It was a cold night, the darkened blue canopy hanging overhead. The chilly air nipping at all exposed skin as humans pass by, their breath in wispy trediles. A cheap imitation of the beasts of legend that could be not a step behind them. Faces buried in layers of fabric, hurried paces trying to get to a detestation, the streets echoing with the sound of midnight traffic and hushed phone calls, bouncing and echoing through the towering sky scrapers that reached for the night sky like desperate hands.

With so much activity in the lit night. It was easy to miss a building of red brick and faded paint. It's good years behind the tagged walls. Standing far shorter than the business at it's sides. While the short wired, illuminated sign blinked on and off reading, "Beasts Den" did not seem too welcoming. The place still seemed to get quite the activity, it's door opening and closing, yet hardly a body could ever be seen escaping the confiding space.
Inside was warm though, far more so than one would think. The smell of spice hung in the air. Characters of all kinds and all forms sitting at the tables and bars. A game setting of dart boards and pool tables in the corner, surrounded by a gang of feeble men and women alike. The walls hanging with works of art and newspaper clippings, with the soft music of jazz would make it seem like any other club. Any other bar even, the bartender pouring drinks, the lady mentioning men and boys alike to follow. It all seemed to fit right in with the harsh space of New York.

"All a mirage" a handsome man sitting on a stool, back to the bar in a relaxed state, couldn't help but give a smirk at the humans who unknowingly sat next to a dullahan. The sorceress that was in charge of the place was good, he had to give them that. Here he could take a drink with his tail, the barb flicking this way and that, yet no human or beast seemed to bat an eye. Humans seeming to be in a daze, lost even as they asked for a drink or bite of food only to leave unsatisfied.

Raven hair tied back in a pony tail, silver eyes scanning the place around him, Damion found himself with another board night. One that ended well at work, his pockets linned with tips, but still a boring one all the same. A glass of start burst vodka in hand, yet a clear mind, he shrugged his shoulders. Listening to a conversation about how the hunters were getting more gutsy, going after older creatures of lore, caused him to make a mental note.
"Don't go home alone Damion, girl like you could be hurt by the big bad hunters."

Eyes narrowed, he pierced the barb end of his tail deep within the polished wood of the bar. Right in between a set of fingers belonging to a drow. A grin plastered to his dace, the male began to swish is drink in hand, watching the colours bleeding in like a oil spill. "Don't go warning me with a good time. Come on, no one would ever want to deal with the likes of me. After all, I'm just a guy trying to get by."

Mallory coughed a bit, pretending to be ill. It seemed to keep humans from coming near her, and with the hunters acting more like the slayers of lore, she wouldn't want to take any chances. Neither her uncle or father knew what would happen to one of their kind if they were killed -- the best option was that they simply were reborn.

She shuddered to think about the alternative: simply ceasing to exist.

Glancing around in the chilly night, she spotted a dingy looking bar, and chuckled grimly to herself. Despite being a spirit of death, legally, she was unable to consume alcohol. Getting her wallet at the ready, she marched over to the bar, feeling confident with her dark jeans and combat boots. The fake ID had cost her a good fortune--money that she'd regret later when it came to paying off her student loans. Finally reaching the entrance of the bar, she found herself face to face with the bouncer.

A burly human, he sneered down at her, hardly blinking when he saw her ID.

"Am I supposed to believe this is real?" he laughed. "Get lost, kid."

Mallory frowned, feeling unusually gutsy. The temptation to transform and allow him to see her for who she really was.... No, it was far too dangerous.

"I'm not a child," Mallory snapped. "I'm old enough to die -- I'm old enough to drink."

"And besides, it's not like you care, especially with your clientele..." she added quickly, peeking up at the bouncer. He hardly moved, and she frowned, temporarily reading his soul -- or as she called it, his expiration date.

She'd be visiting his home that night, she realized.

Perhaps he deserved it. She really needed a drink, and he was the only one staying in her way.

Rolling her eyes, she grumbled a goodbye and walked around the corner. Hardly checking to see if any humans were around, a soft violet aura enveloped her, pulsing out as her human form vanished, replacing her with a frightening creature of despair. Her cloak covered her face, she walked through the walls of the bar, thankful for the protection of the witch's charm.

Now, if only that goddamned succubus wouldn't try to touch her cloak again, perhaps she'd have fun at this bar...

Of course, that was impossible -- she hadn't noticed the slayer entering the establishment. No one did.

