Rolling and trolling

[Seth Rivers]

It had been a while since Seth had so much time off from working at the garage so when presented with the opportunity to hit the club he did. Being younger than the others he never got to go out to many places. When he was with Cloud it was the only time he didn't have to hand over his ID. It might have been his clothing choices looking more like a bodyguard for the guy then his buddy that got him through the door also. He hadn't been to many night clubs so Seth dressed for the occasion. Gone were the days of his ponytail. After meeting Raf he had made the decision to cut his hair shorter there would be no competing with him on who had the better locks.He had found a nice pair of dark washed jeans and a black t-shirt in his drawer and thought he was looking pretty good. It was the gray blazer he had found laying on a chair in his room that pulled everything together . It didn't belong to him and it was probably one Catch had left behind but it smelt clean and looked nice so he added to his attire.

The music was blasting, lights were flashing and drinks were endless. Seth was leaning back in his chair when he felt a tap on his arm. Some rainbow hair girl in a plaid mini skirt and a bikini top passed him a clear baggie filled with pills. Some which he was familiar with and others he wasn't. Smiling Seth took in and she placed a few glow stick necklaces around his neck before taking off to probably do more rounds. Placing the  goodie bag down on the table in front of him he waved over to Cloud who seemed to be enjoying himself quite a bit in this rave atmosphere. They had a plan to head over to Claude's club before the night was out and Seth didn't want to partake in anything besides a few drinks until they got there he was the designated driver, but after he got to Calude's he was just as free as Cloud to be able to have some more fun.

One good thing about having Claude as a friend was that he always kept an eye on everyone between his research and his weird uncle-like personality. If they got too wild he trusted the guy to lock them in a room or document all their weird antics. Though about the last time he had gotten messed up at Claude's club bounced into his brain. He had been dressed up like a woman in a sexy green dress. This time wouldn't be anything like that. The only thing he was happy about that night's events was they hadn't been friends with Claude yet so there was no note written in wingdings that described that night's events . All the evidence of the night would live and die with them minus a few pictures of Seth still stored on his phone.
Grabbing Cloud by the arm Seth showed the time on his phone. They had given Catcher a time they met up and they were already running later than said. Picking up the baggy of the table he waved it at Cloud as incentive to leave and started walking toward the door and watching to see Cloud would follow him out, it was a mistake on his part because every two steps he looked back and Cloud seemed distracted by something. It could have been like lights or the woman or just the atmosphere. Seth could get lost for hours, on a night out alone, kiss whoever drinks whatever and forget it all happened the next day. He still had another year before he could make it into the door alone and by then he might not even want to. Rolling his eyes Seth went back and grabbed Cloud around the shoulder and steered him the rest of the way out of the club and over to his truck.

Opening the passenger door he tossed the baggy in on the seat and told Cloud to get in. He didn't notice but his eyes were so red and it was almost like he was living in slow motion watching Cloud move compared to normal. When he was finally in the truck Seth hopped in and sent Catch a quick text telling him they were on their way over. He started the engine and music blared out of the speakers as drove over to the Tongue and Tail. Seth parked in front of the red carpet where they got special access to the place and climbed out and tossed the valet his keys.

[Skye Kavanagh]

Skye had spent the night partying and drinking at another club before leaving with a few of her friends to find yet another place to party. Not finding any good entertainment there besides a few drunken assholes trying to get her attention, an idea popped into her head. Her and her little posse headed over to the gentleman club and tried to enter. The worst thing about wanting to go into a place where more men venture than women was it was hard to even get a foot in the door. Sighing, she put her hands on her hips and taped her chucky black knee high boots on the ground as scowled at the bald muscular brown man who was guarding the door. "Come on man, just let me in the door. I promise to buy a shit load of drinks and even a dance or two if I have to. It's fucking cold out here " Not getting a response for the guy she flipped the finger and turned to face her friends. She wasn't really feeling them tonight. Ever since she had mentioned she had met Cloud at the shop all they kept doing was asking question after question that she didn't have answers to. She kept telling them she barely spoke to the guy but she could tell they didn't believe her. They were always thinking she was hiding things from them as any good demon would but Skye wasn't even a good demon. If anyone who truly knew her she was more mouth than actions. She talked a big game but when it came to follow thought she always fell short. She could feel they were basically throwing shade saying she should have gotten his number or slept with him. She didn't really give a fuck If she get the chace to screw Cloud at all. Skye actually thought he was a bit arrogant, when he come by the store he barely said hi to her paying more attention to her stupid boss instead. Most guys would look a her a little longer, even smile, the thin legged fucker didn't do either. She didn't care what he thought about her. She didn't  even liking his music much or that what she told others it actually wasn't that bad it sounded okay it just wasn't her style.

The only reason why she had chosen this place was she had been told the mop topped rapper often showed his face here being friends with the owner of the joint. Skye had told her friends this and seeing they were basically groupies they were happy to agree to go. The thing about the demons she hung around they would fuck anyone if they were some sort of celebrity. There were a few times they would even ditch her for the dick so she didn't mind cutting out herself and times and leaving them behind. She didn't even know if Cloud would be here if he already was. It would just be a good change of pace for the night. Reaching into her purse she pulled out a back bic lighter. She hated having to carry a purse with her but she got asked to show her id wherever she went. She had this babyface that everyone thought she was sixteen or something. Skye was nearly twenty three at this point and didn't know why she was still getting called out after being to every club in town multiple times. The only benefit she saw from it when she as thirty was probably that she looked hot. She pulled a joint she had tucked behind her ear out from under her long black hair and placed it between her lips before lighting it. Taking long drag she held her breath in as long as she could trying to feel the effect of the weed to sink in. She exhaled finally and when she did one of her friends tried to grab the smoking stress relief from between her fingers. Not wanting to share, Skye quickly pulled her hand away. "Bring your own next time." She shot her friend a not so impressed look before hitting her joint again.

Her patience was starting to wear thin at this point she wanted to either get inside or tell her friends she was out for the night until some black truck pulled up into the VIP parking spot. Maybe whoever was in the truck might be more fun than the blonde noodle the rest of her friends wanted to see. She leaned over to see who was getting out of the truck but all she could see was a nicely dressed tall dark haired man getting out of the driver side of the truck and handing the valet his keys.

[Cloud Crestfall]

Wonderland; Cloud was all in to stay until the sunrise but there was something missing he was having trouble remembering. His friends, actually hearing his own voice and whatever people were saying to him was going to be a nice change of pace. For the last two hours all he did was stare at people’s mouths opening and closing, tongues wagging like they were trying to tell him unintelligible things while dancing like inflatable balloons. It was barely dancing, more like hopping around and being in a trance. He could only really focus on the women that were sweating all their pheromones in their tiny weird rave costumes but even that was taking a toll as he wanted to douse himself in cold water, out of breath. It was still where his mind was at but somehow his body had taken him into Seth’s black truck and they were on the road again. The air was different now and he felt less like a claustrophobic sea of nasty bodies squishing up against him, coming to terms with the fact he was in a car seat by himself and the only thing touching him was a seatbelt he kept unbuckling and buckling. It was probably annoying Seth and he giggled to himself, stopping that nuisance just to wind down the window and stick his head out.

He felt sober enough; there weren’t many ways to get alcohol in a rave as it just spilled everywhere. But the drugs, they were everywhere. With all the neon lights and disco rays, he was lost in the synthwave of sound and sights, high as the stars. Shaking his head, his hair cascaded and shielded his very faded eyes as he mellowed out and felt the downer pill effect kick in mildly. The wind of the drive was blowing dry all the perspiration and coloured liquid people sprayed. Just a boost of liquor, good people, fine women and it would all become the opposite again; all would be fun. Dragging Seth with him was great; he had fun but it wasn’t the same as having everyone together. The more was the merrier in his opinion; there were just endless possibilities of erratic, irrational shit that would happen. But as he sat, winding up the window again, calming, he hoped his friend enjoyed his time equally. The young man would have years ahead to party his life away but he didn’t picture Seth to be like that; he was more responsible and it was odd their maturity levels remained completely civil and amicable. Once in awhile, he wondered if Seth thought he was nuts and childish, but he would only live once and good or bad of an influence, he was already bringing Catcher to his level, which meant Seth needed to be in or everything was screwed up.

