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”Please tell me you brought your flask.” Drake pulled out his flask and handed it over with a wink.

"You wait here. I'm gonna see if there's another way in," he instructed as he began walking off toward the side of the building. There had to be another door. You can't have a place like this without multiple exits. As his feet patted out a rhythm, he felt his adrenaline waning. The little bit of sleep he got did him some good, but it obviously wasn't enough to make up for all the sleep he didn't get.

As he came to a handleless door, he tried pushing his fingers into the edge of it to pull it open. No luck. He knocked on it, instead. Maybe someone would hear it and just let him in. As he stood there waiting, he tried to fight back a yawn and lost. The music, the vibe inside... It'll pick me up, he told himself, hoping it was true. After a few moments, he abandoned the door and continued walking, turning towards the back of the building now. He walked passed a parked white Cadillac Escalade. The licence plate said STGNM2. Just as he did, a door a few yards ahead opened up as a waitress came out. Drake changed his pace to a jog.

"Hold up!" he called out with a smile. "Please, don't let the door shut!" The waitress looked at him with mild annoyance. In black slacks and a white long sleeve button up with a name tag clipped on, she looked more suited for a restaurant rather than a night club. The look on her face gave away the fact that she was tired and really didn't want to be working right now.

"Entrance is on the other side," she informed as one hand held the door and the other searched her own pockets. "Shit," she said sharply, looking down as if something had suddenly gone very wrong.

"I know, but the line is ridiculous. You mind if I just... you know..." He gave a few exaggerated nods toward the open door, obviously hinting that he wanted in.

"I'll make you a deal," she started. "I left my cigarettes inside. Let me bum a cig and you're in." Drake's face lit up as he pulled a pack out of his shirt pocket and retrieved two, giving both of them over as an extra thank you.

"Thank you, uh..."

"Becky," she said, finishing his sentence and introducing herself.

"Thanks Becky. See you in there, huh?" With a smile and a wink, he took the open door and opened it a little wider as he stepped through. The music was blaring and the lights were low. Time to get the night started.

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It's not difficult for one to lose track of their surroundings. Distractions, crowded areas, or just losing any sanity the mind contains are ways to do it. Jason was in thought about such ordeals, alongside recent encounters with the staff members after they found out about several of the stolen chairs being his fault, and he was still trying to think of a better way to evade notice next time, mumbling quietly under his breath as his sneakers made their usual Tap against the floor. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice anyone else in the halls with him.

At least not until he collided with them.

"Oof!"

Heidi, on the other hand, was constantly, uncontrollably fully alert. It was a side-effect of her mutation she wasn't quite used to yet; noticing everything. Even when she tried to switch off or daydream, her brain registered everything that it was currently possible to see, touch, smell or taste.

But not to hear.

She was taken completely by surprise when Jason walked into the back of here, and couldn't help but let out a little yelp. Before she'd even fully turned round, her brain had run through all the probable scenarios that would lead to that sensation, and somebody bumping into her accidentally seemed the most likely, given her deafness. Most other common scenarios were disproved by little details, such as if some overbearingly clingy girl was being overbearing, surely they'd have embraced her. Or if it was a bully, they'd have pushed her, and there'd be a much smaller point of impact.

So she wasn't surprised to see somebody looking flustered and surprised. The old Heidi would have apologised now, for some reason, but the new Heidi saw absolutely no logic in that, and instead waited for Jason's apology. Then her soul caught up with her brain, realised how harsh that sounded, and decided to apologize anyway, for thinking such a thing more than for the actual bump.

"I'm sorry!"(edited)

"Sorry? Pretty sure I'm supposed to do that here." Jason's voice was currently flustered, though his posture said otherwise. "I wasn't lookin where I was goin, that's my fault, sorry about that." His right hand withdrew from his pocket and snaked into his hood, scratching the back of his head bashfully.

This girl, Heidi he believed her name was, at least that's what he'd seen on the student list, was one of the mutants without an ability that could be seen from what he'd heard. Fascinating.

His glaring red orbs ran up and down her in a quick fashion, quickly coming to the conclusion that she was both pretty, and probably wouldn't enjoy him staring at her like a weirdo for to long. His eyes moved away from her to the wall. There, small wings twitched, as a fly stood alone on the wall. Seemed that even a building of mutants wasn't enough to dissuade insects from wandering in. If only that were true of the entire world.