(Victoria) Nothing ever happens in this bar and I've been coming here for years so it was a surprise when this new underage kid went psycho right when a hunter came in. I figured I could do one of two things: 1. Get the hell out of here before everything goes downhill or 2. Stick around and watch how it plays out.
I should have picked one.
Instead, I picked up my ID and bought a drink for the kid. the bartender gave me a look like "really? Now?"
Shielding my eyes from the bright light, I took a step closer to her. I could feel my skin starting to burn as I said "hey kid. All you had to do was ask around. Someone would have bought you something without asking for ID."
Like I said, I should have just left.

Thalia stood behind the bar, watching everyone socializing around her. Sometimes people came to her to talk about their problems, almost as though she was a normal bartender. Only difference was the problems they talked about referred to the magical creatures among the humans. Most of the regulars knew what she was, and came to her for advice. Occasionally, she wished that she was normal, but no. She could never be a human, she loved the feeling of flight when her wings sprung out. She could never give that up. Knowing the time stream, that was something she could do without.

That person over there, Damien, he needs to stay far away. She'll serve him, but no talking to him. She knew what happened to those who crossed paths with a succubus, and it wasn't a very pretty picture. There was a girl standing by a vampire, now that she was in, Thalia wasn't going to ask much for an ID. Her rule was that someone else had to buy the first drink, after that, they were fair game. We were all friends here, except for that stranger who had walked in not long after the girl. Thalia's nostrils flared up, he didn't smell like any of the other creatures in the room. He was different, and Thalia wondered how no one else in the room noticed him.

If he came for a drink, she would be polite and serve him, he was a customer, and his money is probably good. If he tried to cause trouble, then she had every right to kick him out, so said the owner of the bar. Someone was asking for another Demon Hunter, the name always amused her, especially since there were probably actual demons in the room. She made the drink quickly, and walked over to hand the man his drink. The look in his eyes told her all she needed to know. Mentally, she tuned the man out, knowing that he was probably flirting with her in some drunken way. Thalia was used to it, it happened at least once every night. She looked up, and the stranger was walking up to the bar. He looked at the menu, and asked for some of the Klingon Bloodwine, and she kept wondering how these names for the menu items got approved. Whoever came up with it must really love their science fiction and anime. She made a mental note to check those genres out on TV when she got off of work. The menu item the stranger asked for was quick and easy to make, just some red wine spiked with amaretto and spiced rum. The man walked away and sat at a table in the corner of the room. She made yet another mental note to keep an eye on him.

Mallory would've blushed, had any blood remained in her body. Technically speaking, she didn't really have a body. No one knew what was underneath the cloak of a Kumakatok -- and that included her. For all she knew, she was made entirely out of swiss cheese. She'd never seen her own face, and instead, could only see the deep, gaping void of darkness. On the bright side, she had knuckles of steel from years of rapping onto doors. She twitched slightly, feeling the familiar itch in her fingers.

"Sorry, what was that?" Mallory muttered to the kindly stranger. The need to knock on the door of someone fated to die grew stronger and stronger, but it didn't completely distract her. Almost like reading a book, tiny bits of information about the stranger became apparent to her.

For starters, the stranger had already died, and reeked of vampire. Mallory crinkled her nose inadvertently, feeling repulsed almost by the undead creature. She was a purist at heart -- things that die should stay dead. Fate ruled the universe. Those who believed in free will and being able to advert destiny were simply kidding themselves.

"Thanks for the drink," Mallory commented, unaware as to whether or not the vampire had responded. She raised the glass to her lips and walked over to the door of the bar, almost trapped within a trance. Rapping lightly on the door frame thrice, she felt the primal need subside and she relaxed her shoulders.

That's the deadman walking, Mallory realized, glancing at the person fated to die. She walked aimlessly forward, hardly even noticing when she collided with a succubus, spilling the gifted drink everywhere. Of course, none of it got on her. The drops of alcohol fell through her, hitting the floor.

"Shit. I'm sorry."

(Victoria) I'm not dead. I should be dead. I am dead. I've been dead for years... but that aura was brighter than any light I've seen in years. It should have blistered me beyond recognition. I touch my face. Doesn't feel warm, feels totally normal. Mental note: remember to check face for redness.
What do I do now? I kept that ~thing~ from destroying the bar. I should leave. Why didn't I just leave and let this place get torched? There are plenty of other bars in New York.
"Give me your strongest drink. And a couple shots of whatever you got."
The bartender gave them to me with a wink. I think she said something to me but my head was swimming. I downed the drinks and went back at my usual table in the corner. After two tries to sit in my chair I finally gave up and sank to the floor. From there, I found I had a perfect view of everything going on in the room.

