"And today at Gernis Memorial Hospital a local man was emitted after being brutally attacked by an enraged werewolf! He- "

Gin glanced away from the TV in the corner coffee shop, looking down to his old, beaten up wallet on the tiny round table he sat at. It was his usual seat, far off in a corner near the large windows that exposed the world outside of the tranquil little shop. Though it was normally sunny outside, today there was quite a bit of dark cloud cover, the air felt a bit heavier than usual too. Not that Gin could just go blabbering about it to anyone, most humans couldn't notice the heavy change in the air or the slight unnatural tingle of magic that often hit their noses. A bit of a sigh escapes him as he tilts his head a bit, reaching a hand up to tug off his reading glasses and set them on the table beside his wallet.

Lazily he gazes out of the window, watching as people pass by in a hurry, some with weapons, others with children, and some without nothing. It wasn't a really troublesome thing, but Gin found it to be. He liked humans, he liked his kin, he liked everyone. It was amazing what could happen in just a matter of a few years, how fast things could get out of hand... Thankfully though, the battle had not fully reached this area. There were attacks here or there, but mostly it was kept safe by the government working with countless Magic officials.

Slowly his gaze turns towards the dark sky that was holding promise of rain. Normally Gin would stay home while it rained, or at a friends. It was one of the few times he actually sat still and wasn't drunk off his ass or running on some kind of high. The rain was calming and soothing, enchanting if anything, it made him sleepy. But today he had dragged himself from his friends apartment to come have coffee. He actually wasn't too fond of the usually bitter drink, but a few people he knew liked it, so he drank it willingly.

And today was no different. Aside that he had arrived a bit early and was now stuck waiting, it seemed.

Ephesian inspected her reflection in the window of her classic VW Bug, her hair was pulled into an unruly, messy bun and her makeup had been slapped on in less than eight minutes. This is as good as it was going to get. At least I look good naked she thought as she slung her backpack over her shoulder, crossing the street to the coffee shop.

Effy pushed through the sea of people, trying her hardest not to bump into anyone or look at them the wrong way. Times had made people weary and cynical. A misinterpreted look could mean a black eye, or worse...a bullet to the head. She sighed as she remember what life was like before, getting lost in memories of the past as her legs steered her to her destination.

She pushed open the splintering door of the coffee shop, the sweet smell of coffee and fresh baked pie warmly greeting her. Effy seemed to float into the shop, heading to her normal table as if pulled there by an invisible force; she knew that force was truly Gin, he seemed to radiate a magnetism that attracted her no matter how hard she tried to fight it. She slid into the open chair in front of him, immediately slumping so that her head rested on the sticky, wood tabletop. "Did you order my coffee?" she mumbled as she reached for his hand.

"Effy!" Gin practically purred as the young woman sat in the seat before him, resting her head on the tabletop. And her reach for his hand wouldn't be a far one, he quickly extended it and grabbed onto hers with a light, but very warm grip. There was a rather large grin on his face that reached his green eyes, he was genuinely happy to see her, as he had always been. It wasn't exactly something he could explain, it was just one of those things. You meet someone and you click, right?

"Of course. I got here a bit early so I told them to wait to bring 'em out until you got here. Should be out any minute." He lifted up his free hand to brush back some of his untamed locks of hair that had gone unbrushed for a couple of days, not that anyone could really tell. With how he styled it, it always looked as if he had just rolled out of bed anyhow.

"Was your drive over safe?" Gin personally did not drive, he couldn't stand being in a tiny death-trap for longer than necessary. He walked just about everywhere, or flew. Being able to change the shape of your body as you pleased sure was one nifty ability, but one he would never brag about to anyone, especially Effy. He grips onto her hand a bit, giving a slightly worried look before tilting his head once again, glancing out the window, towards the sky. "Looks like you got here in time too! Its about to start raining."

Effy pulled Gin's hand closer placing it on her head, her unspoken way of saying "I accidentally got hammered without you, I'm hungover, and I want you to rub my head because you can't currently hold me." She groaned at the sound of his voice, wishing he would be so loud or ask so many questions. With a second groan she pushed herself up, leaving Gin's hand where it was atop her head. Effy gave him a dopey smile, her soft blue eyes seeming to tell him that she was happy to see him even if her body language did not.

Gin and Effy's waitress dropped off their coffee with a judgmental glance in Effy's direction before hurrying off to tend to other tables. Effy ignored her as she stirred milk and sugar into the scalding hot beverage. "Safe, yes. Enjoyable, no. Driving while hungover is always a bitch. Speaking of, I expected you last night. I missed you." she said as she continued to stir, her eyes not meeting Gin's.

