Bank Shot

[Black Philip]

Lisa-Joe stopped the stretching when it didn't mess up Pierre's game. Well, she could always take that pool cue to his nuts after all. No! She would beat him of course. She couldn't possibly let him win. She smiled when he cursed, seeing his mess up with the eight ball. He's also left her a squeaky clan shot into a side pocket, and she took it before bothering to continue talking. The question about her employment caught her off guard. She was Lisa-Joe Hampton. Hadn't she dropped her name? She was the Brujah clan leader and the Keeper for the Central District. Her name got around. Maybe he was one of those apolitical types. He looked like that could be the case, a poet who's above it all, and too drunk to care.

"I work for the Central District," she said, tone sounding a little less musical as she talked about work. "As to what I do." And here she paused, giving him a long look up and down. He let her see a touch of her desire, but quickly brought the gates back down. "I do everything. I'm the Keeper."

She look agitated at the thought of losing. She eyed the man like he better not, but seeing how Pierre was acting towards her she figured he wanted that kind of abuse. Well, at least this way she won no matter what happened. She either knock in these balls or she would knock in his.

"I just might take it out on you," she teased with heavy lidded eyes. "It depends who wins."

She took her follow up shot. It was a tricky little bitch, and took a shot off the side to knock it into the left corner pocket. She'd been able to play so far without having to go near the perilously placed eight ball, but as the game tied up she knew she'd need to deal with it. She lined up a third one but she gave it too much force, scratching the white ball.

"Goddammit," she cursed, looking like she might break her pool cue. She looked to Pierre incredulously. "Don't you tease me or nothing."

[Saiketsu]

He laughed a bit of a taunting laugh as she scratched, his hand coming up to block the sound from getting too loud and drawing too much attention from the humans around them. He greatly enjoyed her fast little quips, her sharpness with him. Pierre knew exactly who she was now. As soon as she had dropped the title Keeper, he figured it out. She was second in command under Jake McCloud. That was the connection. Of course, Pierre let on to none of this, preferring to remain comfortably drunk until he was forced to deal with this information at a later date. Tonight, he was playing pool with this dashing little fireball.

"I don't know now, I might have to make fun of you now." Pierre smiled and took aim for his shot, leaning over the table in an angle that didn't give him a good chance at hitting any of the balls on the table well, but one that allowed Lisa-Joe to fill his view. He was usually decent at billiards, enough so to win money from most average mortals. "And if it depends on who wins," he began boldly, looking up at the red-head with a glimmer in his eye and a tension in his chest, "which outcome will give me my best shot with you tonight, Lisa-Joe Hampton?" The drunken Frenchman paused in his stance and waited for her response before taking his shot on the pool table. If it meant that he maintained good luck tonight, he would purposely throw the game right here and get her a drink.

[Black Philip]

Pierre was getting a little cocky, and that was fine with Lisa-Joe. It would make it more delicious when she won. She looked at him as he offered his bold proposal. She hadn't been with a man in a long time. Women were easier most of the time, and Lisa-Joe loved her a pretty fem girl or sometimes even a soft butch. Pierre had some soft butch qualities. He would do just fine for tonight. Also important, he made her laugh. That got him a long way towards her bedroom.

"I don't lose," she said as way of answer. "And make fun at your balls own risk Sugah." It was a sweet, little threat.

Whether that spurred him to throw the game or play his best was up to him. Lisa-Joe planned on winning this game no matter what. She crossed to him and  would wait for him to stand before grabbing a good bit of shirt and pulling him within inches of her face. Would he try and kiss her at this distance? Would she let him? She stood there, probably supposed to be saying something, but she waited instead, body tense and eyes as predatory as they were entranced. What would he do?

[The Cedar Witch]

“Do not--”  the vampire cleared her throat, which was still persistently scratchy. “Do not argue with me--I am employing you to drive me where I see fit.  Do not make me reprimand you.  Keep the car nearby, I will be only a moment.” 

Odessa gave her concerned--and bewildered--driver a harsh glare as she stepped out of the back seat of the Escalade--no, that was a Doble Detroit wasn’t it?  It was becoming difficult to distinguish the two in her mind.  Was there actually a difference?  After steadying herself, the vampire marched toward the brick building that she hadn’t set foot in for--well, it had been at least a few years now, hadn’t it?  Or, no, wasn’t she there last week?  With Frank and Henry--yes!  They were trying to buy her drinks and she was trying to take them home. 