”Those pills suck. But let’s do them anyway…” Referring to the bag Seth had brought from the club, he didn’t truly know if they were crappy but he figured they would be nothing compared to his homemade cloud pills, which were courtesy of Claude’s ingenious banana pills to begin with. Having the window fully up, the tint shaded them and he was no longer waving his hand around through the air, playing and feeling like he could touch oxygen. He turned to stare at the bag for a minute, the pace of his motions normal for an average person, but slow for his usual behaviour and he started to notice, laughing at himself. ”Alright, you had a good time right? We’re gonna have an even better time. I bet you you’ll meet some chick tonight… or dude… whoever, and they’ll be hot. Imagine if Big man came with us.” It wasn’t exactly nonsense he was spewing but no sooner had he said it and been happy in his imagination about someone for Seth and a drunken Rafael, they were pulling up to the side of the road; his midnight drive ending as fast as he thought it had begun. In reality, it had been at least fifteen minutes across town with minimal cars near midnight and they were lucky nobody pulled them over on a Saturday night. When they came to a stop, he steadied with the brakes and watched Seth get out of the car, extremely sloth like pressing down the eject button of his seatbelt. There wasn’t even a reason to wear it but he did because he was totally messed up in his head and not being entirely himself, and yet his conscious told him to do it for the sake of Seth. The boy was a good boy, and now he was staring at the wide carpet and velvet railing dividing the eager patrons of Claude’s exclusive gentleman’s club.

In that instant, peering through the darkened windows, he took a large gulp of a breath, almost to get rid of nerves. It was unusual, he wasn’t anxious about people, he didn’t really give a fuck about them and what they thought of him but the atmosphere was still stressful, increasing the more people started to recognize him for his music. For now, he could see them and they couldn’t see him, but all would change as soon as he stepped out. It was the stark difference of having just been in an enclosed space with someone familiar, only to be exposed again, but worse, to people who were sober that was hard to transition. Unlike the rave club where everyone was lit out of their minds or deaf and clustered to the point they couldn’t recognize each other with streaming things falling from the ceiling and smoke bombs, he wasn’t sheltered now and needed to live up to his reputation. He was always ready and not ready for this life at the same time, and in the drugged out state, he suddenly missed his sister.

Pushing open the door, he stepped out, knowing he might be wobbly but doing his best to hide it. There were voices and then many lights started flashing in the dark; the streetlamps almost comforting. He almost called out for Seth but he could see him standing there, awaiting patiently so he walked over, directed by the crowd's goading. Passing him, he decided to indulge and went closer to the velvet rope, waving before fist bumping somebody, backing away with a liveliness that covered his diminishing adrenaline, ultimately posing for a second as cameras went off. This would take a hot minute but he was moving with charisma to get through it, before he could go be himself at ease inside and never see these people again. His fans were everything to him and he praised, loved and thanked them but these unprepared days, he could barely discern if they were his fans or just people jumping on the band wagon of a few groupies screaming so they could at least have met someone famous. They would probably get his name wrong and hate his music. In jest, he rounded Seth so he too had to be in photos and everyone could see him despite his very dark, smooth attire. It was rare to see him dressed up beyond his punk, boyish nature that suited him most. Cloud was enjoying the fluorescent accessories draped on Seth from the club since without it, he looked more like his security than someone who had just partied hard with him. He himself, stood out like a thorn in the artificial light, dark pastel pants, light pastel tie dyed shirt over laid with a completely pastel rainbow sequined outer shirt that sparkled like diamonds. It was cold but for a shifter, he couldn’t feel that much and it just looked like he was a whole hippy retro glittering ice cream cone. It would be splashed on social media in a matter of minutes and he paraded himself with pride that even at his worst, he was still a natural.

[Catcher Reeves]

His phone buzzed as it lay on the dark mirror like surface of the table. He was squirreled away in a perfectly situated booth of Italian leather, upholstered with pin buttons facing the stage so squarely, nothing could be missed from view. Over a glass of relaxing, strong bourbon there he sat all the nights he had been at Claude’s club; it was the only place he was ever seated here. The light flashed on the screen and the drop down showed Seth’s texts but it had been awhile since they said they would arrive. Knowing them, he estimated they would be late; it gave him time to be prepared for a blazed Cloud, having been told those two were hitting up a psychedelic rave before coming. One place was never enough for his friends and he knew Seth at least had some fun with Cloud; he needed it from all his overworking, over studying hours. On time, he was always a little early to be precise when it came to going somewhere with Candela.

Tonight they drove, and for once they cruised. Tonight there had been an enterprise event he had blown off every other plan for. That was finally over but he didn't explain it to Seth, didn't need to inform them he had been here much earlier. When he had seen her come down the staircase in the manor dressed like she walked out of a dream, he knew he was never going to take her on a motorcycle; she almost deserved a chauffeur instead of just a companion to accompany. A songstress, a performer, she was the headliner; the star that everyone met and greeted and she was gone right then, stolen by admirers. He was happy for her, believing she earned it all; he had cherished seeing her be showered with compliments and gifts, proud that she found something that became her world in this town. Mingling somewhere amongst the eccentric patrons of the establishment, she blurred in all the dazzling, shimmering reflections and feathered adornments of elaborate costumes parading the floor. Finishing his third drink discounting the champagne he also had, he could feel the burn and peaty, mead taste of expensive liquor and settled to pull out his lighter, setting a windproof flame on a black licorice roll up. Glimpsing the business of the place, he stood up, shaking the lighter closed with a swift click to tuck into a pocket, a jingling chain and lock swinging from his belt in the clothing adjustment. It was just a feeling, a breath of fresh air, an impatient wait for his friends that brought him to the entrance, where the doorman opened it and he thanked him shortly with the cigarette delicately perched between his lips, words a low mumble.

Bright lights, cold air and sharp sounds of traffic polluted him as he stepped out. The texture of ground beneath his feet plateauing to a dark red carpet that flowed over a couple of steps down to the side of the curb, and he squinted for a moment directly ahead of him. Seth’s black truck was leaving with a uniformed valet, and his friend, dressed unusually debonair was standing before him at the drop off point, unfocused and waiting for none other than Cloud. He watched his crazy ‘brother’ exit the truck, stumbling a little despite still rocking his presence to the voluminous crowd waiting for entry. Voices were erupting, phones were flashing and some cars were slowing; it felt like an eternity as he made his way to Seth and came around. Quiet, he peered over to Tre who was solemn every time he had seen him, to gage his reaction, which was exactly as he anticipated; entertained by the sudden increase in action and energy outside. Everything was enlivened outside now, the wintry temperatures usually keeping those who waited hushed and huddled, desperate and antsy. Ash fell as he tapped and skipped down the few shallow steps, casually making his way to Seth, deliberately startling him. ”Took you long enough.” With an elbow leaning on Seth’s shoulder, his hand pulling out the cigarette simultaneously, he exhaled and eyed Cloud like everybody else, grinning jauntily. ”Next time, just tell him someone’s hitting on Feather. He’ll be out of there in a flash.”

Sliding off Seth, he straightened as he walked over to the fan servicing celebrity, ignoring the presence of so much attention. Red strands in his eyes, he saw the signs Cloud was wearing off whatever ecstasy inducing drugs he took, and drinks were all they really needed to get through the twilight hours out here in public. Being on their feet for hours at the rave club in town, he couldn’t understand how they weren't rushing to sit down again unless caffeine and energy drinks had fueled them all night. From experience, this was going to be round two. Cloud was going to get more messed up, and he mocked matter of factly, their friendship so close it had no boundaries for jokes. ”You look fucked. Let’s go.” Tapping Cloud on the arm with his knuckles, rings knocking, he motioned but didn’t wait for him to escape the spotlight, having been involved in whatever social frenzy just by being next to him for a minute. Life dictated that fame be served with some effort to maintain and he accepted this whole charade was a necessity, shying from the focus after playing the role Cloud needed in order to get away more quickly than he could by himself. When he did this, whether the fans could hear or not, they were dismayed Cloud was evidently leaving them immediately, beckoned.

Returning to the shade of the entrance at the top of the steps, a shadow in the moonlight, he slowly took gentle drags of his cigarette, the raffishly rolled up sleeves sliding a little as both hands ruffled into his pockets. He kept his hands there observing understatedly, french cuffs flopping open above his forearms, tattoos bared, leather braided bracelets riding up. The black vest he wore remained neatly pressed over a grand-spread collar shirt of darkest indigo that as he settled into the evening, he had ditched the suit jacket that matched somewhere in Candela’s dressing station backstage. He appeared satirising his image as with Candela he was somebody different to the one with Natasha, balancing the formal with a casual attitude, kitschily unbuttoned, decorated in thin silver layering from his neck. And smoke billowed, burning down the paper and tobacco to waft in a sharp scent in the crisp chill of the outdoors. Gazing away from the noise, a jagged veil of fringe fell across the side of his face, mistily over an eye as he looked at the glowing distance of the city that lay awake until the edge of the horizon.