A faint smile forms on Gin's face, a bit of a chuckle escaping him. "Poor thing." He murmurs, lightly rubbing the top of her head in a slow circling motion. He seemed pretty relaxed with the whole thing, clearly finding some enjoyment in rubbing her head, to the point he was ignoring his steaming cup of hot coco. Normally he would order a bitter coffee and stomach it, but with how heavy the air felt today, he wasn't sure if he could actually keep it down or not. He didn't even pay attention to the waitress.

Gin's voice grew a bit softer as he continued to rub her head, even as she spoke and stirred her drink. He noticed she wasn't meeting his gaze, but he wasn't quite ready to delve into that yet. Instead he chose to reply to her. "Well, you got here in one piece, and that is good enough for me. Though if its like this next time, just tell me and I will gladly walk over, you know I don't mind." He states, now staring at her face quite intently. "I tried making it over last night but I ran into a bit of trouble after I got off of work. Ended up getting dragged over to Casey's before I passed out. He didn't call you like I asked, it seems." As he says that, his brow creases with clear displeasure. "Oh well, there is still tonight, right?" At this point Gin could hear the light rain drops outside, even as they pattered against the window, the faint smell of rain starting to mix in with the sickeningly sweet smell of pie and coffee.

Slowly he would start to lower his hand away from her head, finally reaching for his drink as he keeps his gaze intently upon her. Gin didn't like many people, Magical being or human. Effy was just about the only human he was truly fond of, most others were just 'faces' and 'fuck buddies'.

Effy gripped her coffee mug with both hands, inhaling its scent before taking a gulp. "Jesus fuck," she muttered as the scalding liquid descended into her stomach. She sat the mug back down and pushed it away before she could make the same mistake twice. She knew she would be paying for that gulp for quite some time, and she knew it well. Time passed slowly as the two sat in silence, each listening to the soft pitter patter of the rain hitting the asphalt.

Casey was not a man of many talents, but he was very talented in the art of keeping Gin and herself apart. With a soft, exasperated sigh Effy raised her eyes to meet Gin's. They drew her in with the power of a riptide; how she hated and loved staring into them. They seemed to tell her something that she could never quite grasp, something that she desperately wished she could grasp hold of. "Tonight will only work if you come to see me at Noir. I'm one of the swing girls tonight." she said as she pulled her coffee back to her. Noir was one of Holly Springs underground nightclubs; a den of lusty and, unknown to Effy, magically activity.

Gin chuckled a bit as he watched her take a gulp from her coffee, lightly shaking his head. He couldn't do that, at least not well. He liked things spicy, but not physically steaming. Without looking he scooted his hot coco off to the side, clearly not planning on drinking it right yet. Steam still rose from the mug, far too hot to drink.

"Sure thing, I can even follow you over if you want. What time do you start tonight?" He asks, hardly blinking as Effy finally looked into his eyes. While Gin wouldn't admit it, he loved it when she did that. Maybe because it meant her attention was all on him, or maybe because he adored the color of hers more. Even though he could change his eyes to match hers, it just wasn't quite the same. Before he had met Effy, Gin had visited Noir on occasion with a friend, but since he met Effy he was there practically every night she was, sometimes under a different face. He knew well about many of the magically inclined that visited there frequently, and he was not about to let poor Effy get caught up in any of that, if he could help it.

"Ah... also. Try to avoid Casey if you can help it." Gin mutters, suddenly adverting his gaze away from Effy's, looking out into the rainy weather. "While I was there they nearly had the cops called, twice, and I don't want you getting caught up in his shit." Casey was one of the people Gin happily refereed to as a 'Face'. The guy was practically useless unless it came to hoarding drugs and tons of booze and the alike, its the only reason Gin really talked to him anymore.

Effy closed her eyes as she began searching through her mental calender, her right hand moving as if she were flipping through pages of a tangible day planner. Moments passed before she was able to locate the correct date, her calender was far to cluttered for her taste. She opened her eyes, now prepared to answer Gin's question. "I have an intimate four person show at one o'clock sharp. Then, I have my normal show at 2:30." she said. Despite working long, physically exhausting hours, Effy loved her work. It made her feel sexually powerful and in control, both things she rarely felt due to deep seated personal issues. Gin made her feel that way too, but he also made her feel safe. Above all, he made her feel safe.

She reached for Gin's hand once again. Their fingers laced together perfectly. Then again, everything about them laced together perfectly.

