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Post by Vyn on Apr 12, 2009 21:48:04 GMT -5
The night was young, and Seki was lonely. His 'boyfriend' of the week had stood him up again and, Seki was accustomed enough to the pattern that he'd given up being upset. It was easier just to start drinking and wait until the evening found something to do with him. It always did, eventually. Slowly he stirred a drink that he didn't have the energy to drink, his gut rumbling as a familiar sort of misery started to catch up with him. Swish swish swish... He hated being alone. He kept stirring, unable to bring the drink to his lips. How many calories did this silly drink have? Funny how he hadn't been thinking about that a minute ago... His stomach growled again, more forcefully, and he stirred harder until - much to his surprise - a voice sounded to his left and he jumped slightly, scrambling to keep his drink form tipping open. "This seat open?"The feline didn't look up before he nodded demurely. The voice was an unwelcome sort of familiar, one of Jovan's old friends... but it was better than being alone. Absently he reached up, lean fingers toying with his mane in an absent display of nerves. Seki hated to be bias, but the Club was just one of those gritty types... Looked and sounded sleezy, whispering words that Seki really didn't care to hear. They were as oily as the old egret probably looked just then, but the Torque mix never looked up. He simply let his hand finally drop from his mane and return to his drink despite the nagging reminder of the deceptive amount of weight the little drink contained. A different face but the same old tune, he'd just drink until everything felt good. "How about my place tonight, pretty kitty?" |
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Post by Satra on Apr 12, 2009 22:09:09 GMT -5
 Andrei was in an oddly adventurous mood that night. Curiosity of how the other half lived brought him to this dingy little bar in the Capitol. At the cusp of adulthood, Andrei looked old enough to be allowed to serve a drink (as if they carded anyway). He rank helped some, too. He sipped his wine and looked out over the crowd, watching them with fascination. He'd really taken to noticing how people really looked and acted in real life and not just how they did so in fantasy books (though he still had to admit a guilty love for them). It always was a crude remind how much more common Clubs were outside the Court! He was the only Heart in the room, and certainly the only face card. He'd taken notice: There were two other red suits in the room, both of them Diamonds. One was a rather promiscuous-looking woman sitting on some man's lap and the other, which held more of his attention, was a tawny young man sitting by himself at the bar staring into his swirling drink. Pretty thing. Odd little binding, though. Was he part torque? Or was that due to his Corvistowne tendencies? Just as he was thinking he should go over and try to cheer the young man up with his presence, someone else moved in. Not only was it a low-ranking Club. Oh no. It was a slimy-looking Golfham with a pedophile smile plastered proudly on his face as he tried to move in on the vulnerable-looking Feline. He didn't even introduce himself! Andrei could feel himself begin to fume. He just held the half-filled glass in his hand, feeling a sudden need to stay sober. He waited and watched. He would not assume the Feline wanted his battles fought for him, but if he had to step in when this guy decided to cross the line, he'd be ready. |
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Post by Vyn on Apr 12, 2009 22:23:58 GMT -5
Seki had almost slipped into cat mode, trying hard not to look at the man next to him in an attempt to pretend it wasn't him... or that it was someone else, someone he wanted to be there, but that oily voice kept penetrating his ears and, soon, the equally slick body was leaned against his own, a wing around his lower back so as to not get hung up on those spiky bindings.
"Come on, baby... Let's call it an early night and have fun at my place. What d'ya say?"
Seki mewed softly, clinging to his drink. Why did he choose tonight to be picky? His stomach was rumbling -- not loud enough for the club beside him to hear, but enough for Seki to feel -- and everything smelt more intense. The man beside him, the drink in his hand, everything... He couldn't bring himself to drink, or to get up and wander away with the Club drunk.
But saying no was even more impossible.
Why tonight?
He didn't want to be alone...
"Come now, kitty, not the silent game again... Thought you knew how to talk."
The man's tone was raising a little, the drunken slurr growing more prominent as he raised his voice in frustration. That damned pimp had said he'd teach his kitten how to talk, he didn't want to fuck the little bag of bones if all he was going to do was mewl like a common ace!