Heidi's eyes flicked to the wall for a millisecond as she followed his gaze, noticed the fly, assumed he was looking at the fly, and looked back at him. He was probably trying to avoid staring. Heidi, though she wouldn't describe herself as shy, could relate to somebody being socially awkward because they tended to verthink things. luckily for Heridi, the next step in the conversation was kinda obvious.

"I'm Heidi. Heidi Williams," she greeted as she held out her hand to shake, and smiled up at him.

Awkwardly, Jason returned the shake. He wasn't used to others being so overly friendly in front of him, but it was a nice change of pace. "Jason. Pleasure to meet you." Heidi's eyes were quick, she certainly picked up on things far faster then others, he was pleasantly surprised by this. "So uh...what were you doin before I bumped into you? Literally." He chuckled slightly as he finished.

"Well," Heidi answered, "I was actually about to investigate what was going on outside. This was slipped under my door." She held up the envelope containing the letter and money that Jason would also have recieved. "I was thinking of going along. Music isn't really my thing, but it might help me make some friends a little faster."

Removing his own envelope from his pocket, Jason quickly compared the two against each other, finding them to be exactly the same, though he assumed his held at least one more paper within it due to one of the staff offering the male students a ride to the event.

"Seems we have a common goal. Even if you don't enjoy music, going to this will certainly be a way to help you meet people. I mean uh...you wanna go...together?" The proposition sounded more like a date than anything, but it'd be something.

Probably.

Heidi ignored the fact it sounded like a date, because to dwell on it would likely cause a social meltdown and a storm of crippling overthinking. Why couldn't have she ever been asked out before she developed this mutation, when she could just talk to people without overthinking everything she or they said? Instead she just smiled an innocent, naive smile as she forced her mind to become blank.

"Sure!" She answered. "Is that okay with you? Oh, I should probably tell you know in case it causes a misunderstanding later. I'm deaf. My mutation is hyper-intelligence, which lets me read your lips, but if I'm not looking at you when you're talking, and I blank you, just...yeah."

Tilting his head to the side, the red eyed individual regarded Heidi differently for a moment. He hadn't been expecting that. Deafness hadn't seemed to hinder her communication in any regard, so the fact that she couldn't actually hear him was somewhat of a surprise.

"So you...can't hear my amazingly beautiful voice right now? What a shame." He was clearly joking, he didn't hold his voice in that high of a regard, he hadn't made it this far by being arrogant. No reason to start now. "No worries, I'll tap you if I desire your attention."

He felt way to cheesy, he normally wasn't this punctual, but for whatever reason, he felt compelled to be cheesy. Regardless, it was clear he wasn't bothered by her deafness.

Heidi chuckled at his joke out of politeness, though it did raise the question of whether his voice was actually beautiful, or was be being sarcastic? For Heidi, that question was borderline philisophical. If a dog barks in the forest, and Heidi doesn't hear it, does it make any noise?

"Alright. In that case, I'll be wearing earphones before we get to the place, so nobody wonders why you poke me before you talk to me. Once we're there, I imagine it will be so loud nobody hear anybody else anyway."

"Right then, let's hope nobody thinks I'm bothering you to much. It'd be a shame if our get together was mistaken for something else and we start a riot, though with music in the background it might almost be appropriate." He couldn't help but snicker again.

Jason wasn't really worried about such a thing, he just thought about things that could go wrong and put a funny twist on them. A lot.

"Well then, meet you there my radiant beauty." There was a pause, and then Jason's fingers pinched the bridge of his nose. "What the heck did I just say..." He mumbled to himself.

"Wow," Heidi replied, quickly turning red, "I wish I could just...say things I was feeling without thinking like that. I envy you. Anyway,. I'll see you there, and by then it probably won't be awkward. Fingers crossed. See you!" She called out, grinning, as she headed out the doors first. At the first stone step outside, she turned and waved to him.

Waving back, he merely grinned. This was going to be a good time.

---

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Elijah smirks at Nik. “More than enough, since you're the first one here. So you get your choice of seat, with the exception that you're not driving my car. I'm open to plans if you have anywhere you really want to go." Elijah raises an eyebrow at Nik in question.

Nik gave a slight shrug. ”I don’t have any particular ideas. Figured you might though, especially if we’re properly partying.” He readjusted the backpack on his shoulder, a sly grin forming at the corners of his lips.