Odessa entered the pool hall, looking like something out of a vintage fashion magazine.  There was the bell-shaped black skirt tightly hugging her hips, her heavily-frilled blouse with loose sleeves and a high neckline, hastily pinned-up hair topped with a ridiculously extravagant hat.  She smelled of a musty closet and sea water--not that humans would be able to detect such things.  If any attention was pointed her way by the patrons of Sticks and Stakes, the vampire took little notice.  Her eyes were on the potential prey, darting from human to human as she glided to the bar and perched on one of the empty stools closest to the door.  She had intended to stay for only a moment--Friedrich was meeting her here.  Well, he should have been there already, it wasn’t like him to keep her waiting.  He knew how much waiting displeased the vampire.  She would have to remember to tell him again.  It was very rude to keep a lady waiting.

Squinting slightly at the wavering images before her, she scanned the humans at the bar and around the pool tables.  They moved in and out of focus, blood thudding distractingly, and she recognized none in the building.  Odessa couldn’t remember becoming so intoxicated--was she?  How else would her vision be this distorted and her mouth so dry.  It was difficult to trace the sequence of events--the more she attempted to put together a timeline the more everything blurred together.  She had just come from home.  Her husband had gone to bed--oh, wait. No, there was no husband this decade--that one was long dead.  What was she thinking?

“Miss?  Can I, uh, help you?”  The bartender approached and gave her a quizzical look, which the vampire found mildly perturbing if not outright rude.  Surely it wasn’t still scandalous for an unaccompanied woman to go to a bar?  She couldn’t remember.

“No.”  Her voice came out more gravelly than she had expected, and this caused her to flinch as though in pain.  The thrumming heartbeats around the room echoed loudly in her ear, pulling at the dryness that continued to persist at her throat.  So much so that she neglected to hear the bartender’s reply.  Where was Friedrich?  He never missed meeting her!  He was meeting her tonight, wasn’t he?  That was what they had last agreed on.  Their last parting had been so sweet--the boy was so dreadfully enchanted by her and it was oh so entertaining to play along.  It had been so hard to resist taking all the life from him--but she hadn’t quite tired of his company yet.  Mouth watering and jaw trembling, she found her gaze fixed on the throbbing neck of a human a few seats away.  No, she had to wait for Friedrich--it would ruin the entire arrangement otherwise.  And she did so dearly enjoy this game.

[Saiketsu]

Pierre's grin widened as she came over to him, the sly devil. As Lisa-Joe approached him, Pierre took his shot without looking at the table. He heard the clack of the billiards but couldn't be bothered to keep his eyes on the game now that his attention was drawn fully into another kind of game. She made her way to him as he straightened himself up but no sooner had he done so, the older vampire felt the yank of his collar down to that small, angry face. His world wavered briefly, eyes swimming in drunk pleasure at the sudden pull down to her level. He had forgotten the force that other immortals used, being so accustomed to humans lately. It was a welcome force, albeit completely unexpected. Had he been anymore inebriated, Pierre would probably have laughed like it were some ride he were on.

He paused for a minute, knowing ever rule of this game. And of course, never being one to pass up a delicious opportunity, he leaned in and kissed her deeply. That tension in his chest seemed ready to burst, excitement began leaking into his groin. He half expected her to sink fangs deep into his lip for payment of such bravery -- and if she did, all the better, driving him deeper into satisfaction and ecstacy.

But then he felt it, the feeling of an ancient being entering the bar. An ancient being he knew, no less. But he didn't know many Ancients - save Damien. Wasn't that right? But Damien would never enter a bar willingly or alone, most certainly not without Pierre in tow. This wasn't as familiar as Damien, as safe as Damien. This one was hungry, and Pierre's attention couldn't leave that thought, even for the delightful flirtatious kiss of this handsome redhead.

As quickly as he had begun, Pierre pulled away and looked around, his drunken vision not offering comprehension for several moments as he scanned the area for this Ancient. Fear was beginning to grow in him and he was feeling his buzz leaving.

And then he spotted Sonya.

"Oh, fuck," the Frenchman said audibly, his voice dropping low and a cocktail of terror and rage filling him. Not here, you crazy old bitch. He could only see her back from where he stood with Lisa-Joe, but it was the throbbing ache of her age, the black hole of her presence that he had become so familiar with that convinced him beyond any doubt that Sonya had finally emerged from wherever the fuck it was she came from. She was wearing - something - on her head and an old gown, sitting at the bar like some desperate alcoholic, looking about, lost. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

[Black Philip]

Lisa-Joe found herself happy for the kiss, and felt a familar energy start to course through her body, filling up at sweet spots, and making her suddenly hungry. She gave herself to it, sucking on his bottom lip just a tad, and letting their tongues meet, if only for a moment. She decided then she wouldn't mind some more kissing from Pierre, the strange French vampire who'd boldly challenged her to a game of pool. She was about to ask him to get out of here. Screw the game. They both knew she was going to win anyway. It was really only a question of her place or his. His had to be better. She didn't need to parade a hook up in front of Jake, Sam and the District employees, a man at that! Jake would tease her for months about going back to men.