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Post by Satra on Apr 12, 2009 22:49:27 GMT -5
That was it. Andrei had seen enough.
He practically growled as he jumped off his stool and walked as smoothly as the Animals legs of his mixed Bat-Eagle heritage would allow. He held on to his glass, however. He was unarmed and if things got nasty, he might need the glass.
"Excuse me sir," if you can even be called such, he thought scathingly, "I believe this man is trying to give you the hint to leave him alone. So, if you'll kindly do so, I - and most likely he- would be most appreciative." It was a very undignified thing to think, but Andrei hoped the man got violent. He was low enough ranked that he could drop him easily with his pain ability. It was likely, considering the man had already proved himself to be less than a gentleman, would he prove himself to be a coward, too? Andrei was far superior to him in both rank and suit. Would the man be stupid enough...?
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Post by Vyn on Apr 12, 2009 23:19:01 GMT -5
Seki jumped again when a new voice spoke up behind him, it was a very confident sort of voice -- however young -- and while he was certain he had never heard it before, he was also very certain that it seemed to be... defending him? The scrawny feline didn't even have the chance to speak up for himself before the Egret was on his feet, puffed up and staring indignantly down his beak at the eagle/bat kid.
"Bugger off, you little sod!" The drunken egret snapped before even bothering to take in a complete look of the 'kid' he was snapping and, upon second glance, was not at all happy to see the rich red J on his chest. Fuck! There was really no way to recover this... The 6 of Clubs twitched a little, trying to maintain his poise despite the uncertainty that made his expression fall. "Whatcha care anyway whether or not I pick up this little thing? He's not worth anything anyway!"
Seki's ears twitched, falling back against his head but he tried not to react too heavily to the remark. It was probably pretty true... Yet he still found himself turning to see who his 'knight in shining armor was'... and he was utterly surprised. He was, handsome... and he sounded nice... Nicer than his current company, and willing to defend him. The feline swallowed, he really had to make his choice...
"I... I would appreciate that..."
It was the only thing more than a mew that the Club had heard out of the kitten all night and it was utterly infuriating.. What the hell was so special about this little King that he could get the feline to speak?! And for the cat to speak just to tell him off! Without thinking the golfram egret spun on a long leg and aimed to smack the wide-eyed feline on the stool.
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Post by Satra on Apr 12, 2009 23:54:44 GMT -5
Andrei couldn't help but smirk as the man's entire face dropped when he laid eyes on his chest. He really wish that mark that looked like blood wasn't right next to the proud marking on his chest, but he had to live with it. The insult was easily forgiving in exchange for the discomfort the man displayed. The smirk quickly became a scowl when the git called the Feline worthless. Scumbag. Then the Cat spoke. Andrei gave him glance and a small smile, keeping the Egret in his peripheral. Then there was sudden movement from the Egret. That... that bastard! Andrei was so taken aback by this downright barbaric behavior that he hesitated. He shook himself out of his appalled state and cast his pain ability on the man, but a bit too late to stop him from making contact. He kept the ability up as he put his glass down on the floor and hopped up onto the now vacant seat near the Corvie mix. "My sincerest apologies for not being faster... are you alright, sir?" Andrei faltered a little, seeing what a low rank the other man was, but he mentally shook it off. He was far more interested in protecting him now rather than a romantic evening. He ignored the man in pain, only keeping him in his peripheral and one ear turned toward him should he attempt another attack. "My name is Andrei. May I ask yours?"Strong Magical Ability 0:
When activated, he can inflict mental pain on another card of any suit, once per day. The degree of pain is akin to having the skin slowly peeled off your back. Cards ranked Six and lower will pass out from such torture after five minutes. [/center] |
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Post by Vyn on Apr 13, 2009 9:47:43 GMT -5
Seki let out a surprised little mewl when he was slapped, thankful that wings didn't hurt nearly as much as heavy paws, but he cowered anyway... until the the Egret abruptly fell away.
In an instant he was on the floor, writhing and groaning and receiving little more than arched brows from the patrons. The tender leaned over the counter, gave one look at the Jack of Hearts and went back to what he was doing. Wasn't his place... Or, rather, he had no intention of joining the agony-ridden egret.
