Where the Heart Is |Tag: Diana! and maybe Nikki?|

[Marius Grey]

Marius didn't have nights off all that often, and that was for a reason.  Actually, there were multiple reasons, including the fact that Eden didn't want to hire more bouncers than he needed to if Marius could work just about every night.  Otherwise, it was because he preferred to be busy, and there was nothing quite as busy as a night at All Hallows.  He had a habit of stopping into the club even when he was off, unless he had specific reasons for having a night off, and that didn't hurt Eden's decision to have him scheduled pretty constantly.  Tonight was one of those unexpected nights off, and sure enough, he was sitting at the bar with one of those 'special cocktails' made for vampires, laughing at some stupid joke another customer had made for his and Nikki's benefit. 

If you hadn't known he was a vampire right then, you probably wouldn't have expected it.

Actually, that was true most of the time.  He wasn't weak or harmless, but he was one of those guys that just put out this 'you like me, I'm a good guy' sort of vibe, and it wasn't anything magical or supernatural with him.  It was his laugh, his easy smile, and his casual dismissal of anything short of a life and death problem.  He got along with people, and that was perfectly demonstrated by the conversation he was having with the guy, who was WAY beyond drunk and making really, really dumb comments.  It was funny, though.

Harmless fun.

[Jessica Markova]

Ah, harmless fun. Of course, that wasn't to say that harmless was the only kind of fun that you could have, even if it was the kind that Diana was planning on tonight. Which wasn't all that unusual, thank you very much.

Still, she wasn't planning on starting anything.

Much.

If she didn't amuse herself with the smaller things - or let herself be amused, more often then not - than she would have died centuries ago from boredom and tedious monotony. And... well, sometimes the smaller things included messing with the heads of those around her. Still, that was all, and only if things proved duller then she was expecting inside.

Diana had never been to All Hallows before; she'd heard of the place but had never investigated. However tonight, after hearing enough to make her curious, she'd finally decided to step in. The bouncer and the demand to check all weapons was somewhat amusing - if she really wanted to kill someone then asking her to leave behind any of the weapons that she didn't carry unless she was hunting or something of the kind would hardly stop her - but she supposed it was for appearances sake. Not everyone who came here knew about Nyeusi.

It made her wonder how she could mess with the minds of a few of those who didn't. Hmm....

Smiling a little to herself, she walked into the bar.

Hmm, well this was an interesting place. There were low, colored lights and blacklights that were making some things glow a brilliant white, figures moving up on the stage - winding and twisting - music throbbing like a heartbeat as they danced. She looked all around her with a slight smile, breathing in and smelling... oh, smelling all sorts of things.

Including some interesting things over at the bar.

She wound her way over towards it, and about halfway there things got even more interesting. A wolf. A wolf, but not only that unless she missed her mark. Diana laughed a little - she'd smelled wolf at the entrance, of course, and vampire, but they weren't there. It had disappointed her, at the time. But now... oh, how interesting.

She slid over next to him, glancing him up and down as she came - mmm. She smiled at him when she finally reached the bar, her power all around her like a spiderweb. "That," she said, nodding at his drink, "looks good. What is it?"

[Marius Grey]

Considering how easy-going and casual Marius was, there was the little fact that he really wasn't easily impressed.  An old vamp was just that: an old vamp.  Especially here at All Hallows, he wasn't all that concerned.  Age didn't matter here.  As with most of the supernatural clubs in New York, it was neutral territory, and mostly because Eden didn't want customers or employees getting picked off.  Can't show up to work or spend money in the club if you're dead.  No, no, no, Marius' boss did NOT approve of that.

Thus, the woman who sat beside him didn't worry him in the least, though she had his complete and undivided attention instantaneously.  The drunken idiot lost his charm rather suddenly. 

"It is phenomenal, that's what it is.  I believe Nikki calls it....O Positive?  Yeah, I think that was it.  He has a habit of carding anyone under 8 or 9 centuries, though," he warned her playfully, though there was an ulterior motive to it.  He could tell she was older than him, by quite a bit, but he also knew she had to be hiding her true age.  It was pretty hard to make yourself seem older, so he was willing to bet that she was faking being younger, which wasn't surprising.  Most vampires did it.  That meant she was old, though.  She seemed around 5 or 6 hundred years old.  That was why he'd said 8 or 9.  He didn't exactly expect absolute honesty because the old vamps lived on deception and half-truths, but he was interested in her answer.

Actually, he didn't understand it, but he was interested in anything she had to say.  She was beautiful, and just seemed incredibly charming.  Naturally, that made him wonder if talking to her at all was a good idea, but he pushed that idea aside for the moment.  Nikki was nearby, just in case he got too messed up all of a sudden, and this WAS Eden's place.  Being related to a Guild Leader had a way of making trouble in your club something of a faux pas, even if you didn't actively throw that around. 

[Jessica Markova]

Ah yes, Diana tended to make an impression on quite a few people, but most of all on wolves.

She'd made an impression. It made her smile.