"Speaking of Casey," she said as she groped for her coffee with her free hand "he's one of the fire eater for tonight's swing show, which meas that there is no earthly way I can avoid him. Hopefully he'll behave tonight. I'm still recovering from his 'accidental' burning." Effy knew all too well that Casey had purposefully burned her, angry that she and Gin had slept together after a private showing she had given him. She raised her eyebrows at him in a sleepy manner, knowing that doing so would cause him to tell her more about what was going on under that mess of hair.

Gin was quiet while Effy checked her mental calender. He nodding lightly as she answered, smiling a bit. "Ah, an intimate four person show and I'm not invited? Damn." He lightly shakes his head, speaking in a joking tone. "But lets see, if that is at one, I will probably just head over with you and hang around until you are free. And I'll drink enough to make up for last night, but I promise to keep my pants on this time, at least until the belt comes off."

A rather content sigh escaped Gin as their fingers laced together, so perfectly. He gives her hand a light, reassuring squeeze. That was one thing he couldn't quite tire of, was how relaxed she managed to make him feel, even without trying. It was almost like it was a conditioned response to her touch, at least in public. Though as she began to talk about Casey being there, his eyes nearly rolled out of his head, followed by an exasperated sigh.

"I should seriously just talk to the manager about getting rid of him. If he cant manage to behave himself tonight he just miiiight find himself in deeper shit than he will have ever expected." Gin managed to only sound a tiny bit irritated, but with that, a soft sigh escapes him and a smile forms onto his face as he gazes at Effy. "I will be there this time though, I don't think he is gutsy enough to try anything while I am watching to catch him on his bullshit." He might not have been open about it, but Gin was far from a friendly drunk stoner. If anything, he was more like a tiger in a pen full of baby rabbits. And what do you not do to that tigers favorite rabbit? Hurt it.

"Plus, I already warned him that if he hurt you again, be it by accident or purpose, I'd do twice as worse to him." Gin had never really discussed with Effy what he did for work. He just told her he did a lot of odd jobs and that he knew a lot of people, both of which was true. But what she didn't know was that he worked under different faces, as different people.

"Samual is too fond of Casey to let him go. Then again, Samual is fond of anyone willing to suck his dick. I would know." Effy said as casually as if she were discussing the weather with Gin. There were no secrets when it came to the business that she was in, and she knew the man that sat before her was not blind to what she did behind closed doors. In this social sphere girls were shared like STDs, but all of them belonged to Samual the manager and owner of Noir. That included Ephesian.

With her free hand she reached into her shirt, producing a ticket made of black velvet. "A ticket, one of four. My darling Gin, can you guess it;s for?" Effy asked in a sing songy voice, a smile playing at the corners of her pale, pink lips. She replaced the ticket, affectionately squeezing his hand. Gin had never missed a private showing since they met, regardless of the fact that a single ticket could cost up to $2,000. Some would call that wasteful. She called it sweet.

"Yeah, but I am so much better at it than Casey is. But if Sam is 'so' fond of him, he really just needs to tie him to a bed and throw away the key already. Sure would save us some trouble." Gin would grumble faintly. He knew Samual, actually he worked for Samual on occasions. It did bother the incubus that his charms didn't work on Gin as they did everyone else, but in truth that is what made Gin so fond of working for him. Nothing better to brighten up your work day of keeping a steady eye on things than watching your boss try to get in your pants. Though he would admit, the incubus did have a genius idea of running a popular nightclub where his charms and abilities worked their best.

Gin watched as Effy pulled out a familiar looking black ticket, a grin quickly spreading across his features. He quickly lifted his free hand up towards his face, quickly brushing back his bangs from his eyes. "Oh sweetness, I sure do know what that is for." He chuckles. The tickets cost a bit, but Gin never really minded the price. Hadn't missed one yet, he wasn't going to start now. He loved the private showings, each was different, special in its own way. If he missed one, who knows what he might have missed out on?!

Carefully as he lowers his free hand he reaches for his mug of coco finally. By now it had already cooled down to a soft shimmer and was easy to devour. After he put the glass to his lips, one gulp, two gulps, three gulps, gone. Steadily he places the now empty mug back onto the table with a smirk, it was just like how he drank entire bottles of vodka and the alike. Only gulps, no sips, even if he was sharing. "Since we are on the topic, anything you want to do before work?"

Effy eyed Gin suspiciously, knowing that his intentions were less than innocent. Her look turned to one of curiosity, her eyebrows once again rising in a sleepy manner. Truthfully, she was content doing anything with Gin. Whether that be tying him to a bed or watching Moulin Rouge as they drank and she cried, she did not care. The two could have chosen to watch paint dry, and she would have been perfectly content. She picked up her mug of coffee, sipping the warm liquid as she gazed over the top at Gin intently. Their eyes met, sending chills down her spine that caused her to squirm and spill her coffee.