All of these thoughts were drifting through her head when Pierre's words broke her haze, and the rage began to fill her once more. She pushed him off her with the force of a strong women, holding back her vampiric strength for the moment at least. "So what you don't think I kiss right," she barked.

Then she felt it. A strong presence, ancient and feminine filled her nostrils like perfume. She turned away from Pierre and started towards the source of the scent and her eyes found Sonya at the bar. What a strange beauty. She seemed stuck in and out of time, and the sea water smell reached her by this point. Lisa-Joe felt drawn to her, almost like she knew her. Then she said a strange name, ancient and powerful.

"Troile," she whispered, sensing the powerful form of Presence emanating from the woman. Could she really be the Brujah leader of old?

[Saiketsu]

"What?" He asked distractedly looking back at her. His brain, still slightly foggy with alcohol infused blood, caught up to the words that she had spoken and then he spun around so that his face was away from Sonya's. This bitch could not be here right now, not when he was so close to getting laid and having a bit of fun. "No, listen," Pierre said and dropped his voice. "That woman is Sonya Turkevich and she's fucking crazy, ok? She's an Ancient who loves nothing more than going on rampages and devouring human children whole." His voice was on edge with panic; he needed her to understand. Fun time, it seemed, was very much over. Sonya's name was known throughout the city in elite circles. She had money, power, influence, and the emotional stability of a three-year-old child. There were several people in the city afraid of her - Pierre included. He had received first hand accounts of what dealing with a crazy Sonya was like from the horse's mouth - Nadia Dominik, Sonya's only fledge, herself.

Nadia had been the first to notice that Sonya had gone missing. At first they were all worried - well, Damien had worried. She had left her phone, her clothes, her house, her money and she had vanished. Nadia had told them that it was to be expected, that she did this when she went to ground, or had her "breaks" as she called them. Nadia said that there was no telling what kind of condition Sonya would come back in - only that she would come back eventually.

"That is a dear friend of my sire, and she is fucking bat-shit crazy, ok? She went missing over a year ago and we couldn't find her until now." He now took out his cell phone, and forgetting all manners sent a very frantic text to both Damien and, hesitantly because he didn't particularly like the fact that he had memorized her number, Nadia. "From the feel of it, she's here to feed. Ah fuck, what do I do?" This last part he said more to himself.

Odessa at Stakes and Sticks now! Come get her I can't handle her by myself.

He didn't want to be in this predicament. Part of him wanted to ignore Sonya and walk Lisa-Joe back to his car and take her home with him, letting her kick the crap out of him while he fucked her. He wanted to know what she felt like, and how she laughed, how she moaned. He did not want to deal with his ex-lover's maniacal sire. She was strong and unpredictable even in the best of situations - and this was not the best of situations. Sonya and Pierre had never really gotten along. He had paid her the respect that she had earned due to her age, and Damien's friend, but nothing more. He had never tried to purposely maintain a conversation with her alone, and never wanted to. She would sooner rend his head from his shoulders than to go along privately without a fuss with him anywhere.

Now there was Lisa-Joe to contend with. Goddammit! He looked from the red-head back to Sonya several times, waiting for any sort of text or response to come back.

[Harlequin]

No more than 30 seconds passed before a reply came from Nadia. The first contact they’d had since Sonya’s vanishing (despite at least one attempt on Pierre’s part. As expected, he’d been left on read.)

omw

[Black Philip]

Well shit. There goes my night.

Lisa-Joe looked at Pierre with a look that wasn't angry but was aggressive. She seemed unsure how to process the direction the night had gone, and crossed her pool cue over her body and tapped her foot as she listened to Pierre explain who exactly this woman was. It suprised her that this Sophie was not a Brujah, her aura feeling powerfully close to it. It was the weird intersection of beauty, rage, and rebeliion. Lisa-Joe saw it in herself. Part of her wanted to walk right on up and greet her as a sister, buy her a drink and leave little Pierre to wet his panties up here near the board. But then again, ancients were often bat shit for living so long, and so she hung back near the Frenchman. Lisa-Joe looked at his panicked face, and rolled her eyes.

She wasn't sure she wanted to stay for this shit show. She'd left a hostile situation to come here, and while Pierre's charms took the edge off she was still on edge and looking for a fight. She'd wanted a game of pool, a drink and maybe a screw, and now was dealing with ancients that made the smooth Pierre start whimpering. She needed a distraction to keep her here while she decided her play. Her eyes caught the board. Pierre's last shot had missed due him looking at her more than the board. She picked up her cue as she spoke, knocking down three more solids.

"So what's the problem? She  gonna go ape shit in here? I can have the Central District clean it up if you like?" She liked throwing her weight around, and pointed at the board reminding Pierre it was his turn to shoot.