Elijah nods and lowers his voice conspiratorially. "Oh I have some ideas. I just hope we can get you in...and anyone else under 21. Ever heard of Avalon?"

Nik shook his head. ”I haven’t. Don’t have a fake either... so this’ll be fun.” Nik’s voice lowered to be somewhat conspiratorial as well, and the sly grin was only exasperated. It had been some time since Nik got into mischief.

Elijah seemed to think this over rubbing his chin. "I know one of the employees and he owes me a favor. Looks like I'll be calling that favor in tonight. You look like you could use a night to relax...or maybe not relax exactly but...let go?" Elijah looks at Nikolai a perfectly blank expression on his face. "If you want to talk about it that's fine but you seem more like the type that'd like to either drink about it or blow shit up because of it. But this is me letting you know I will listen if you want to talk. Possibly even venture advice, but only if you want it."

Nik shrugged. ”I’d rather blow something up... but I’m doing fine. Just trying to figure out something complicated.” He shifted uncomfortably, not really knowing Elijah well enough to know if he was reading his mind. He never felt comfortable, even back home, with people knowing too much about him.

Nathan comes walking up his face impassive but his eyebrows raised. "Elijah still have room?" He looked at Nik and his temper flared for a moment but he tamped it down then turned to Elijah. I always feel like he has alternate motives when it comes to Uná than being friends. As if anyone who looks at her doesn't want to be more than that.

Nathan stiffened. "I'll sit in the back. I'd like to go out. Do something different." He shrugged looking between Nik and Elijah.

Nik gives a nod, smiling. ”Then it’s decided.” He looked between the two of them for a moment before raising an eyebrow and looking towards Elijah. ”Could you hold my spot as shotgun for a moment? If we’re going to this... Avalon, I might as well dress for the occasion.”

Elijah grins at Nik. "Of course Nik. Figured you'd want to stop by one of the shops but I can wait. Besides I have to talk to Nathan about being a wet blanket and how this isn't the time for it."
This earned a grunt from Nathan as he crossed his arms and leaned on the couch.

Nik gave a curt nod, rushing back to his room. It didn’t take him long to put together his nicer outfit. After all, he had very few outfits with sleeves. It took about 10 minutes before Nik had returned in black slacks, a white button up, and a blood red sport coat. The sleeves of the coat were bunched up to the point they only reached high on his forearm. It seemed nearly brand new, given it had only seen use once before. The devilish grin spread to his lips once again. ”Alright, we doing this?”

Elijah gave him an once over. "Well now that you look like that Nathan you want to go change? Not that you want to really mess up the James Dean thing you have going but most people your age don't know who that is anyway."

Nathan pushed away from the couch. "If they don't know who James Dean is then they're not worth my time. Hell If they don't know who River Phoenix is they're not worth my time."

Elijah nods since Nathan kinda has that old school motif going. Odd that its on a fairly young kid but hey no judgement. His gaze connects to Nik and knows that at least he is ready to party. "I've got half my expected...so we can kick it for a few more minutes. So Avalon is not only the land of the Fey in the King Arthur Legend but also a pretty sweet nightclub, and one of the employees owes me a favor. Gentlemen leave that title here we are gonna paint this town red tonight."

Nik gives a slight nod before moving to take a seat while they waited. ”What was all that about Nathan being a ‘wet blanket?’”

Elijah nods toward Nathan. "Moody. Morose. Maudlin. Generally a malcontent. It is not only depressing to the rest of the party but it is a huge cock block."

"Christ El!! Seriously you make me out to be some martyr for abstinence. I just think that it should be somebody special." Nathan rolls his eyes.

Nik shrugged, leaning back a bit. ”I can’t exactly disagree with Nathan on this one. At least for myself. We all have different pleasures.” He motioned in the direction of Elijah, looking him in the eyes. ”You seem to enjoy a busy social life, a good drink, and... let’s just say carnal desire. Me... I enjoy the feeling of living the crazy lives on the big screen, and the idea of sharing that kind of crazy life with friends and a special someone...” His gaze turned towards Nathan, and he was forced to squint momentarily as if thinking long and hard. ”Nate... he seems to enjoy running away from danger and hiding from his problems, I guess.”

Elijah's face carefully neutral as he raised an eyebrow at Nathan. "Seems to have us pegged."