"To answer your question, I want to go home and change before this shirt is stained. This is my favorite fucking shirt." she said, an irritated note to her voice. Without a second thought she slipped out of the shirt, almost thankful that she had remembered to slip into a black bandeau in her hurry to dress herself this morning. She pulled her bag into her lap, pulling out her ratty, green military jacket. She shrugged into it and hugged herself, feeling oddly exposed.

Gin watched Effy's look go from suspicious to curious. On one hand he wanted to laugh, on the other he wanted grin. She knew exactly what he was thinking on that question, but that was alright. A faint laugh manages to escape him as he nods at her. "Yeah, lets head over so you can change and I can take a quick shower. Is that pair of cloths of mine still over there?" He then tossed a quick glance out the window and frowned a bit before looking back towards her. "If not, Samual is going to have a hissyfit about me borrowing a pair of his spare cloths and then complain how they don't fit my physique."

Gin was still rather relaxed at the moment, he usually was with Effy. The woman had that kind of calming effect on him, and if he didn't know any better he would call it magic. It was just amazing how you could be so content with someone in such a way, he couldn't really describe it. He only hoped he would have more times like this in the future, if he made it that long without getting exposed. He had the terrible feeling that once people knew what he was, that he would be one of the ones they executed, even if he was fighting along side them. Suddenly Gin would fold his hands together, peering towards Effy silently for a couple of moments as the sound of the rain grew a bit heavier.

"Already paid for the drinks, so anytime you are ready to leave we can get going." Carefully he unfolds his hands and goes about grabbing his glasses and wallet from the table.

"I slept in the shirt at some point, but I'm pretty sure that I washed it." Effy scrunched her face in thought, "Yeah, pretty sure." She gave Gin a half sure shrug, she was lucky if she remembered a full day let alone if she washed an item of Gin's with hers. Gin's clothes were her's at this point, they had been at her loft for long enough. She pushed herself up and slowly made her her way to the door, stopping just before she exited the small shop. The rain came down in sheets, the sights and sound seeming to assault Effy's memory. It dragged her back to a memory, one she couldn't drink away.

Water dripped down from the crack in the ceiling, splashing onto Effy's bare skin as it fell to the concrete floor. Her eyes fluttered open, a muted cry escaping her lips. In a halfhearted attempt to gain her freedom, she used last rush of adrenaline to crawl too the door, slamming it until her hand was littered with splinters. A sobbed wracked her body as she collapsed to the floor. She would die here. She would be one of the first casualties of the battles. God. Why her?

Effy took in a shaky breath, touching the door the bring herself back to reality. She was safe as long as she was with Gin.

As Effy stood up, Gin quickly went about shoving his glasses on and following her to the door. He simply shoved his wallet into his pants pocket, stopping a bit short as she too stopped. He was quiet for a few moments until the sound of a shaky breath reached his ears. He would have thrown his hoodie at her, but he hadn't brought it with him today. So instead he quickly closes the space between them, promptly resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Effy?" He mumbles out worriedly, glancing through the door out at the rain. The wave of his rainy-day tiredness returned rather quickly as he did so, causing him to lean onto Effy a bit more than he had intended. The sudden urge to curl into a ball and snuggle into something warm was so very appealing, but he knew once they got going that it would vanish, especially once they got to Noir. Something about that place, despite the weather, was always revitalizing. But if Gin had to guess, it was something to do with the constant traffic of magical others there.

"Are you safe to drive? "

Effy quickly nodded her answer as she pushed the door open, plunging herself back into the real world. The rain soaked her through almost instantly; her over sized military jacket now clinging to her thin, almost frail figure. Without looking both ways she darted across the street and into the safety of her VW Bug that was always unlocked. Glancing at Gin as he entered the car, she sighed. It was said that rain was supposed to be cleansing, but for some reason it made her feel dirty.

The ride back to Effy's apartment was relatively silent, only the sounds of radio static and breathing to fill the emptiness.

Effy unlocked the door to her apartment with unsteady hands. You never knew what was waiting behind closed doors. She pushed the door open, holding her breath. Nothing. She exhaled slowly. She placed her things on the kitchen counter as walked inside, making her way to the bed that was hidden by drapes and curtains. The rest of the apartment was simple, with giant, colorful pillows in places where couches and chairs should be. Pushing the fabric back she fell into the bed with a soft thud, feathers flying up from her white comforter.