[Seth Rivers]

Seth was glad Cloud did do anything stupidity try to jump out of the truck before they had even stopped. He did have him a bit nervous with all the fastening and unfentening of his seat belt like the thing was something magical. Seth could see whatever he was on wasn't going to be completely worn off but unlike most Cloud had a high metabolism, the short drive over to the club and the fresh air would probably have helped. He touched the little clear bag of drugs into his pocket even though Cloud said they sucked. Might have taken them together instead of letting them go to waste. They wouldn't have much effect for long. Maybe he found something he enjoyed that didn't last as long as the banana pills. He even tried Cloud's new mixture but never assumed it was like flying high on a Cloud seeing he named his little cocktail after himself. "Sure I had fun, don't worry about me and my love life, so be careful getting out. If Raf shows up probably because Veronica is mad at him. Big man can't help but to put his foot in his mouth. Be careful getting out.

Seth watched for a second as the valet drove his truck away, if there was even a scratch on it when it hit it back he would be talking to the guy. Turning around he looked at Cloud making his way down the carpeted path and he moved quicker to be closer to him just in case he stumbled a bit. He watched as he smiled and waved at people, the camera flashes hurting his eyes a bit as he was forced into being in the photo. They were quite contrasting in attire but Seth knew he looked good so he played a long smiling for a few shots. He felt someone come up behind him and Seth quickly turned to see who it was as he was too focused about what was going on in front of him to be watching his back. When he realized it was just Catcher he relaxed a bit. If it was someone he didn't know they probably would be on the ground on their ass. He hated when someone snuck up on him. Usually his senses were good enough not to let anyone even get the chance with all the noise and distractions he wasn't on his A game. "Thanks for the tip, but don't think he believed she was here. Is she?" The place didn't seem like a Feather type of hang out but it would definitely be a better fit for her then the rave club. 

He was glad to be assisted by Catcher as he told Cloud to keep moving. It is better to get inside than to say outside where the wrong picture could be taken and twisted into some weird gossip that wasn't needed to be worried about. He followed looking over athr the crowd of people who were waiting to get in the doors still. Seth was glad he wasn't a door man, the attitude people throw some time thinking they are better than others would irritate him too easily. He found people like this exhausting. Walking up the stairs he nodded over at Tre to say hi. Seth moved past Cloud and looked over at Catcher. "I gotta take a leak, I don't trust the bathrooms at wonderland." He hadn't been in the washrooms there but with all the drugs flowing he imagined there would have been more piss on the floors then what actually made it way into the urinals or toilets and there was no way he wanted to walk around with piss cobbler shoes all evening. Seth laughed and Tre opened the door and he slipped inside. He enjoyed the Tongue and Tail, even with the strange half memories it brought back, and the next morning just trying to make sense of everything. He needed another night like that, just a little more tame he hoped tonight would be it.

[Skye Kavanagh]

Standing up as high as she could on her boots trying to see around the other and the volume of people in the line started to change her strained neck to see who they were watching climb out of the passenger side of the truck. All she could see at first was some flashy rainbow outfit so she pushed herself through the crowd to get a better view. She slipped her tiny body in between people as smoothly as a snake she didn't care who she was pissing off as she made her way though the line if they wanted to fuck with her she fight back. One thing about the way she dressed most of the time she looked more punk than a pushover. Her little back dress paired with her spiked studded leather jacket usually help people to leave her alone on their own. She kept moving until she could clearly see who it was the crowned had gotten so excited about. Skye was pissed that she used so much energy just to see that it was Cloud. She shook her head as he posed for pictures with the cute dark hair guy, though he did irritate her she wound up admitting that even in the flash multicolor outfit the blonde noodle looked good, a little out of it but good. It gave an idea though if she was just loud enough to grab his attention she might be able to get through the door. She should have to stand in line any longer.

Placing her hands around her mouth she yelled out as loud as she could trying to get Cloud to look at her, hell even if one of his friends saw her they might help a girl out. She had recognized the second guy to come up beside the wannabe celebrity and hoped to even Catch his his attention. "HEY RAINBOW DASH, HELP A GIRL OUT, TAKE ME IN THERE WITH YOU!" She had made her way closer to the door than she was before but wasn't sure if he could even hear her. With no direct acknowledgment she watched as the tall guy with the strong jaw she didn't know yet quickly moved up the stairs and threw the door. If she didn't do something soon she might have to wait outside with all the boring people her friends included. She rooted around in her purse and pulled out her lip gloss and chuckled it as far as she could trying to hit him in the forehead. It totally missed but fell close to him."COME ON ASSHOLE YOU KNOW ME, DON'T BE A DICK! ." At this point if yelling at him a second time she wasn't going to try again. She didn't want to look like a desperate groupie trying to get his attention, she was more sophisticated than that or at least she felt about herself. If he didn't help her get in she just have to find him when she got in the door and fuck with him a little bit. There was nothing more that Skye enjoyed than messing with people. She never completely followed through but her mouth did enough talking to usually plant some seeds in people's minds and get her in a little trouble. She had an art, though sometimes she could talk herself right out of the trouble looking cute did help.

A little idea flickered in her brain if she just kick the stupid post holding the red vevet rope seprating the crowd form the VIP and start pushing people around causing fight she could cause a big enough commotion just to slip by and fallow guys inside. Then it would probably cause more problems and get her kicked out if they line up completely and she really wanted to get in. This was her first visit to the Tongue and Tail and if she cause so much as a ruckus this time the stupid big muscular man at the door that thinks he's better everyone would never let her in. She turned to a left and stared at some sporty looking guy to her left. " He's acted like he doesn't know me if he waiting for me to flash my tits it's not going to happen.."

[Cloud Crestfall]

Cloud glanced at Seth as he smiled for the cameras, patting him on the back after letting him go from trapping him in red carpet glamour. It might have seemed like his friend was momentarily a pawn but it was about time the world accepted he was a people person; he could hang out with any of his fans if they stopped getting overly enthusiastic and calmed down. And he had real life friends. He was never going to lose these people if he could help it, no matter how far this road took him. The world seemed to think he popped up from nowhere and changed his whole lifestyle when all he wanted was everybody to remember he kept it real; he was still down to earth. Stepping forward as he heard Catcher talk to Seth, he threw up horn signs with his fingers and posed for one last minute, understanding he got the assist he needed to leave without feeling or looking like a tool. He hadn’t known his friend was already at the club but he figured they were probably late, acknowledging but not really responding, concerned if the paparazzi were there to stalk him for the night. This was too impromptu for them to ever know and he sighed internally, relieved.

Seth’s voice was quiet against all the commotion but he could make out what he said just because he was a shifter, and he turned in time to see him run off into the club. Throughout the rave, his friend hadn't left his side even as people crushed and squashed him in their own ecstasy of electronic music. There were high pitched screams and yelling cheers but he could discern somebody shouting closer to him with the name ‘rainbow dash’ mockingly. It woke him up from this euphoria of fandom for a moment and he was searching through the crowd repeatedly, scanning the faces for anyone angry or familiar. At times he got haters, and he liked to find them, taunt them with his awareness and play up to it but he didn’t get that far with his train of thought at being called a my little pony name. He paused to reflect on his clothing and tugged his opened overlaying shirt proudly, causing it to shimmer more; whoever it was had no idea how much fun he just had raving, having appropriately dressed for that.

People were being nudged and shuffled to the side as some short girl with black hair and an entire ensemble of darkness came shoving herself to the front. She looked like she came out of a hot topic store and his bloodshot eyes lit up behind the curtain of hair. He was a distance from her but instantly recognised her resting bitch face from the music shop. She may have been nice the first time they met but it was merely an encounter, he wasn’t there for any type of down time or greeting, it was for his music and his music was beyond his livelihood, it was business. After he was preoccupied with her boss, there really was no big reason to talk to her, and he completely forgot she existed except that he had briefly asked for her number because she would be the one dealing with him from then on out. Only, since that time, he hadn't actually called or even texted her; showing up at the store unplanned but immediately going into the back studio to test some instruments and equipment he might want with his drummer and bassist while she stayed dealing with other customers who started following him to the soundproof window. The owner may be selling his records, agreeing to certain contracts but the small town store put her as their first line of service and he wasn’t going to lie, she was very close to being spot on his type from the way her face was. Now that she opened her mouth, he wanted to crack up at his own disillusion; she was a funny girl but not the model he had bet all his friends on.