She laughed at his joke. "It looks phenomenal," she said, looking into his eyes from under her lashes - flirting, just a bit. Her silver-colored eyes danced. She laughed again when he mentioned being carded for it. "Oh no," she said, almost mockingly, that edge of wicked laughter still in her voice. "But maybe you could help me get around that, mm? I promise I'll be good."

[Marius Grey]

He'd have believed it if she said out loud that she usually made an impression on people, without even thinking twice about it.  He didn't have to understand it to know it was true, though he definitely wasn't a mortal wolf.  He knew there was something about her and that it probably wasn't just her looks and natural charm, but he didn't know what.  His self-preservation skills were just on very low power right then, and he didn't know why.

He didn't mind, though.

She'd definitely made an impression, so she had every reason to smile.  In fact, he wanted her to smile.  She laughed at his joke, and he flashed her a brilliant smile in return, pleased with himself for it.  She made it even better a second later.

"Oh, honey, I bet you'd be good," he offered up, unable to really help himself.  Part of his impulsive behavior tended to include speaking, though he didn't mean any offense by it.  "Hey, Nikki!  Two more of whatever I'm drinking!"

That was how she was getting around it, and he wasn't even asking about age again.  Wasn't it rude to ask a lady her age?  Yep.  It didn't matter, anyway.

[Jessica Markova]

Good thing it didn't matter - Diana didn't really care to flash how old she was. Well, some days. This was one of those days. Maybe later she'd let it slip that she was actually over 2500 and just see how people reacted.

Yes, she knew, but she looked so much younger....

She laughed a little, inwardly, then laughed out loud a second later at his comeback. "Maybe later on you'll see," she said, almost purring.

[Marius Grey]

If she ever let it slip that she was ten times his age, he'd probably choke.  He was better just not knowing.  Ignorance COULD be bliss, as long as she didn't try anything crazy with him.

He wasn't going to lie, so he was hoping she didn't mind some truth out of her company.  Either way, she was getting it, because that was just how he was.  She was leading him on, and like an idiot, he wanted to be lead.  He didn't see anything wrong with it, so hopefully Nikki would if it got potentially bad for him.  Even vampires could end up as victims sometimes.

Marius made a really bad victim.

"I think I'd like that," he told her honestly, leaning in a little.  Why did she smell so good?  Normal people did NOT smell that good!  Actually, she smelled like....

He got a little closer without even thinking about personal space, suddenly much more serious, and took in her scent with less distraction from the rest of the smells in the club.  Wolf.  He turned his face up to hers, still very much in her space, and flashed her wolf amber eyes.  That was definitely wolf, but she was a vampire...

He'd never met one like him before.  Nikki had been a shifter, but he was a cat.  It was cool, but still a cat.  This woman, though...."You're a wolf.  My God, that's amazing.  I'm changing my answer.  I definitely want to see whatever it is you're promising."

He didn't care what it was.  As far as he could think, it could only be good. 

[Jessica Markova]

Sometimes she wanted to make other people choke. Sometimes she didn't. Right now... well, right now not so much - it was fun to see what you could do other ways.

"Yes," she laughed, "I am." She let him lean in closer; she really, honestly, did not mind at all that he was invading her personal space - it wasn't an invasion. Invading would have implied, after all, that he was unwanted. He wasn't. "You'd really think that there would be more of us, wouldn't you? Such a pity that there aren't." She smiled at him, tilting her head a little and loosening her grip, ever so slightly, on the power that she held over wolves. It was almost an automatic reaction after so very long, to get all canines to automatically be that much more willing to please.

Not that she needed to, really, but as mentioned the reaction was almost automatic; unthinking. Besides, what harm could it do her? As far as she could tell he was the only wolf in here (which would have been a pity if he were not both here and... well) and others wouldn't be able to sense this power anyway. It was a natural charisma over all things canine, that was all. Having a power that was quite often useful and which no one even noticed could lead to slight abuse of it over the years.

The many, many years.

Besides this, Diana basically did what she wanted and there was very, very little you could do to stop that.

And then she pulled back a little, if partially only to tease. "Promising?" she asked, eyebrow cocked elegantly, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Oh, I don't know about that."

[Marius Grey]

She had no idea how much of a pity he really thought it was, considering being a vampire effectively banned him from belonging to a real pack, and he it wasn't like his 'family' at All Hallows was less than he'd have liked, but it was different.  He wouldn't trade them, but if they could have been wolves instead?  He missed that.

Promising?  She didn't know about that?  Wait a second!

"You said you 'promised to be good'," he reminded her with a bit of a smirk, making it no secret that, yes, he'd put a little twist on that in his own mind, though he knew what she'd meant.  "And I want to see anything you're promising."

At least, he thought he did.  Naturally, he didn't know exactly what he was dealing with. 

[Jessica Markova]

Diana laughed. "All right, I'll give you that one. You're going to hold me to that, then?" Her lips curled up into a smile that she half hid behind her drink, almost coyly. Over the glass, her eyes stayed on him.