Nathan scoffs. "You maybe but I don't hide from my problems. It's called thinking and removing yourself from the situation to do so." Nathan turns on Nik then arms at his side and fists clenched. "Danger has a tendency to get people hurt and or killed. But you don't think about that when you gallivant around flinging marbles around. You don't even think what would happen to her if she wasn't as fast as she is. You put her in danger daily and the minute I say anything I'm the bad guy. You're such a bad influence," He narrowed his eyes mouth tightening. "I guess. I'm blaming you...no both of us if she goes off half cocked and does something stupid." Nathan folded his arms and glared at Nik.

Nik raised an eyebrow, moving into a more forward sitting position as he turned his gaze to keep with Nathan. ”I know how to control my powers, and I’ve saved her hide and yours from my count. If you think being an X-Man is just sitting with our thumbs up our asses lest we use our powers to protect ourselves and others, you might as well leave right now.” His tone had become increasingly serious, and his face tightened into slight anger as he leaned ever more forward. A blink seemed to fade it all away. ”Though, it seems you’re dumber than I am and will fail out of here soon enough if you think you or I have any control over Una.” The more jovial Nik had returned almost as quickly as he had vanished.

Nathan's jaw tensed and through gritted teeth. "It's not control. More like...a good suggestion. Sounds like I should start practicing with her."

Elijah looked at Nathan. "Wet blanket. Quit. So Uná well she is interesting. But she's not why we're going out. So no more talking about her. I think you two can let that be for a bit and possibly get along for a few hours."

Nik shrugged. ”I find it unlikely Mr. Control Freak is going to loosen up, but I’m down for a good time.”

Elijah sighed and stood up motioning for the two guys to follow him. “Well we’re not waiting around for anyone anymore. Let’s go rock this town!!” Elijah lead them out to a black Jetta and motioned for them to pick a seat.

---

Nik stepped out of the car, making his way in the direction he was pointed to for the club. He didn't exactly have a fake, and he wanted to get away from Nathan as soon as possible. So the mutant teen shoved his hands in his pockets as he made his way towards the front entrance. As fate would have it, a small group of sharp dressed men were standing in front of the bouncer showing their IDs before entering. Nik bowed his head to try and power his way in with the group to blend in... until a hand on his shoulder firmly rooted him to the ground. Nik gave a small sigh as he turned and flashed a grin to the bouncer, who barked at him. "ID."

"Well, I left my wallet at home and my friends were going to cover-"

"You're not getting in, pal." Nik gave a small nod in recognition as the bouncer gave a slight shove towards the street. The mutant gave a nod and began walking around the corner. It looked like he was going to have to change his tactics. Once around the corner, he noticed an alley around the back and gave a slight smile. He kept his hands in his pockets as he slipped into the alleyway. He approached the back door and sighed as he noticed it had a lock built into the handle. After trying it, his suspicion that it was locked was confirmed.

Luckily, a little lock wasn't exactly going to stand in the way of a mutant like Nik. It had been a long time since he had done something fun and illegal. So he placed his hand on the handle and focused. The metal began to glow with a red crackling energy that emitted a low hum that grew louder. After 3 seconds, a metal clang filled the still air outside as the door handle shattered. The door swung open slightly, and Nik slipped inside the back of the club. He quickly navigated his way through the storage area in the back to step through a small door and out into the club proper. The sharply dressed and surprisingly sleeved Nikolai gave a sly grin as the music assailed his senses and he leaned against the wall momentarily, taking in the sights and people surrounding him.

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Uná walks on up to the club in her new outfit. Waiting in line is fairly monotonous but it’s what is done. As they get to the front of the line she shows her ID and she is in. Simple. Wow. Now that is the way to use this power.

Uná blinked as she got used to the neon laser lights that were spinning and throwing off random patterns. The club was pretty crowded at the moment and they were letting more and more people in. Pretty soon it was going to be packed. Uná headed to the bar and bought everyone a margarita. She pointed over to a table that had a booth that you could see the dance floor from. “Hey beautiful if you keep me in margarita heaven all night long I can promise you that you won’t regret it.” She winked at the lady bartender who grinned back at her and nodded. “Just me. If the others want to keep you busy that’s their prerogative but you have me personally all night.”

“Love a redhead who knows what she wants. You’re my top priority tonight kitten.” She blew Uná a kiss as she walked away. Uná giggled to herself as she sipped her margarita and walked back to the table as the other girls slid in.