Not saying anything, he let the rap against his arm distract him from her. The comment made him laugh a bit in his state of diminishing delirium. If he looked fucked, that was going to be the topic of tomorrow but he could tell it was half a joke and half a cue to get a move on. Clasping his hands together, he motioned to the crowd like a prayer to thank them as his friend left his side. He was now alone standing in that space and began backing away when something flopped beside his foot. It took him a minute to stare at it, something so small but shiny bouncing on the carpet like a grenade. Reaching down curiously, he picked it up and turned it in his fingers to see it was lip gloss. He almost took it as a token of love from an adoring fan much like the kind given by women who threw their underwear at him on stage, but the smiles turned flabbergasted when it was the cashier girl’s. And she was not happy; the word asshole ringing in his ears. It was a shout that echoed the first one, but since she was up front, it was direct, louder and he couldn’t tell if he should be embarrassed to know her or treat her like a hater. While lost, he considered tossing it back to her but instead, shook the object in his hand, holding it out mischievously so she could see and slid it into his pocket. Now everyone else would have watched that and thought whatever they wanted, but it was his now; finders keepers. Aware that it proved he remembered her, she was going to be fuming outside for as long as he didn’t say anything and he grinned a big fat dig at her.

Long drawn out strides backing up him to the steps where Catcher waited, Cloud gave Tre a low five slide of their own friendly shake and eyed Skye one last time, turning to tell the tough bouncer not to let her in, practically a drawling whisper. A dick move she earned from insinuating he even bothered with her in the first place. Feather's voice in his mind made him a little guilty but he was already guilty from being so blazed at a party she would gag at. From where Skye stood, she might have believed for a split second that he was indicating her specifically for a good reason. But that was up to her to figure out, as he spoke a few casual queries about the club to Tre in a low key tone, watching her turn to some guy beside her and complain. Her mouth was moving fast, her face was scrunched in her displeasure and that was enough for him to assume she was unamused at his rejection. This wasn’t his club, he didn’t even know her that way and he wasn’t here for himself; she made no sense just like crazy chicks and he was more wary of her having annoying friends than anything else. Crashing a little from the high, he wanted to sit down and get more happy things inside his system, not wanting to hold up his bros longer than he already had. Waving at her in a silly little childish hand gesture, he slipped in through the doors quickly as the rest of security made a path inside for him and Tre folded his arms staring at Skye.

[Catcher Reeves]

Unsurprised by Seth’s comment, he gave him a chuckle so short it was one syllable and watched his best friend enter ‘The Tongue and Tail’, the weight of Cloud as his responsibility off his back. When Cloud came up, he heard everything his mumbling tone told Tre, struggling not to show any reaction. Beside Tre, he remained until Cloud squeezed between the door man and another security personnel on the inside moving him as a drunk patron exited, tripping to see who the blonde Rockstar was. Squinting into the distance, flooded by the placating effects of his cigarette, Catcher glanced at Skye to see if she even noticed Cloud was being extra all because of her. Yelling at Cloud was going to get her nowhere in the friendship department; but at least she was now at the front of the line. He had seen her grabbing onto the velvet railing as though she might throw it over and unleash a horde. But likewise, he just looked at her so vaguely, doing nothing to help her that she would probably spite him in some way or another at the store when he went to pick up his vinyl orders. Any other place, he would have teased her that she couldn’t even hide how much she liked Cloud, whether it held any truth, a non-matter. Though beyond that, he didn’t view themselves as friends either; she could care less and he treated her as nothing special as a result. Holding up a hand to Tre, he indicated breezily for him to follow, stepping down with a strut as slow as the plume of smoke waving past him. They stopped before her as she barked at her friend about tits, and he turned is face to stifle a laugh for her uncouth nature, a devious smirk taking its place once she was done.

”Maybe if you ask me nicely…” He would wait for her to reattempt, finally giving her some acknowledgement. If it didn’t suffice, he was going to walk right back through those doors and Tre could let her and her friends in whenever he felt like, which was probably never. Her display hadn’t exactly impressed the hard balling bouncer and Cloud’s half joking words to not admit her, almost solidified her chances from slim to none. His eyes traced her artfully, and then flightily the people behind her; finding a rowdy but unfamiliar bunch he could sense were not even close to her from the way they behaved. Acquaintances who didn’t seem to care about one another, she was setting herself up for him to have something to tease her about the next time they crossed paths; he wouldn’t spare her if she said anything snarky again at the music store and she would be able to tell he was thinking about it just from the lingering look. She was a petite little girl, face like a gothic doll; he was sure even her identification card photo could barely pass. He almost pitied her juvenile prettiness; his own youthful countenance often an issue if it wasn’t for the way he carried himself, not even his true name helped him there. ”Don’t start anything.” Once inside, he would let her be but out of due diligence, he forewarned. Brows raised, he studied her for a response, two fingers bringing his cigarette to his lips, drawing in a calculated breath of sweet nicotine. All the people, activity and wonder drowning out around him; she was going to have to make this count if going in was truly what she desired. It was crucial she didn’t cause trouble beyond what they might; but they were them and she was her, rather unknown, unpredictable, not his responsibility. Unfortunately, he would just have to trust her for now. Even if he knew he was going to let her sit at their table, his friends would expect him to have made sound judgment; they had the best seat in the house Claude reserved for him whenever he waited for Candela to get off work. Extending a gallant hand for her, he didn’t expect her to take it but if she wanted to cross that threshold to join the club, she’d be wiser to before he just turned around.

As Tre went to unhook the brass clips of red velvet rope, he blew a puff off willowing smoke through his nose, pinching the stick with his other hand that dropped to his side with it. Leaning over smoothly, he quietly spoke closer to her so it was personal, an amused smile faintly passing as though she should have known nothing would be that easy. ”Just you.” He was beaming at her friends as though they were a vast audience, not even registering what they looked like. Then he stepped back, resting his smoke back between his lips, skeptically looking down at her with a rakish flair before giving Tre a hand gesture of gratitude resembling an elegant tip of a hat so smooth it was second nature. Strolling away from the lined up crowd, he went back up the scarlet carpeted step, pausing by the heavy doors guarded inside and outside by other security. ”That’s Tre who just let you in, remember if you want to come back.” He doubted she wanted to come on her own, but the suggestion was an aloof kindness he afforded her for when she caved to the peer pressure of her appalled friends now that she gained entry. In actuality, she may have to sweeten up to the bouncer a bit but any friend of his was by now, an automatic pass and he did this just this once, abuse that authority.

Leading her through, she could see for herself the entirety of this glamourous world that was both word on the street and exclusive at the same time. Claude owned a hidden gem and he let her take it all in, not stopping to give her much time, a paced walk towards the table where Candela was now sitting. Releasing her hand like a ghostly grip that was never there, he had held it as gently as possible in spite of appearing to not care much for her and now he swapped the cigarette in his freed hands. In touch, it mattered she was a guest and it was all that would reveal he never minded her as much as he stayed roguishly devil-may-care with her every fleeting time they interacted.
The sights, smells and loud but tantalizing music paled in comparison to Candela tonight as she dressed up like a million dollar baby, a rare moment off the stage for a treasure that sang like a nightingale. Glancing over his shoulder, he could still hear Skye’s heeled boots over the plush patterned carpet following. Looking back onto his path, narrowly sauntering beside a bejeweled costumed waitress with skin that shone like bronzed marble, he picked up a random glass of alcohol off her serving tray. He didn’t care that she was surprised and confused but rather nodded with a raise of the glass, a handsomely dancing smirk on his face disappearing into the crystal as he drank it still watching her.

Walking off to stop in front of Candela, he gesticulated carelessly without aim to introduce them. ”Candi, this is Skye. Skye, Candi.” Not bothering to look back at Skye, he placed the glass down on the table and waited for her to take her seat at the booth, examining her finally getting to interact with Cloud after she called him names. With his back facing the stage, he proceeded, looking at his friends, staying standing. ”This is Seth. And you know… Cloud.” At that, he tilted his head cockily, the smug smirk returning playfully as he placed a hand on Candela’s shoulder, loose waves slipping beneath his fingers. He completely forgot how odd it was that they were suddenly meeting a new person but said nothing further, glancing upwards as if he could roll his eyes if somebody questioned how he even knew her. It was in time to smother his fag in the ash tray, he wasn’t trying to smoke so much right next to her. Brushing Candela’s hair tidily with a clean sweep, he moved it behind out of instinct, revealing the dainty frame of her collar and bone structure, bringing the cigarette to his lips to kill it with a last drag.

