak again, smiling at the sight I see.

"What do you say? Do we have an agreement?"