“So I got first round of margaritas coming someone else better get round two once we finish.” Uná grinned at the girls to see who was getting round two.

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Heidi didn't make a whole lot of conversation on the uber trip to the mall. She merely observed the conversation of the rest of them and tried to chip in when she could, despite her brain's rapid processing speed, she would still overthink a possible entry into the conversation for so long that the topic has changed before she knew it. Shopping was more fun, as Heidi's new powers actually helped her pick out several nice outfits, from different stores. However, she wasn't as comfortable with the suggestions of the other girls. Heidi was not a showy person, and while not a prude, would die of embarrassment if she had to appear in public showing as much skin as the other girl's pics. She admired their bravery.

Lunch was more of a success, marginally. The girls all started to ask Heidi questions about herself, having noted that she'd been quiet up until now. Answering questions about herself was easy, and Heidi could talk a lot, but after a few questions, started to overthink that maybe she was going on about herself too much, and when the overthinking started, it wasn't long before Heidi was quiet again. Before lunch was over, she did reveal to the girls that she was deaf, to their genuine surprise.

On the Uber ride back, Uná, the girl who Heidi had deduced was the leader of this trip, and had written those invitations, stopped the car, and abruptly told the girls that they were going to a club. Heidi knew they would be going somewhere with music, but she had envisioned a performance from a band. A lot went on in Heidi's mind in the second following that, but she had decided to make more of an effort to make friends, and backing out now would set her back to square one. She'd be 'the quiet deaf loner' for the next few months, if she wasn't already. No, she had to go with them to this club.

Having borrowed some makeup from the other girls, Heidi tried on several combinations of her new clothes in the girl's bathroom of this gas station. She needed to find something that a short twenty-one year old would wear to a club, regardless of how it made her feel. At the same time, she couldn't keep an act up for the whole night, and didn't really want to, so it'd need to be something she'd be comfortable wearing. Those two groups of clothes did not have much overlap. Eventually she found a cute albeit rather innocent dress. She still looked like a fourteen year old, despite being fifteen, so she started on the makeup. She applied it heavier than she usually did, and the result could pass for a rather short and introverted college girl in club lighting. The only problem now was getting in.

If the girls had no idea about that step, Heidi coul have given them plenty of suggestions, that she'd thought up on the walk back to the car, but Uná had that covered, by changing their IDs. Heidi wasn't amazed. Mutations could do many amazing things. But she was still grateful, and thanked Uná. Heidi was going to try letting her hair down, and living a little, even if she doubted she'd be doing any flirting.

Getting int the club was much easier than Heidi thought. She adopted the character of a college girl who knew she was short and was sick of getting asked for ID so thrust it at the bouncer before he could open his mouth. She accompanied this gesture with a weary look. He ushered her in without saying a word, understanding and sympathizing. Once Heidi was in the club, she sat down at the table with the others and looked around. Of course, she couldn't hear any of the music, and while she was looking out into the club, couldn't even hear the words of the girls on her table.

Uná came back from the bar having ordered a round of margaritas, so Heidi started paying attention to the girls again. Heidi had a morbid curiosity about how alcohol would affect her brain. Would it dull her mutation and allow her to act normally? You know, that didn't sound so bad...

---

Nik stood with his back against the wall, looking out at the dance floor. This wasn't exactly the kind of scene he usually found himself at. In fact, he was beginning to regret coming out. He would have preferred just staying in and watching a film. But here he was: a minor all alone in a club. He tapped his foot along to the music as he scanned the tables and booths for anyone he could possibly recognize. Elijah certainly knew how to have a good time, so Nik figured he could just stick with him for the night.

His eyes nearly glossed over a few familiar faces. He tilted his head slightly as his eyes locked on a booth with a few of his friends sitting in it. Most importantly, his eyes locked on a familiar redhead. A small smile unconsciously spread across his lips as he saw her carrying a few margaritas over. He figured he could walk over and say hello... but he couldn't get his feet to move. They seemed to be having a "Girl's Night Out," and Nik was certainly not bold enough to intrude on that. So he sighed and pushed himself out onto the dance floor, bobbing his head and jumping about at the upbeat music pumping through the speakers.

Within moments, Nik lost himself in the music. He was able to dance among the strangers with relative ease, and no one seemed to notice him. He was practically a red beacon dancing among the crowd, his bold fashion choice somewhat jarring for the dance floor. But for just a few, fleeting moments... he couldn't give a shit. The song played on, and he kept dancing. It was just that simple.