[Skye Kavanagh]

She knew he had her by the way he was pulling at his shirt after she had heard her shout out he looked like one of the my little pony characters. She could see that his eyes had landed on her and he could say he didn't see her. There was not even any indication that he noticed her, Skye wasn't used to this by most people between her face and they way she just blurted out words before she thought she was used to getting others paying attention. Cloud's disregard for her made it almost feel like a slap in her face. She didn't know what was worse at this point, the fact that she had thrown her newest lip gloss at him to get his attention a second time and he just pocketed while looking at her. She felt like she had made a bit of a weird fan girl or some wacko who might have once had a relationship with the guy and was ditched.

Skye couldn't hide her irritation easily. It was one thing she hated about the face she had been given. Every mood she was in could be easily read and right now she probably looked like a pouty little girl who was getting her way. The jock guy to her left didn't seem to be impressed by her tits comment but he sure was staring at her chest after mentioning it as she was going to whip out her puppies and show them to the crowd, "Stop gawking dipshit your not going to see any of this." Sky went to grab her chest but she was caught off guard by Catcher coming up to talk to her. He was the last person she expected to help her out but she would take it. " Ask nicely? You don't really know me then. I wasn't born with a nice bone in my body. Well maybe just my pinky but we can't all be blessed right." She laughed. Being told not to start anything made her look at Catcher funny. She tilted her head slightly like a dog like he was judging before he knew her but it was justified in his thought he didn't actually know what she was underneath the flesh suit she wore."I won't start shit, I'll be a perfect little angel." She watched as she held out his hand and took it as the door guy unclipped the rope for her to pass. She listened as he leaned in and told her just her. She didn't care if her so-called friends got in or not. She was always more in for things herself anyway. The only true fact about her is she always looked out for herself first and if it benefited someone else later it was only a bonus.

His hand was so smooth compared to her own, it made her laugh a bit to herself, she thought tjy be a bit more rough between riding a motorcycle and playing guitar some part hand often grew calloused. He either had a good manicurist or he was softer than she had originally thought. She turned back around quickly and smirked at her so called friends and left them behind without another thought. She walked with him up the starlet covered stairs and waited as he paused by the door to speak. "Tre..guy seems a bit uptight either he doesn't get enough sex or his boss must pay him well to act like he has a sick shoved up his ass. Thanks, I 'll remember for next time." She followed him through the door, letting her eyes wander around the entrances trying to take in the places as it was her first time visiting. Whoever had designed the interior of this place really had some old world taste, it was far from the modern say clubs with cheap coats of paint and a cheap anesthetic match. This place was a classy joint with fancy wood worked trimming and all, it wasn't really a place most people would think Skye would want to venture with her crude mouth and her style which in the public eye was either too sexualized or more grunge rocker depending on her mood that day. Tonight she was a little of both and she stood out like a sore thumb next to Catcher who liked it not long before he was dressed to impress. Had her head swiveled around she could feel his hand slip out of her own as she kept trying to take in the scenery.

She was passed by a waitress and Skye couldn't help but to comment. " Damn girl, keep rocking that outfit." She stuck out her tongue and winked and playfully before hearing her name mentioned she turned around to see a petite blonde woman close to her own stature without her heels they probably would be close to the same height. Hating being short, Skye would wear boots with some kind of platform to make herself stand a little taller, though once in a while you catch her in sneakers, in all her five foot four inch glory. "Candi?" Oh you look as sweet as you name sounds," she gave the blonde a half smile before her attention was pulled to the table and towards the dark haired guy who had brought Cloud and the cocky noodle man himself. She slipped into the booth and held out her fist to bump with Seth as she sat down. "Man, I thought you help out there, next time you want to stop by the store call first or you are not letting you in the back." She didn't really have full authority to do so but she did have the keys and would take a chewing out by her boss if it helped her gain some respect from Cloud who towered a foot over her making her feel more like a child when he was around and it annoyed her. All he would have to do was get her keys and hold them over her head and she would never be able to get them back. " Are you going to give me back my lip gloss or do I have to cut a lock of your hair to buy a new one? Anything once own by a celebrity can fech big bucks and makeup is not cheap."

[Seth Rivers]

Seth had just finished relieving himself in the washroom and he walked over to the sink to wash his hands. He checked himself out in making sure his hair was clean and he didn't have any random confetti in his hair or paint dust on his face. Wonderland was fun but it was quite messy with smoke bombs going off and people rubbing body paints all over themselves like chocolate sauce for others to enjoy. Seeing a bit of orange standing out against his naturally tanned skin around his jaw line he grabbed a paper towel and wiped it off before leaving the bathroom to join the others. Soft music played in the background as she slipped into his regular place at the booth, and pulled the bag of pills out of his pocket and examined them. Taking two different shaped ones he popped them in his mouth and swallowed them heald the rest out to Cloud to see if he wanted them. He didn't mind either way Cloud already said they were crap and if they were would just get some banana pills from Claude later.

He looked around the room and tried to wave over a waitress towards their table. He could see she had a full tray of drinks so he didn't expect her to head to them first. As she moved past them he saw Catch grab a drink off her tray. If it was anyone but his friend they would probably get a talking to by the bouncer, being Claude's close friend he pretty much had free run of the place. Seth didn't know why Claude had such a soft spot for Catcher but whatever it was he didn't mind he liked Claude. Being friends with the eccentric vampire allowed him to experience more things then what a regular lycan would be open too.
Most were too uptight to even consider a vampire could be a friend so when others mentioned it he never said much about what type of stuff they got up to. Most would think Calude's theories and thoughts were crazy and that he must have been messed up in the head. The vampire was a genius and this place showed it. Besides teaching running a place like this gave him somewhere he could be in the dark all day and give him an excuse for his overly pale skin tone.

Seth didn't expect to be joined by anyone else this evening as tonight was supposentonbe just for the guys to hang out without the girls for once. That plan seemed to have changed as behind Catcher was a dark haired woman he hadn't met before. She must have been old enough to get in but she looked no older than seventeen. She had long dark hair and looked as if she was dressed more to go to a rock concert rather than a gentleman club. Her face was painted up so much she almost looked more like a doll than an actual person. Seth thought he had recognized her slightly but couldn't put his finger on it. He listened closely as Catcher had introduced the young woman as Skye to Candi. She made her way over to the booth and Catcher introduced him also. He raised a fist to meet hers bumping them together as a greeting. "Are you joining us tonight?" She seemed preoccupied with Cloud to answer him back. He listened as she told Cloud to call him next time before showing up at the store."So you all met at a store? Which one?" She looked interesting enough Seth was surprised he wasn't told about Skye before he always enjoyed meeting new people and from the way she was speaking he was sure they would get along. Seth got along with pretty much anyone so having to get to know someone else never phased him. "If he took your lip gloss, you might have better luck cutting his hair. He won't give it back to you now." Seth let out a laugh and slapped the table.He had never seen a man's bathroom so stacked with face cream and anti aging products a stick of lip gloss could fit into Cloud's routine easily. Though all the products could all be Feather's but he didn't think so. He looked over to Candi and Catcher " How much do you think his hair could fetch ? If I could get five hundred for every clipping I want to be at his next hair cut."

[Candela Steele]

During the day she spent a few hours sleeping, playing with her fur child Furgie, getting ready which took forever. She was thrilled to wear white off-shoulder, backless sequin mini dress, with feather embellishment at the chest and waist, letting her show off her legs and Jimmy Choo Viola sandals; White suede and hot fix crystal embellished with an Ostrich Feather Tassel. Candela always dressed her best, but tonight it was different. She was dressed to the nines.
The best part was not only how she looked but cruising down the road to her workplace with Catcher. Catcher cleaned up nice, she hadn’t seen him like this in… well ever. Not only was he her knight in shining armor but he was also her lucky charm; she will never forget how he made her feel when he had offered to let her stay at his place, which ended up being her safe haven. This was her home, a place where she can be carefree, have OCD moments and be herself. Juggling nursing school and work was hard for her but it kept her on going. It does burn her out so she keeps reminding herself why she’s working hard and hoped to save as many people she could.

Candela was the headliner for tonight’s show at the club. She sang her heart out and no matter how many times she performs on stage, she gets nervous. Having Catcher sit in front of the stage on most days he attends, helps her with her jitters and nervousness. Once the show was over, she went backstage to retouch her makeup and mingle with everyone. She was too focused on mingling that she didn’t see Catcher leave the backstage. Who could blame him for leaving? Candela was hoping that Veronica would join and watch her but she had other plans. She gathered that Veronica was mad about something and took a jab at Sir Turd. Well at least in Candela’s eyes it was him. Either way, the Turd deserved any wrath Veronica could give him. Once she was done mingling, she went to the bar and picked up a 'Malibu Sunset' that Dani had made for her. She made her way to the booth that she hoped Catcher might be at but found it empty. She took a seat and wondered if Claude should have the booth named as Catcher Reeves. It wouldn’t be the first time Claude did something crazy.