Smiling, Diana sipped at her drink, then lowered it to the bar again. "I was right, this is good." She looked back at him, a hint of a laugh in her voice again. "Obviously, you have good taste. But then I could have guessed that."

She cocked her head a little, curious. "You work here, don't you?"

[Marius Grey]

She played coy rather well, like any good she-wolf should, in Marius' opinion.  He loved it when they did that.  "Oh yes, I'll hold you to that the best I can," he promised, since he couldn't force her to do anything and he knew it, but he was very certain that he wanted her to follow through on that one.  He had NO idea.

He smiled and dipped his head in silent acceptance of her compliment, not about to brag about his taste, but certainly thinking it.  He'd someone managed to end up talking to her, hadn't he?  Of course, she'd approached him, so it was her taste that mattered there.  He wondered if he was in good taste.

"Me?  Oh, yes!  I'm off tonight, but I work here most other nights," he answered without hesitation, working on his own drink.  He almost choked when he realized how his answer sounded, though.  "I mean, yeah, I work here, but I work the door."

That didn't sound any better.  He didn't want to just come out with it like he thought being a stripper was a bad thing, since he didn't.  He liked the men and women who danced there.  He didn't want to do it, though.

"Bouncer!  I'm a bouncer.  I don't get on stage.  Or dance."

Yeah, that was graceful.  He was going to shut up now that he'd totally mauled that.  Who said being a vampire made you instantly smooth?  She made him feel like a teenager again.

[Jessica Markova]

Diana laughed a little at how flustered he was getting, but not in an unkind way. Mind you, not in a particularly kind way either - it was just a laugh. Only a laugh.

And then, at last, "Bouncer!  I'm a bouncer.  I don't get on stage.  Or dance."

Diana sighed a little. "Ah, I see."

[Marius Grey]

She was laughing.  Great.  Just what he wanted.  Maybe he was better joking with the drunk....the drunk that seemed to have wandered off.  Damn.

Wait.  What was with the change in mood?  He told her he was a bouncer, and she sighed?  Why?  Did she think he was a dancer?  Oh, Hell!  She seemed disappointed!  Why was she disappointed?  Didn't most people look down on strippers?  He didn't, but he didn't know how the dancers handled it.  Being on stage would have made him feel like a sex object, and that would have just made him feel uncomfortable.  He'd laughed, but politely declined, every time that Eden tried to get him up there. 

He'd never met a woman who thought he SHOULD be on stage.  What the hell?

"Is that...a bad thing?  You thought I was one of the dancers?" he asked, just clarifying.  Really, he wouldn't have even cared if there wasn't that something about her.  He couldn't even place it.  It was just something, and it made him want her happy. 

[Jessica Markova]

Ah, he was a wolf shifter - of course he wanted to make her happy!

Diana had no qualms in shamelessly exploiting that fact.

"Yes, I guess I did," she said a bit hesitantly, raising an eyebrow a bit curiously. "I... I guess I just thought wrong, that's all. I'm sorry if I offended you or something. But really, you could be." Quickly, as though the motion was almost automatic (calculating thing that she was), her eyes flicked over him.

Almost hastily, she turned back to her drink, then glanced back over at him. "Forgive me for saying, but you do have the looks."

[Marius Grey]

As a vampire, he really would have had more of a leg to stand on if she wasn't ten times his age.  Really, who would have expected him to even have a chance?  Nobody could have.  This was a weapon made specifically for someone like him, and he fell for it.  Hard.

Fortunately, she hadn't yet suggested anything horrible or exerted too much influence over him.  She'd been subtle, which was probably in her best interests with Nikki behind the bar.  Nikki wouldn't be old enough to really STOP her, but he was a good safety-net.  He could alert others if there was a problem and Marius wasn't able to. 

Of course, the thought of a problem hadn't even occurred to the wolf.  The only problem he saw was the misunderstanding with this lovely lady, which he had to try to make right. 

"No, no, you didn't offend me," he told her quickly, trying to figure out how he could explain to her that he was actually worried that he'd disappointed her, without actually saying it.

Wow, she'd totally just checked him out, and then there was the compliment.  This wasn't just a simple 'you have good taste' sort of compliment, either.  He knew that the dancers were extremely attractive, and he'd been content at the door.  She was telling him that he was attractive enough to be a dancer.  Normally, he'd have laughed and thanked her, but wouldn't have worried about it, but coming from her?  He actually flushed, not an easy thing to accomplish with him anymore.  He was confident, always, and she kept throwing him off.  What was going on with this?

"I...thank you.  I just, never really thought that was one of those things I wanted to do.  Eden tries, but I see how people look at the dancers.  I don't want to be stared at like some sort of sex object all the time.  I'd rather stand at the door and deal with people as they come in.  At least most of them don't look at me and start thinking sex," he explained, though he couldn't deny that it happened sometimes.  Being a vamp let you in on those thoughts.  Some people showed up with sex on the brain, and anyone related to the club was getting that reaction.  He ignored it.