He stood there on the roof of the tall building, overlooking Los Angeles. The city of angels, much like them he was intending on descending down to another location later. But for now this would do just nicely. The air through his long blonde hair and leathercoat flapping in the wind.

"So much lights in the city of the angels, but many lights must also be snuffed out. Only keeping those whom burn the brightest. For the future which is to come. The time has come..."

He said to himself, as he sat down on the roof, crossing his legs in a way a monk from the far east would. As he delved into his own mind, to the very core from where he began to swiftly yet steadily reach out throughout the city. Ayel's telepathic mind now reached far, so far it was almost making him feel drunk from the experience. He could not feel his fellow mutants out there, but he knew they would feel and hear him. And that was what mattered the most of all.

"To the lonely souls lost in the world, to the forsaken and depressed. Do not be afraid, there is no need to cry, no more need to run away or hide. I am one of you, you not alone. We are the chosen ones, the ones whom are currently being oppressed. Where we are forced to hide from sight, where we are called freaks and monsters. We are not monsters my brothers and sisters, we are a different branch of mankind. So I urge you to leave where you are hiding, find others like yourselves out there. Tommorrow I will guide you to where we can all meet. Under a new light. A beacon to guide us to the future which is waiting for us. Seek love and passion, and go forth... with my prayer."

Ayel exhaled deeply as he came out of his trance-like state, breathing heavily and fell backwards, lying down on the roof. He raised his right hand to touch his forehead and then felt how the corners of his mouth was tingling and he began to smile before starting to chuckle "Hnn hnn hnn", though it didn't stop there. It became a laugh. "Heh..heheh… hah hah hahah ahahah!"

Once it came to an end he looked up at the sky. "Mammoth. Condor. Dodo. Thylacine… and now when it is your turn. Will you go as quietly? I doubt it."

Briefly mentions: @webboysurf

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Dancing wasn't something Jason found himself doing often. Sure, on occasion he'd hop into the middle of the dance floor if he felt motivated enough, or needed to blend in, but most of the time? The hooded teen was standing near the entrance, trying to think of an excuse to leave. He'd pulled his hood low over his eyes to keep prying eyes off his own, and prevent a panic.

At one point, a kid in an old school he'd attended had believed his eyes were bleeding, and that had caused a real uproar. That hadn't been a good day, and he'd started wearing contacts just to keep others from questioning him. Sadly, he had none on him. He kept losing all the fake contacts he'd purchased, and so he'd had to make due with just his hood. Thankfully, even with his hood pulled low, even if anyone did manage to peek under his hood, it could be mistaken as a trick of the flashing lights.

His head was starting to hurt, and he was beginning to consider going to the nurse when he got back to the academy if they were still around and grabbing something to lessen headaches. There were so many of his fellow mutants in the club, alongside the normals, and his X-Factor wouldn't let him hear the end of it.

Rubbing the fabric of the hoodie in an attempt to sooth his aching head, his fingers brushed over his ears for a moment, and he thought of Heidi for a moment. He had asked her out for a date, he still couldn't believe he'd done that. Was he just crazy? He'd just met her, and he was already trying something. He needed some air, he needed to think.

Briefly moving to his eyes to one of the only guys he recognized, Jason moved away from the door and waved at them, Nikolai, he believed that what his name was. Nikolai was in the middle of a crazy dance wig out, but Jason called over to him anyways.

"Hey! Keep an eye on them for me!" Assuming Nikolai would know who he was referring to, Jason moved towards the entrance, silently opening the door to the outside. He didn't really think the girls would need watching over, but things happened sometimes, and he figured he'd rather have the girls, and especially Heidi, having a friendly eye kept on them. Okay he needed to stop thinking like some sort of macho hero man with an urge to protect girls. What the hell was wrong with him?

Shoving these thoughts away momentarily, Jason's mind reached out to a small tin can lying out in the street, and felt it move. The can rocketed towards the bouncer in front of the door, colliding with their head, infuriating them into turning away from the door for a moment, giving Jason enough time to slip out unnoticed, essentially the same way he had gotten in.