Candela was watching girls perform, cheering them on from the front end instead of backstage where she normally would have been. ”Hello my little kittens.” Candela greeted her favorite boys - Seth and Cloud, from the group. While Catcher was away at the Academy, the boys would often come over to hang or pig out on food she would make. There are times where she finds herself wondering if this is how it feels to have siblings. Cloud and Seth were like goofy brothers to her. They never disappoint her when it comes to making her laugh. ”A unicorn threw up on you and your bodyguard didn’t save you?” Candela looked between cleaned up Seth and semi hammered Cloud. ”Did you—“ Her words stopped when she saw Catcher coming towards the table with a fun-size teenage looking girl.

She took a sip of her drink, curious why a teenager was inside the club. Did Tre finally lose it and let a teenager in? Catcher introduced the girl as Skye to Seth and seems like she already knew Cloud. Candela looked between Skye and Catcher then finally smiled at her. She was uncertain how she felt when Skye had complimented her. Was it even a genuine compliment? ”Finally someone my size. How you doin, fun size?” Candela couldn’t wait to hear what the Turd gives another short girl as a nickname. Gnome was her nickname and thanks to him, she became obsessed with gnomes to the point that she spent a good part of her day off watching Gnome movies.

Catcher’s warm hand on her shoulder made her tilt her head to the side to look at him. Seeing him smoke didn’t bother her at all. Her mom’s a drug addict and her so called dad passed away sometime in the fall. They had briefly discussed him quitting smoking but she knew better than to expect that happening. Candela knew he’d only smoke when he was stressed or had something on his mind. At this moment, it looked like he was enjoying the night out and might have needed a hit. Little touches he made on her skin made her feel all warm on the inside. She blushed lightly when he swept her hair gently. ”C bear, thank you for coming tonight.” No matter how many times she would say 'thank you', it felt like it wasn’t enough. She got up from her seat then took his hand in hers and gave it a small squeeze. In that moment all she wanted to do was take off her heels, drag him away from the group and enjoy each other's company. Which probably involved eating ice cream and laughing at the weirdest things.

What were the odds of having Catcher, Cloud and Seth there at the same time? Zero. At least to her it was. Some nights she’d see Cloud and Catcher together and others would be just Catcher but never Seth. If her memory served her right, this was the second time Seth was at the club. ”Glad to see you’re not dressed as a girl this time, Seth.” Candela laughed when pictures of Seth dressed like his sister flashed in her head. That night was memorable for everyone in the group. Seth started talking about Cloud's hair and she didn’t hear him properly. She shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to listen to it again. ”Is this a pit stop for you guys?” It was Saturday night and there was no way this was their final destination.

[Cloud Crestfall]

Between other guests leaving and being escorted, Cloud had waved off the unnecessary help just a few paces into the club as he knew exactly where he would go. The vibe of the place had calmed from something more enlivening earlier, he figured as he looked around and noticed the music was subtle, almost a jazz lounge. The clients were also smartly dressed, if not overdressed for anything like a dance or just a weekly show; a specially organized event had ended and whatever it was, he hoped it wasn’t something news worthy that would clash with his random appearance. Warm, dim lights surrounded him like a fuzzy feeling of comfort and he was at ease more than he had been all day and night so far, the further he walked in. He was familiar with the faces here by now, some new dancers or waitresses replaced from time to time would muddle his memory but other than them, everything was like the back of his hand. Despite that, he never really came to watch Candela’s shows; it was just the place to be if he had been tired out from somewhere else, exactly the same as this moment. With Seth entering first, he had pointed at Dani as she shook an iced cocktail shaker, mixing drinks behind the bar. It was just their way of hello, good enough. When she acknowledged him, he was certain she would make him a drink right after and it would be arriving soon; whatever it was, he left up to her each time and it always piqued his interest.

Strolling to the booth, his hand slid across the leather seating, scooting himself into the middle and sprawling out. This permanently reserved booth may as well have had a plaque with their names on it; he guessed it was always one of them here if not everyone together. His train of thought broke as he realised they never came here with the girls, not even his wingwoman Veronica. The first and last person he would imagine ever showing up would be Natasha and he rocked forward, suppressing a snort and giggles at the thought of how that could go. His face was scrunched as he threw his head back, hair flopping in small waves he had overgrown to notice Candela come over, distractedly looking around. Then in a minute, she was sitting in the corner by the edge of the seat as if she had just begun to rest her feet, not settled into the private area. She looked a little restless and he just watched her, skimming up and down what he could see of her elaborate dress. When she noticed he had sat down, maneuvering himself around the wide, spaced U shape booth closer towards her, he noted she called him kitten along with someone else. Simultaneously he had heard footsteps coming and guessed it was finally Seth, the only other person present she would call a kitty. What she was wearing surprised him in a good way, as most of the time she wasn’t so decked out and he opened his mouth, the corners flexing upward into a cheesy smile. ”Lookin’ good Candi. All fancy… Didn’t think you’d be here tonight.” Having said that, he leaned back against the seat, sinking and stretching out his long legs in a manner as though he was at home on a sofa, he chilled out with the atmosphere when Seth reappeared. A unicorn, that was all he gathered from her half insult, half joke; he was used to it, the way she spoke and he almost said yes then remembered he had claimed his girlfriend was a unicorn once to mess with Claude.

No sooner did Seth sit down beside him, he heard a loud voice commenting to some woman. He sat up a little to peer above the top of the booth but couldn’t see anything, stretching forward to almost stand, using the table as a support. He was practically a turtle straining round the corner without trying to be too obvious when Skye came into the picture. Plopping back down, he stomped his feet in both excited amusement that she came in after being humiliated as well as from borderline frustration she succeeded. Strung out from pills and hours of physical exertion in the rave, he hadn’t counted on his instructions to Tre to be overridden but they were. In silence, he shrugged and hovered his hands about, flustering to gesture at her and then everywhere at Catcher. It would have been more frantic but he wasn’t going the million miles per hour he usually was and wound up dropping his flailing hands with a thud onto the seat to his side, giving up. He was beyond words that his friend let her in and he knew it was him, there was no escaping but right now all he would’ve managed was ‘bro why?’ so he just made a face. Why would he introduce her to Seth; that boy got along with everybody and now she was in their club for sure. Some things were still sacred! She kept talking and he glanced at Seth when he started replying her but first, he was more shocked at her complimenting Candela. Her saying something nice was almost incomprehensible, too unbelievable but he wasn’t deaf. Other than that, he was confused she chose to be amicable to Candi when other women seemed indifferent or despised her. The night just became more interesting; it was officially a different type of boy’s night even if Candela was still around. She had become sort of essential for most of their boy’s night hang outs with her food and the quaint company she kept with Catcher. It didn’t even startle him that she gave him pet names now; those two were practically domestic in Cloud’s eyes. Down to the way he saw from the corner of his eye how familiarly his friend touched her; there was something very misleading about them. ”Why are you thanking him, we’re here too… now…” Teasing her, he was blatantly avoiding Seth asking how he knew Skye.

Pretending he recognised her too vaguely, he waited for Catcher to answer; everyone should just expect him to know all the pretty girls anyway, simplify things. The difference was his friend remembered them, befriended them and he didn’t delve as deep which made looking up a connection useless. This was the most he was going to have spoken to Skye if she stuck around. Cringing from her next words, Cloud had watched the exchange between Skye and Candi, utterly surprised at the dramatic change in attitude from the black haired girl. He had no idea what Skye was talking to Seth about and just thought she was spouting nonsense but now she had turned her attention onto him again. ”I’m not giving it back to you…” He said so but when Seth told her the same thing, he decided to switch it up. Patting his pockets, he pulled out the lipgloss and slowly unscrewed it, holding the stick up so she could see and then wiped it along his own lips. It was a show; now it was used and now she wouldn’t want it back, or so he was betting. ”You can sell this now, I’ve used it. Still want it?” Shoving it back into the container, he tightened the lid and rolled it on the shiny table so it was in the centre. Lips sticky and shiny, he could feel the texture want to stain anything from a glass to a strand of hair.