Thalia watched as the youngster in the room ran into the succubus. Her drink spilled all over him, and her glass shattered on the ground. She let out a sigh, Why couldn't people be more careful? she wondered, before she grabbed a rag and walked out from behind the bar. Thalia looked around the room as she went, and noticed the extremely drunk vampire who was now on the floor. She didn't know how a vampire could get drunk, and she really didn't care, no more drinks for her tonight.

The succubus backed up from the spill so that she could clean up the mess. Thalia could feel the eyes of most of the men in the room watching her. Oh why did the kid have to run into this guy? she asked herself. After a few minutes, the mess was cleared away, and except for the two involved who now smelled of alcohol, there was no evidence that anything happened. Thalia practically ran back to the bar, since now there were several customers lined up. Most of them were orders for Demon Hunters, someone else wanted some Falcon Punch (yes, laugh all you want at the name). She was busy for the next 5 minutes, fulfilling everyone's orders. Soon, the vampire came up wanting another, well, another something, Thalia couldn't quite hear her.

"Sorry, but you've had enough to drink and should head home for the night", she said.

Mallory practically curled into a ball as she walked backwards, hoping to put distance between her in the succubus. She caught the eye of the dragon tending the bar, and she smiled weakly, attempting to regain some of her former confidence. She wasn't usually this shy of a person -- most of the time, she'd let people have it.

But she didn't usually go to bars for monsters either. As much as she knew she belonged here, a sinking feeling told her to run away, all the way back to the dig sites in Egypt and to never returned. Breathing in air greedily, she noticed a man in the corner gazing at her, and a dark shudder went down in her spine. Details about him came to view, letters practically floating in front of his face.

Destined for hell.
Fated to die on the 13th of May.
Human.

The stranger raised a drink at her, his thin face contorting as he got out of his seat, brandishing his weapon. Mallory gulped, and dashed behind the bar, hiding at the feet of the dragon.

"It's a slayer!" Mallory hissed, shifting back into her human form. "Please don't let him fucking kill us all! Can't you breathe fire on him or something?"

(Victoria) That stupid bartender cut me off. How dare. Looks like I'll have to find my own drink.
I tuned in to my blood radar and gasped. There was still blood in the bar. I thought Damien got rid of all the humans like he usually does but nope, there's someone here. And I'm gonna drink them.
I pushed myself up off the ground and stumbled over to the human. "Hey dude. I've never seen you here before." I plopped into the chair next to him.
"Oh... I've been watching this bar for a while but I've never actually come in." He looked around nervously. "Are you... are you drunk?"
"I've had a few drinks but I wouldn't call myself drunk." I slung my legs over his his and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself into his lap. I murmured into his cheek "However, I am still thirsty."
The guy shifted in his seat. "Uhh... can I buy you a Coke or something?"
I giggled. "It's not that kind of thirst." I snuggled up closer to him, my fangs starting to poke out.

Oh great, Thalia thought to herself, Well, you have been in worse situations before.

There were so many problems surfacing for her right then. First, there was the death demon hiding behind her, this kid is cowering from a human. As if the guy was going to be that cocky a try anything. Then there was the drunk vampire, who looked like she was about to chomp down on the hunter. Even if she didn't really like the hunters, Thalia thought no one deserved to be bitten by a vampire. The first thing she needed to do, was pry the child off of her.

"Look kiddo, there are several reasons why I'm not doing anything. First of all, I'm not that type of dragon. You're thinking of the metallic dragons, plus red dragons, who I don't really like. Secondly, he isn't doing anything right now that is threatening anyone in this bar. As long as he isn't causing any trouble. Now, if you don't mind, I have to go deal with a very annoying vampire, who is way to drunk. I'm about ready to kick her out, especially if she tries to bite someone," Thalia said to the death spirit, before finally taking a breath, and walking away.

She could barely make out the fangs that were popping out of the vamp's mouth as she was cuddling up close to the hunter. Thalia was not happy. This vampire was causing a lot of trouble, and was pulling her away from the bar. She was going to be in big trouble with the bar's owner if a vampire bit anyone.

After hearing that the dragon couldn't even breathe fire, Mallory rolled her eyes. "Then what exactly is the fucking point of you if you can't just roast a slayer?! What are you, Puff the Magic Bartender?"