Leaning against the wall, he stared up into the night sky, trying to piece together his thoughts. Being alone for so long had made him clingy, that was probably it, he had been without friends for such a long time that he was taking things a little overboard. Maybe he should've started asking how to build friendships, as embarrassing as that sounded. He really needed to stop stalking people for that matter. Wait, was it really considered stalking? His thought process continued in silence, though to others, he most likely looked like an edgy and somewhat intimidating shadowy figure leaning against a club's exterior, silently waiting to ambush some poor victim and rob them of everything.

Course, if this was the case, the only thing Jason would've actually stolen off them was a few dollars for drinks for the both of them.

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Interactions: Jason (@Eric Horst), Heidi (@Silver Carrot), Una (@Almalthia), Cleo (@Damo021), Kat (@KatKook), Aya (@c3p-0h)
Mention: Ayel (@Dezuel)

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Nik was in the heat of the music when an unfamiliar voice cut through the noise. He turned his head to see... [color=red[[i]shit, it started with a... J, maybe? Jamie? No...[/i][/color] He just shook his head. Who it was didn't matter. He didn't seem to be feeling too hot, and the Russian-American was only able to catch the end of what he was saying. Something about watching... them? It only took a moment for Nik to look up at the girls and give a slight nod as he watched the boy leave. Couldn't blame the kid for not fitting into this kind of scene.

But as Nik's eyes glanced back up towards the girl, a voice entered into his mind. "To the lonely souls lost in the world, to the forsaken and depressed. Do not be afraid, there is no need to cry, no more need to run away or hide. I am one of you, you not alone. We are the chosen ones, the ones whom are currently being oppressed. Where we are forced to hide from sight, where we are called freaks and monsters. We are not monsters my brothers and sisters, we are a different branch of mankind. So I urge you to leave where you are hiding, find others like yourselves out there. Tommorrow I will guide you to where we can all meet. Under a new light. A beacon to guide us to the future which is waiting for us. Seek love and passion, and go forth... with my prayer."

As soon as the voice entered his head, he immediately began pushing his way out of the dance floor and towards the nearest wall away from the speakers, just to lean against it and focus on the words. The words were... deranged is perhaps the best word for it. Incoherent ramblings akin to the monologues often delivered by villains in films. Nik was familiar with the X-Men... and of course was familiar with the more extreme faction fighting for mutant equality (or superiority). It wasn't hard for his mind to immediately wander towards the possibility that this was some kind of Brotherhood move. Regardless... his night was kind of ruined by that. He needed to talk to someone to figure out what was going on... and he knew just the booth to stop by.

Nik straightened his jacket as he strolled over towards the table of friends and acquaintances he was well-familiar with, doing his best to look like someone didn't just talk into his fucking brain. His eyes darted around the room, looking for Jason who of course was gone by now. He'd have to track him down after this. First, he had to make a stop. So Nik walks up towards the booth with the girls, his eyes full of panic as he rested an elbow on the table and leaned in to talk relatively quietly but in a very rapid voice. "Hey gals, fancy seeing you here. I just kind of heard a voice in my head talking about being a 'chosen one' and something about a beacon and shit going down tomorrow and for the love of God tell me someone else heard it here too and I'm not just losing my shit." Nik's eyes almost instinctively locked on Una, and it was clear he was not handling this well.

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Uná was drinking her margarita like water. She was on to a second one delivered by the bartender when a voice clearly spoke in her head.

"To the lonely souls lost in the world, to the forsaken and depressed. Do not be afraid, there is no need to cry, no more need to run away or hide. I am one of you, you not alone. We are the chosen ones, the ones whom are currently being oppressed. Where we are forced to hide from sight, where we are called freaks and monsters. We are not monsters my brothers and sisters, we are a different branch of mankind. So I urge you to leave where you are hiding, find others like yourselves out there. Tomorrow I will guide you to where we can all meet. Under a new light. A beacon to guide us to the future which is waiting for us. Seek love and passion, and go forth... with my prayer."

Uná blinked and looked around the table. Nope not any of them… She casually glanced around the room sipping her drink absently. She spotted a blur of red and started a bit when she realized Nikolai was talking to her. Well not just her all the girls.

"Hey gals, fancy seeing you here. I just kind of heard a voice in my head talking about being a 'chosen one' and something about a beacon and shit going down tomorrow and for the love of God tell me someone else heard it here too and I'm not just losing my shit."