”Hah, you don’t have scissors…. And sucks for you… I only trust one person to cut my hair and you can’t get anywhere near them.” Speaking confidently, he wasn’t even sure what he would do if she tried to ruin his hair; it was a bold statement to him, colours and styling changing often and this was not a game. Cloud wouldn’t even shave his head bald, he would rather wear a bald cap; that was how much his hair meant. In fact, if he was going to suffer hair loss, he would get a transplant or die. Ironically that sentimentality would make it very pricey if it was sold on the market and he shifted comically away from Seth and closer towards Candela. As though he couldn’t trust him now, he exaggeratedly stroked his hair and flicked it with a swish of his head to make it fall away from his eyes more. Looking at them in horror, he exclaimed. ”You mofos better not plot anything! How the fuck do people who buy this shit prove it’s really that someone’s hair anyway…? I could cut yours and say it was Beyoncé’s.” Towards Seth, he began smirking, thinking back to his ponytail that was long gone since the night they met, and then his eyes rested on Skye. Her jet black, long straight hair could really be anything too and even then, she would probably freak if he cut it. The smirk became a sneaky expression that shone with all his facial features as he cut in. ”If this was a pitstop he would be dressed as a girl. I would too… Better yet, we all dress C up then we go to a drag show… but nah, tonight was a riot… I just wanna lay here. If I don’t get a drink soon, I’m gonna lose all my hype.”

[Rafael Wolfe]

Raf didn't know how he did it but he had said something or did something to piss Veronica off. He was trying to figure out what made her so angry with him. He tried to apologize in his way but even that didn't seem to help no matter how many cheese pick up lines he tried to send her. So wallowing in his mess he decided to buy a case of beer and bring it back to his place. After a busy week at work he needed some time to relax, he plopped down out the couch and turned on some Netflix documentary about ocean life. He wasn't even paying attention to what the narrator was talking about; he was just enjoying watching the fish swim around. They reminded him of back home. Back then he would relax by grabbing his surfboard and riding a wave. He was too far from any good body of water and it was too cold just to go anywhere just for a swim. Finishing off his fourth beer the idea of going to Claude's club came into his mind. He was actually feeling a little lonely and he was always told you shouldn't drink alone so he picked up his phone and Text Evan.

Hey Bro, you should come out and meet me at Claude's club. I'm going to catch an uber. Dress up nice Richie rich 😅

The kid was ok, they got along great both enjoying their time in the gym working out. He was a bro and Raf liked having someone to workout with, it motivated him to push harder. Evan seemed like a good guy too and he enjoyed giving him advances about chicks when he asked. Right now he knew he had his eyes on Tash and compared to Catcher he found him more suitable. If all things go well then maybe one day he and Evan would be family.


Not waiting for a response from his buff homie, Raf requested a ride on his phone. He walked over to his fridge and opened another beer to drink as he got ready. He ran up the stairs to his room and slipped on a pair of black dress pants, a rose coloured tank top and a deep red blazer. Veronica was always impressed with how easy it took him to get from couch bum to well dressed and he himself knew it was true. He cleaned up well, it was more credited with a good outfit than himself. Raf enjoyed a nice fitted blazer, just that could make or brake and entire look. He fiddled with his hair a bit, pulling a bush through it a few times just to make it look a little neater than usual. Claude's club was fancy so he knew he needed to look less like he rolled outta bed and more like he had just left a fancy restaurant. He picked up his cologne, gave himself a light dusting it the scent and took one last look in the mirror. He nodded at himself in agreement he was ready and picked up his chilled bottle of Heineken chugging it mostly down before he got the notification his ride was just a minute away. He went back down stairs and placed the mostly empty bottle down by his sink, slipped on a pair of black loafers, and grabbed his keys. Hid wallet and walked out the door.

The ride over to the Tongue and Tail was pretty quiet, Raf made some small talk with his driver, who was asking questions about how his night had been so far and what he did for a living. His driver who was a short graying haired man named Phil seemed to be shocked that a guy like Raf owned a antique shop. He knew he looked more like he should be a part of a biker gang than selling old pieces of nice crafted futures and wares. He was no bull in a china shop. He looked like the cavemen that Candi often called him but he was pretty graceful on his feet as long as he was sober. He wasn't completely drunk yet but he sas feeling a bit more heavy footed then usually. When he got to the club he probably would begin to drink something a bit harder that the bartender would suggest. It as about a ten minute ride before they were by the front of place and Raf got Phil to pull up by the carpet. He quickly gave him a five star rating and passed him an extra twenty for a tip before thanking the guy and opening the door to step out.

Raf was used to the place being busy but tonight there seemed to be more people standing outside then usual. The place was either extremely busy or Tre was being more selective on the people he was letting in. He closed the door of a car and waved Phil goodbye. Turning around Raf could see Catcher picking a girl out of the crowd and getting Tre to unclip the velvet rope and letting her step though. He rolled his eyes, of course there was another girl there was always one. He didn't know what Natasha saw in the guy, it wasn't a place the tiny blonde would frequent so maybe Reeves would think he would get away with it. Whatever he saw he would definitely tell Veronica and hopefully she would talk to her cousin about it. As he had gotten to know Tash he had felt she needed someone older looking out for her. He knew she had some brothers but they seemed too occupied with whatever they were doing in their own lives to be watching out for the girl. Being an older brother to five younger sisters his instincts just took over.

He hung back a few minutes until Reeves and the new chick got inside. He was a bit agitated; he just hoped he wasn't in there alone cuddling up to the girl in the booth there he frequently sat at. He was going to walk right up intruding on them. Walking slowly up toward the door he winked and the muscular door guy pointed a finger gun in his direction before grabbing the door knob and just walking in. Raf thought sometimes he needed better security for some of the guys he had working the place where smaller than him, but as he thought about it it didn't matter who was watching the door as long as Calude was here he could probably take them all with his vampire strength. One of the best parts about being friends with Calude was he could walk in the place no question asked, he made his way to theq entrance he walked right up to the bar and took a seat he asked for a double of special of the night. He wanted to get hammered and if Evan showed up they could talk about how they could both work on getting the cousins to stop being so hot and cold all the time. Looking around the room he could make out in the twirp's regular booth that it wasn't just him tonight he had both his usual companions and Candi over at the booth with him and the dark haired girl was just sitting down, looking more interested in Cloud who was dress as though he was thrown up on by
a rainbow. He was glad he didn't have to knock heads. He paid Dani and the bar and decided to make his way over to booth. He would run into all of them at some point tonight might as well be when he was still able to hold a real conversations. Walking over to Catcher  he narrowed his eye a bit before looking towards Skye. "Did you finally realize that slutty girls are more your thing? "

[Catcher Reeves]

As expected, Candela received Skye with southern hospitality but he too was surprised at Skye’s friendly tune. Searching Cloud’s face, he could see the bafflement there and shiftily looked around, hiding the confusion as much as Cloud was. If Skye saw, she was going to jump at their throats about them behaving as though she was some monstrosity. Then the gentle voice and fond way Candela called him, stole all his focus. Tenderised from being openly ‘C bear’, he smiled at her very faintly, eyes meeting calmly. ‘Anything for her’, he would have said but caught himself, hastily rejoining the conversation as Seth asked about Skye. After a break, Cloud was not answering so he interjected; predicting that allowing Skye to answer was going to set precedence. It would be complaints about how much of a prick he was when she met him even though he didn’t do anything at all; she was the only girl making him regret he didn’t do anything at all and he almost groaned that whatever would make life easier at his haunt, he would do now. Since he went to the shop more than Cloud made appearances, he shuddered to think how much worse things would be if he had treated her the way Cloud does. ”We didn’t all meet at the same time… Skye works at the music shop in the mall… and she really likes giving people a hard time.” Blankly talking, he ended up staring squarely at her before vaguely rolling his eyes. He was holding her to everything she said outside; having scoffed about her acting rough and tumble regarding asking nicely. He should have asked her nicely, for that tit flashing entry ticket; two could play that game. But he relented, aware of her mouthiness and need to prove herself; he would never humiliate her like that even if she egged him on.

What Cloud said about proving celebrity auctioned items was true when it came to biological things they didn’t have DNA evidence to support and his brows arched, darting glimpses of Skye and Seth’s faces that it was futile to go through the trouble of getting Cloud’s hair. The girl did have a way of poking the mountain lion and it was different having her around; he started thinking she might be antagonistic enough to occupy Cloud whenever he needed to hermit and live life in the slow lane. His glossy eyes followed the makeup stick roll, getting the hint that Cloud was downplaying that he did really care about Candela more than he wanted to let on.