[Saiketsu]

"No." Pierre said firmly, glancing back at Sonya. The last thing that he needed was Jake McCloud's people barging in to take control of a situation that was only bubbling under the lid. She was distracted for the moment, trapped in her own little space. His ears were tuned to listen to anything she might say, but he couldn't hear her voice above the din. And then more nicely, he said "I don't think that'll be necessary for now." His tone evened out, became more professional, less personal.

He checked his phone quickly and saw that Nadie - no, Nadia - had texted him three letters which eased some of his tension. But not all of it. He returned his phone to his pocket, all semblance of his arousal from Lisa-Joe gone with Sonya's presence. Fantastic.

That annoying urge of responsibility was rising in his chest, causing anxiety. Sonya was here to feed, certainly. But what if she were here to gorge? She undoubtedly seemed it. Perhaps if he could get a better look at the state of her, keep her calm until Nadia and Damien arrived, he could still salvage this night.

What a dumb thought.
Save some face and go take care of business.

Pierre sucked his teeth and made his decision. "I think this is where our fun has to end, unfortunately." He felt sober as a judge now, looking down at a pissy Lisa-Joe who was taking vengeance out on the pool table - where she was now winning by a long shot. "I'm sorry about this, my dear. But conscience calls and who am I to allow countless humans to be led to slaughter?" His smile was now tight, forced, and covering a fair bit of the anger that he felt at being interrupted. If only he cared less about Sonya and the humans in this bar. Quickly he grabbed a pencil and pad of paper, usually used for keeping score in the game, from a nearby table. He jotted down his number quick, leaving no name on the paper. The Frenchman then left it sitting on the stack of money they had wagered together, pointedly putting his finger on it as he looked at her.

"In case you ever want to continue this little game of ours." he doubted highly that she would and wouldn't be truly surprised if he had finally received that swift punishment he had been worried about all night.

[Black Philip]

Well that was that. He was blowing her off. Well, she wouldn't let him get the last word in. She crossed and took another look at Sonya and then turned with hateful eyes back at Pierre.

"Well, if she's as dangerous as all that keep her out of downtown." The instruction was barked, and some official authority as the Keeper entered her voice. She'd have to record a human killing crazy ancient to Jake and should probably share it with the Sacrament as well. She placed the pool cue on the table and crossed to Pierre.

"I want to win, so keep our little score card, but for now I'll take back my cash." She pocketed the money and turned back to him. "I hope you call on me again, Mr. DuSang. I rather think I enjoyed your company." She went in for a goodbye kiss, a promise of more to come, but just as they got close she kneed him in the balls. She quickly took a step back and started walking towards the exit. She lit a Red Apple, and took a long drag, giving a human who got in her way a shove to the ground. To Pierre she sent a mental explanation for the move which she though he might appreciate.

Something to remember me by.

With that the Keeper left, her anger somehow sticking behind. 

[Saiketsu]

There was a quick brush of relief in him that he hadn't ruined everything as Lisa-Joe came towards him. Unexpected, of course. He felt the brush of her chest against him, something that had indeed promised him hope of seeing her again soon. And then he felt her knee.

He doubled over in pain immediately upon contact. Intense waves of unnatural and unnecessary nausea pushed into his stomach, grappled up his chest and into his throat. Pierre couldn't remember his knees hitting the floor or his shoulders as he fell, but remembered the world spin and his head begin to bloom with a sharp bulging headache. Good thing he was immortal. The impact upon his groin had made that pesky old fire wound flare up like acid burning away at him. He must have made some kind of noise because there were hands pulling him up from the ground, others laughing out loud. Pierre felt bile - or was that alcohol and blood? - build in the back of his throat but refused to let it out. He gasped for air he didn't need as he followed that beautiful little figure out the door.

Fortunately, her last momento was lost on him, her salt falling short of his mental space which could not be invaded.

Once he was pulled to his feet again, getting pat on the back by sympathetic male bystanders and gaping women, Pierre leaned on the pool table for steadiness. It took awhile for the world to stop glaring brightly at him, his groin to stop aching unbearably. His wound ached as if he had been stabbed and his balls felt like someone had just tried to tear them off. There would definitely be no using them until he had fed deeply. He needed to get home and rest, recuperate after this fiasco,

but no. There was Sonya still. Still at the bar. Still crazy. Still looking around oblivious. Still thirsty.

How he would have loved to drag the bitch out by her hair and tell her to go back to whatever hole she had dug herself out of. As if it were that simple. The Frenchman threw a glare in her general direction - not that she would know - eyes boring into that stupid hat she was wearing.

Instead Pierre, second in command of Damien's lineage, righted himself as best he could and placed both his and Lisa-Joe's pool sticks on the green carpet and left the game there. He grit his teeth together and made his way - slowly and painfully - over to Sonya, weaving past humans as he went.