Fortunately for her, the vampire seemed to have taken care of the slayer for the moment being. Mallory desperately hoped that the dragon was heading over to help the vampire gut and kill the slayer -- there was no reason to leave the human alive. And perhaps she had knocked for him a few minutes ago -- she tried not to pay attention as to who she was knocking for. It ruined the surprise.

"Hi, bitch," a dark and masculine voice whispered behind her ear. Instantly, a cold and sharp, yet fiery, pain burst through her body. Mallory screamed as her human form faded away, and the blade remained inside of her. Fucking hell, it's iron! Writhing on the floor in pain, she felt another knife enter her, and dimly, she could make out what seemed to be a dozen more hunters entering the bar.

Desperately, she wanted to fight back -- yet the iron rendered her completely powerless. She looked up into the rugged mug of her attacker, and she fell still, attempting to play dead.

It worked.

He removed the blade and chuckled, standing up. "Now, who's next?" the new slayer sneered.

"You are, asshole," Mallory growled, attempting to shove him into a wall. Instead, her powers went haywire, and the lights in the bar went out. Thuds could be heard all around as the hunters dropped to the ground, momentarily dead. They wouldn't remain so for long.

"Can you fucking breathe fire now?!" Mallory growled, her eyes glowing a fierce red underneath her damned cloak.

(Victoria) Fine. I can't suck this guy's blood? I'll either have to suck the other redblood that showed up or go hunt one down on the street. I'm hoping that because the one here just ganked that cloaked chick they'll let me drink him.
However, before I could make myself move in their direction, a sudden urge to barf made me stumble to the bathroom instead. Well, I thought to myself, I'm more drunk than I've been since my 21st birthday. I wonder if that nice redblood I was sitting on would take me home.

Thalia turned around when she heard the kid shout something. She was just in time to see a hunter stab her with something. Next thing she knew, every human in the bar dropped like a fly against a zapper. She could barely make out what the kid said. It kind of made her mad, especially since she was insulting her. Why is there always the misconception that all dragons can breathe fire? she thought to herself.

Thalia's anger started going crazy, she'd show the little brat just the type of dragon she was. Little did the child know that she was one of the rarest types, hardly ever seen in reality.

Her anger started to go wild, her parents had always told her to keep a cool, level head, but that wasn't who she was. Thalia knew that she was a hothead, but when her anger started up, she could never control it.

She felt her wings coming out of her shoulders, maybe she could just spring the wings, and not go full dragon. She felt her nails sharpening, her body started to grow.

Well crap, she thought, I really hate having to go nuclear in this place. Might as well see what happens, I can't stop myself anymore.

With that last thought, her transformation was complete. Her head now touched the ceiling. She was still considered young, so her body was smaller than a full grown dragon. Her eyes flashed red, and she let out a terrifying roar.

Mallory knew that she ought to be impressed.

Really, she knew.

However, she merely stared at the dragon. "Am I supposed to be quivering in terror because you can scream?" Mallory hissed, positively scathing. Her arms raised upwards as the ground shook, a heavy darkness falling over the bar. She frowned in concentration, hardly able to keep everyone down and underneath.

For a brief moment, she contemplated actually killing everyone within the establishment. The thought was cut short by a round of salt blasting into her chest, and she coughed, falling backwards as the hunter hoard rose up, armed and violent. A younger one took an image of Mallory, the dragon, and the vampire on his phone, before making a bolt for the bar.

Hunters will pay a pretty price for us... Mallory realized, and she shook her head, screaming in rage and agony. The screech was deafening, almost like a banshee's -- and she would know, given that her cousin was indeed one.

"Great, you can roar!" Mallory shouted, beginning to get a bit hoarse. "Can you do anything else? Something more useful? Or are you really just a glorified worm?!"

(Victoria) all the noise is killing my head. I need to get out of here.
I stumbled toward the door but never made it. Instead, I tripped over an overturned table and landed directly in front of the taller of the hunters. I might have fallen on some glass but because I don't bleed, I'm not sure. I remember one time I got all the way home before I realized I had ripped a hole in my pants and cut my leg with a steak knife. No wonder those girls on the bus were staring at me on the bus. Guess I'll just have to look for scars tomorrow. If I make it out of here alive.

Now that Thalia's anger was down a little bit, she thought of maybe trying to eat the brat, but decided against. She didn't know where the kid had been, so who would know what effect she would have on her stomach.

She looked over, just in time to see a hunter snap some photos and run away. She could feel the lungs within her chest rising. She thought of nothing but stopping that hunter. He looked young, too bad his life had to be cut short.