Seki was completely still for a moment, lime green eyes wide with surprise but slowly relaxing. For all that he was horrified of the continued anguish of the greasy Egret, he also felt a niggling curiosity. ...What did it feel like? He'd been hit by a couple Heart abilities but none that seemed as bad as the pain the Egret was in.
Drink forgotten, the feline focused on the eagle/bat that had stepped into the Egret's old spot. He seemed like a gentleman... Seki had never met anyone like that, not in a place like this at least. "I'm Seki..." The feline's gaze traveled downward to the Egret who's eyes were streaming with a horrified abundance of tears. "Th-thank you, Andrei... You... didn't have to... but, y-yes... I'm alright..."
In the time it took the nervous and shocked cat to stumble out an answer while still half-watching the writhing, groaning, and all but screaming egret, the man's eyes abruptly rolled up and he passed out. The feline blinked, coiling up on his bar stool a bit more. Had he blacked out because of the pain? It wasn't a thought that should have left such a curious tingle in his body... but it did.
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Post by Satra on Apr 13, 2009 14:41:05 GMT -5
"Seki, it is a pleasure to meet you, but I am going to have to disagree. That man was clearly encroaching where you didn't want him. I merely did what--" he was about to say 'what anyone here would have done', but clearly since he was the only one who bothered to look up from his drink before there were sounds of pain, Andrei thought it wiser to choose a different set of words, "--I am naturally inclined to do. Are you sure you're alright? I don't mean this in any inappropriate way, but would you like to leave this place? You don't seem to be interested in the drinks," his eyes flicked down to the drink that was now diluted with melted ice, "and the people don't seem to interest you, either." he gave another glance, but this time to the unconscious man on the ground. He let the spell go and jumped back off the stool. The man was alright, at least so he said, and Andrei was feeling a very strong urge to leave. He turned his head to speak to Seki.
"It's your choice if you'd like to come with me. The alcohol and the people have both lost their appeal to me for this evening, and I find little else to hold my interest." He did hope he accepted... he was clearly unable to defend himself and Andrei's chivalry complex didn't allow himself to leave someone clearly helpless to the wolves.
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Post by Vyn on Apr 13, 2009 20:37:19 GMT -5
Seki couldn't help but listen when Andrei talked. He had a flourish to him, a ritzy sort of look that you typically didn't see in the places Seki often haunted. It was actually rather handsome, though he tried very hard no to think about how it reminded him of Ghi's noble sort of poise. The feline trembled absently, though it would seem more a reaction toward the egret's current state than any of his brooding.
"It... w-wasn't all his fault." Seki wasn't saying no, right? It had to be his fault too, it usually was. But he was glad that Andrei had did 'what he usually would', because it was unusually sweet and, while the feline didn't want to admit it, it had brightened his day a little. No one ever stuck up for him anymore...
And then Andrei was leaving and the feline's tail twitched nervously... He didn't want to be alone, he didn't... and Andrei was right that he didn't really have an interest in the beer or his 'choice' of dates tonight. Nervously the feline slipped off the bar stool, stretching over the fallen Egret before moving closer to Andrei.
"Where... would you like to go?" The feline shifted slightly, a hint of hesitance in his eyes. The boy still looked rather young, but he really carried himself with such a commanding air...
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Post by Satra on Apr 14, 2009 15:48:56 GMT -5
In his childhood his books and fantasies always pushed the idea of saving the 'damsel in distress'. A Helpless Person in need of someone's assistance. Here was a clearly broken person -- no protest when referred to as worthless, underfed, evasive and unsure of himself, and unwilling to put the blame where it was deserved, redirecting it to himself. This... was a real person. Low rank or not, Andrei had a sudden strong desire to help him.
"But he--" then he let it drop. He didn't want to scare him away by expecting him to make large steps too quickly. "Regardless, he should' have been more respectful." He paused, waiting for the Felines response, and then smiled widely at his acceptance.
"Well, I'm feeling a touch peckish. I know of a cafe that's open this time of night. A bit of a walk - on the more trendy part of town - but it's a good place. Nice atmosphere and the food is good. They serve mostly small plates. Does that appeal to you, or did you prefer something less public?"
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