About to sit down, he snapped around to see Rafael as the man made his condescension clear. He had been looking at Candela as she thanked him but she should know being there for her events was something he would never pass on. Feeling her hand take his, he laced their fingers and studied Rafael for a second before a flickering, fractured smirk broke the ice that would have lasted the entire night; an involuntary, unamused expression towards the man dissolving.”Finally?” That seemed to entail there was an end to discovering women and he immediately knew the big man’s broken record of an insinuation about him was never really going to skip a track. His head tilted as he looked up at Rafael with mock surprise. It dawned on him just how happy Rafael would have been to see Veronica slap him, if not any other woman; a bomb dropping on him would make Veronica’s new play thing rejoice. In spite of Claudemas, there was just something between Evan’s new best friend and himself that never smoothed over; neither of them would even attempt to make sense of what abysmal gap in understanding there was. And it was likely never going to change no matter how curious he became right then. ”No… not yet.” But without women, what were they and where would they find all that truly stirred them. He goaded Rafael on, meaning to press what seemed to bother the guy the most; his attachment to women. On the surface, Rafael would never be able to unweave the web of complexity there was about each woman he knew and he sighed melodramatically, circling a hand in the air semi-falsely blasé. Alas, the beach man couldn't just ask him about each woman the way he needed to regarding Veronica. Funnily enough, the ones who would be offended were the women there and he glanced at Skye’s priceless reaction to being referred to as a slut. ”Maybe if you introduced me to one… of the many you seem to know, I could.”

The timing couldn’t be better, as a scantily clad waitress with raindrops of sequins walked to them and placed a beautiful cocktail on the table. Evidently it was for Candela and she flashed a flirtatious smile to everyone at the booth, departing after letting her know it was sent from a patron who admired her. Along with that, she delicately set a bottle of chilled champagne, still in a silver ice bucket in the middle of their table beside the lipgloss. She didn’t bring enough champagne flutes now that Rafael had arrived and paused awkwardly before trotting away in a hurry, seeming to be counting under her breath. It didn't even matter but Claude's club had extraordinary service. Catcher picked up the near finished drink he had and downed it before sitting down at the edge, shifting as he noticed Candela seemed to be as flighty as he was. Cloud and Seth would be fine without them, if they had something better to do but with Rafael present it was as if on cue, they should leave. But it had been a big night, he wasn’t yielding and she deserved to stay out longer; all that dolling up had taken so much effort and time. ”You’d need a damn good reason or an offer I can’t refuse. Last I checked, someone was ready to buy me flowers when I wore Donna’s dress.” He had gone home in her dress, which was enlightening and liberating yet the longest trip through the city he ever made. That story he was never going to tell again and only Seth and the pack would know the first half of it.

Answering Cloud with a skeptical glare, he pursed his lips and tugged Candela back to sit with him. She was cramped back to the seat as he made her move, enough she was practically a cuddle pillow on his lap. And he held her there, warmed and buzzed by the liquor more than Rafael even with a shifter’s unnatural metabolism. Clinging to her colder skin, his arm looped around her, leaving her hand as he reached to fiddle with the corkscrew, popping the bottle without much celebration. White smog fizzled out of the bottle neck and he poured all five of the glasses they were given before splashing some into his emptied bourbon glass. Shoving the bottle back into the ice carelessly, he pushed the glasses to his friends and waved at the other two to take the rest. With a flick of his wrist, he showed the flute for Skye and his own, Rafael could have so Candela had her own aside from the multi coloured mixture. He had already had enough champagne for the night but there was never a time he didn’t need a drink with Rafael mouthing off. Soon, he could imagine the dreaded bromance with Evan as he guessed he didn’t come alone; Veronica would be rather upset about it if he chose a club over bubble baths with her. Then he remembered something was going on there that had Candela in a huff; he barely listened to her rant because it just made him feel strange to know intimate details of his ex-girlfriend’s love life. Some of which he had helped manufacture and he shut his eyes quickly, wanting to smoke again as if his hands needed to fidget, refraining as he distracted himself with the feathers that brushed him on Candela’s risqué dress. He smoothed them, lost in a bubble of intimacy before nearly sipping the sparkling Krug, lacking a toast. Twisting his cognac glass at the rim, he offered on behalf of a truce for the woman of the hour. ”Do the honours Raf.”

[Skye Kavanagh]

Fun size, she rolled her eyes at the greeting Cadi had given her. To most her greeting to the blonde would have seemed kind but it was more of an observation being dressed in all white with enough fabric just to leave her desirable bits to imagination. Candi was looking so sweet and innocent yet she worked in a gentleman's club so there must be a part of the tiny blonde that wasn't as innocent as she seemed. "Fun sized, give me a nickname like that and I might start calling you something worse than your  actual name." Skye didn't appreciate people talking about how small she was. She knew how small she was and she didn't need people reminding her about it. Being slightly dismissive to Seth by not telling him where they met as she glared at Cloud in his ridiculous looking get up across the table, thowig his hands around a bit in the air.Whoever thought up the idea of wearing all the colors at once was an idiot, it made it harder to actually focus on the person's face and she kept getting distracted by the reflective sequence. Hearing Catcher explaining to Seth where had met and how she liked giving people a hard time she shrugged and stuck out her in  his direction."I don't give everyone a hard time just people who deserve it." 

Hearing Cloud say she wouldn't  get her lip gloss back and she raised a single eyebrow. If he wouldn't give it back she would just climb under the table and shove her hands into his pocket and pull it out. If he struggled she would just tell the other she felt his dick and it was so tiny that she didn't know he could possibly pleasure a woman. She chuckled to herself probably looking a little crazy when Seth said she would probably wouldn't have any luck getting it back also.she gave him a thumbs down because she thought her plan was great one but she was enjoying the fact he agreed the noodles have could probably make a bunch of money. " See this guy gets me the next haircut he gets  you to collect it and I'll sell it.  I'll  give you a cut. Sixty, fourty. " She held her hand out for Seth to shake but when she did Cloud pulled out her lip gloss and painted his lips. Him using wouldn’t discourse where from taking it back. But she watched as he tossed it down on the table in front of her. "I could sell it but it's probably the closest thing you'll ever get to kissing me so you keep it as a memento." She winked at him knowing all the fuss she put up to get it within her reach and now it was just sitting there within her rather and she didn't even go for it.

The part which made her laugh was when he mentioned she didn't even have scissors. If he just knew she could manifest switchblades at any moment he probably wouldn't be so cocky about her not having an opportunity to cut his hair. She could move quickly around the booth right now and slice a piece off but she had told Catcher she would be good. She was a demon though so there was only so much good she could be. Cloud saying that they better not be plotting anything almost made her think he was a mind reader. She had heard about his sister at one point and how she was quite intuitive; it almost made her think Cloud might have some sort of ability too. She laughed about saying he could cut Seth's hair and say it was Beyoncé's, his hair wasn't even the right color."I'd cut my own hair and says it was Beyoncé's. Wouldn't do any good without proof. If I cut yours I can get proof that it is you."There was on way to prove that something belonged to someone and that was a photograph. One picture is worth a thousand words was the saying and if she ever got something from Cloud she could sell all Skye needed was a picture of them together as proof and maybe his signature.

Skye looked over toward the bar, wishing she had something sweet to drink and hope her little complement to the server would be remembered and she would be brought something to get a buzz going soon. She did see a person moving toward them but this guy, who compared to her was as tall and and thick came walking towards the table drink in hand. She was slightly intrigued by the long haired giant in the deep red blazer but when he opened his mouth to talk she found him to be a bit of a idiot. Slutty girls? She and Candi were the only ladies there so she automatically took it as an insult. "Who the fuck are you calling slutty? I've been here five minutes and you judging make one more comment like that and I'll cut out your tongue." She slipped her jacket off and tossed in on the seat beside her, he tried to sit down the spiked metal rivets might poke him in the ass and make him think about saying shit about the way she looked agian.The drinks had shown up at the right moment of she didn't get something in her soon she was surely to say it do the wrong thing and send the big guy running.

She turned her focus back to Cloud as at this point had shown her more respect then theSkye thought she was missing something as both Candi and Cloud both mentioned Seth dressing up as a chick and even Cloud mentioning of dressing Catcher up as a woman too. She tucked her hair behind her ears and tried to understand what was going on. Did these boys have a weird wild side she hadn't heard about before. Whatever they do she certainly was going to make it her mission to learn more about whatever they were mentioning. Catcher didn't seem to phased by the comment ether coming right out saying he once wore Donna's dress." Wait… you guys dress in drag? Here I thought I was hanging out with real men not men who like to dress up like ladies." She watched as Catch picked up the bottle of champagne and open and poured it into the glasses. She didn't wait long and snacked on up in her hands quickly. She learned the big guy was named Raf and turned her had toward him wanting for the toast. "Come on ass hat, say something quick so I can drink this shit down."