She let out a massive gust of her breath weapon, and watched as the hunter aged before her. He went from a young man in his twenties, to an old man well into his nineties within a matter of seconds. She would let the breath go, and eventually watched as he turned into a skeleton, and then into dust.

After this, she managed to shift into her hybrid form, so now only her wings were showing. She glared at all of the hunters, daring them to strike against her. She glared at the death spirit, wondering what she was going to say. Thalia saw movement out of them corner of her eye. Another hunter was taking a picture. She immediately sprung up into the air on her wings, he waved a sword around, but it was too late. With her sharpened nails, sliced his throat.

Thalia wondered, who in this crowd would be dumb enough to anger her now? These people have clearly never fought a dragon before, so what was going to happen next. She couldn't really tell, it was all a mystery to her still.

"I'm so terribly sorry -- but I must dash," Mallory excused, feeling the familiar itch in her knuckles. She faded away like a shadow, appearing outside in the streets of New York. As she traveled at a speed near but not quite at the speed of light, she felt the urge to knock on a door become stronger, until she arrived at the abode of one of the hunters.

She rapped on the door three times.

Figuring that it would be ridiculous to return to the bar, Mallory made a mental note to never travel there again. Instead, she went to her own home, and scrolled through her phone quickly, only to see a text.

It was a picture of a time dragon, with the caption.
"IT'S DRAGON SEASON!"

Enjoying his drink, Damion was leaning back against the bar, the night being relatively calm as he chatted with an old client. Something about him being a luck struck fool. Of course, he simply wanted a bit of venom from his barb, the male wanted to waste away in a drunken stupor of ecstasy that could leave him forgetting his own name.
"Well that would cost you a bit, but I can make it happen."

He didn't care, coin was coin. Reaching out, his hand shifting slightly from a strong masculine arm to fair tender skin and cared nails. fingers becoming to the fellow only for his spell to be broken, a curse under his breath while a young girl bumped into him, liquid spilling over his coat, the smell of cheap drink filling his nose causing him to crinkle his nostrils and furrow his brow, tail twitching in irritation like a cat over a offending mouse.
"Look, if you're going to get me wet, you better be buying me dinner first." A sly grin appearing on his features, he tilted his head, allowing the dragon to clean up the mess as he left her a top. Keep a good name in these parts, thats what one must do in order to stay in the good graces of more...temperamental beasts.

Yet before he could even make friends with the young woman, or even comment on the drunken vampire.... Damion turned his head, his eyes narrowed and the playfulness gone. "I smell a rat..."
And a rat it was indeed. A hunter, chaos exploding before his eyes as a dagger embedded the girl, humans taking pictures only to meet the end of their lives within moments, dust dancing across the floor while the sound of weapons unsheathing sang in harmony like a vengeful orchestra.

"And that is my cue to leave."
A smirk on his face, the male backed up, hands behind his back while rocking on his heels. "Been swell but this little lady can't get her hair ruined, I just got it done. Give the owner my sympathy, you know where to find me." Already opening a gate way to his home he waved, falling backwards into his home. Landing on the mattress in a heap. "Guess that could have gone better...."

Something needed to be done about the hunters. They were getting a bigger set of balls that needed to be cut. he was no fighter, but he had other things to offer.
He was just getting sick of not being able to have a drink without a knife being shoved in a comrade's back.

Thalia looked around, and noticed how just about everyone had left. The only people left in the room were her, the drunk that was now lying on the floor, and the hunters.

Well, she thought, I don't think vampires age.

She flew up onto the counter of the bar, and took a deep breath, the hunters started rushing at her. She made sure her lungs were full of air, and let out her breath onto the entire crowd. After about a minute, the room became covered in a layer of dust, and the vampire was still on the floor. Thalia walked over and gave her a nudge, she moved slightly, so she wasn't dead dead.

Well, that's good, no one who wasn't threatening me died, she thought.

Thalia knew that a few hunters escaped, but hopefully they would think twice before attacking her. She pulled her wings back so that she looked human again, and grabbed a broom. The next hour she spent sweeping up and clearing the room. Eventually, there wasn't any sign that a fight had occurred.

She flipped off the open sign out front, it was almost 3 in the morning. Thalia walked over to the bar, and made one more drink. She woke up the vampire, and handed it to her.

"Hey, I'm locking up. Here, this one's on me," she said, as she gave the vamp the drink, and walked out the door.