Gin was relatively quiet in the car, it wasn't until they arrived at Effy's apartment that he made any real noise. And that was only the sound of him kicking off his boots at the door, a simple thud-thud sound. He liked this place quite a bit and didn't want to drag his dirty rain-soaked boots onto the floor, or worse, leave something that had to be cleaned up. He doesn't waste a second taking off his glasses and tossing them carelessly onto the kitchen counter along with his wallet and a few spare things he had in his pockets. Mainly scraps of paper, a few loose coins, and what appeared to be a smashed up bottlecap.

The tired feeling he had didn't fade as he had hoped, especially now that he was here. But regardless he quickly walked over to the washer and dryer, popping open the dryer lid and peering inside. A few things remained in here, mostly shirts and the alike. Reaching in he digs around and eventually grabs the dry cloths and carefully drops them onto the top of the washer. "Efffyyy. I am going to toss my wet shirt into the dryer, just want me to run a load while I'm at it?"

Though as Gin says that, he was already stripping out of his rain-drenched shirt and tossing it into the dryer, digging into the pile of already dry cloths and thankfully finding his favorite shirt. It takes him but a moment to slide the utterly soft fabric on over his wet hair, letting out a soft sigh of relief as he glanced back towards the curtain covered bed. A bit of a frown forms onto his face as he looks down at his pants. Somehow they had managed to avoid getting drenched, mainly the very bottoms, which were already torn from being dragged under the soles of his boots.

Shrugging though, Gin slowly makes his way over towards the bed. He stops short, plopping down onto the ground, resting his head on the edge of the thing he liked to call a 'giant floor pillow'. Though it was on a small rise and it really wasn't comfortable, he was not complaining as finally a soft, tired sounding sigh escapes him. He closes his eyes before speaking. "You know, we don't have to go today. Text-in sick. Lets just stay here and drink and watch cartoons. I can even call Izzy to bring over some stuff if you want."

Temptation filled Effy at the prospect of laying in bed with Gin all day, knowing well that 'laying' would turn into so much more. She sighed as she affectionately ruffled his still damp hair. "You know I can't miss a private showing. Besides, Samual bought me a new costume for tonight. It's darling." She said as she continued to run her fingers through his hair, gently working through the tangles that she encountered. Her soft blue eyes pleaded with him to join her on the bed. She wanted to hold him, to bury her face where his neck and shoulder met.

"I should get out of these wet clothes," Effy muttered, mostly to herself. She rolled onto her back and began to wiggle out of her high waisted shorts and black bandeau. The items of clothing fought well, clinging her body for dear life. With a flick of her wrist the wet clothes were flying through the air, meeting the white washed wall with a wet thump. She watched in semi-amusement as they slowly slid to the floor.

Turning back to Gin, she smirked. For what felt like the millionth time, he was more clothed than she was. But, she guessed that came with the territory of removing your clothes for a living and having an outside, intimate relationship with one of your regulars.

Gin slowly opened his eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair, it only made the idea of staying here more appealing, especially when accompanied by such pleading blue eyes. But she was right, she couldn't miss a private showing, especially if Samual had gotten her something new to wear for it.

As she began to work her way out of her cloths, he managed to push himself half way off of the floor and promptly crawled the rest of the way onto the bed, only to sink right back down into its softness. He had turned though and was laying on his right side, part of his face hidden by the bed. "C'meeeere. I'll throw those in the dryer before we leave." He grumbles out in a slightly heavy tone, suddenly grinning and winking at her before reaching an arm over to trying and pull her over towards him.

Though he was still kind of tired, just the thought of getting a bit of cuddle time with Effy before they had to leave was enough to get him going. And considering he would be drinking enough for two soon enough, this was probably an ideal way to spend his time.

Effy willingly fell into Gin, pulling his arms around her thin frame. The feel of his skin brushing against hers caused a warmth to spread through her body. It was a feeling that she only felt with him. She sank deeper into him with a contented sigh. If happy places existed, this would indeed be hers. Closing her eyes, she allowed her human nature to take over her, taking her and Gin where it may.

---

"Fucked my way up to the top, this is my show. I fucked my way up to the top. Go, baby, go." Lana Del Rey's sultry voice floated through the small apartment, the words seeming to wrap around Effy as she applied her show makeup in the small, plain bathroom off her bed'room'. Samual's newest costume choice was breath taking as usual, highlighting Effy's pale skin and bleach blonde hair. The ever fashion forward gentleman had chosen a boned, lace up corset with thousands of glittering black crystals. As added gifts, he gave his favorite whore the matching shoes, thong, face veil, and gloves. She would sparkle from head to toe, truly becoming his crowning jewel.

Effy walked out into the open room, stopping in front of the bed where Gin still resided. She was in full costume, and curious on his opinion as usual. "Well?" she asked in her most seductive voice wit a wink.