Uná swallowed and rubbed her temples at the brainfreeze. “I know I heard it nice and clear. Sounds like something we might want to check out tomorrow. Maybe this person could benefit from being at the school.” Uná slid out of the booth her full outfit of a black cami and leather pants on view. She tugged at Nikolai’s hand as she caught it moving closer invading his space seeing if he’d step back. “I was hoping when you came over here it was to ask me if I wanted to dance. Well?...Are you going to ask?...Do you want to?”

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Nathan watched Nik strike out with the bouncer and head around the corner. He shook his head as Elijah passed him and gave a salute. Nathan followed him as Elijah passed him an ID that looked enough like him it was uncanny. He raised his eyebrow at Elijah. Elijah shrugged and made to take the ID back and Nathan pocketed it.

Elijah watched his prickly companion and handed over an other ID that looked like Nik. Not exactly but close. Both of the IDs said that they were 21. He had known Nathan was going and had planned on Nik going as well. Pays to think ahead of every possibility. He hadn't thought that Danny or Lily would have enjoyed this outing. They got on through the line and in the door. Elijah sighed as the beat of the music thumped through him and he relaxed into it.

Nathan huffed. Elijah was making him give Nik the ID. Rolling his eyes he looked around for Nik. Suddenly a voice spoke to him in his head. Nathan froze as the voice said."To the lonely souls lost in the world, to the forsaken and depressed. Do not be afraid, there is no need to cry, no more need to run away or hide. I am one of you, you not alone. We are the chosen ones, the ones whom are currently being oppressed. Where we are forced to hide from sight, where we are called freaks and monsters. We are not monsters my brothers and sisters, we are a different branch of mankind. So I urge you to leave where you are hiding, find others like yourselves out there. Tommorrow I will guide you to where we can all meet. Under a new light. A beacon to guide us to the future which is waiting for us. Seek love and passion, and go forth... with my prayer." Nathan looked over at Elijah who cut his eyes to him and nodded.

Elijah looked around his night just got ruined. Ashford would have Cole all over his ass for tonight. Than damn security guard had eyes all over and it was cramping his style. He knew he could get away with it tonight cause Cole and Kaylee had gone out to that music festival. "Well we will be checking that out tomorrow. Well I am relaxing tonight." Elijah stalked off to the nearest bar and ordered a drink.

Nathan watched Elijah stalk off and decided that if he was drinking then Nathan was driving so he wasn't going to drink. Nathan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Looking around he saw a few of the girls from the Institute in a booth and finally Nik. And Uná. He was leading her to the dance floor. Every single time!! Nathan was so tired of Nik muscling in on Uná. He didn't want to pressure Uná but he was going to ask her to go steady as soon as all this settled.

Elijah came over to Nathan after ordering a round for the girls after making sure that they had a ride home. Apparently Uná thought of everything. Well he called up the company and charged their ride home to his card. He let the company know who would be going in the car and where they would be going. He heard "Time Of My Life" start and looked over at the dance floor.

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Nik's eyes wide with fear and panic flitted between the other girls before jolting down to her hand as it was grasping at his. He opened his mouth to respond to her... but no words came out at first. He clenched his jaw for a moment as he looked her in the eyes, taking a deep breath. Dancing wasn't exactly the thing he had on his mind at the moment. He was more focused on the voice and making sure Jason was alright. But as he looked her in the eyes, he forced himself to nod his head. "Right... dance... I know how to do that. I mean... yes, dance... with me?" He gave a sort of goofy grin as he mentally high-fived himself on the save.

Uná grinned at Nikolai as he made the connection. "I guess I could dance with someone else." She looked around then raised an eyebrow at Nikolai as if to say 'Really I see no one else...'. She bit her lip maybe he didn't want to dance. She hadn't thought of that. "If you don't want to dance...that is."

Nik gave her hand a slight squeeze as she said that, a sort of unconscious reaction. "Wait... I... I do want to dance... But if you want to dance... I have an idea." He gave a small smile and tilt of his head as if beckoning her to follow as he held her hand and gave her a slight tug to follow him.

Uná smiled back and let him lead her. "Okay Nikki show me what you got. Don't hold back cause I'm not gonna either."

Nik raised an eyebrow while escorting her around the dance floor and towards the side wall. "You make it sound like we're about to fight it out." He led her as he made his way towards the DJ, reaching into his pocket to pull out a $50 bill as he leaned in to whisper something. The DJ raised an eyebrow, looked at the fifty, and sighed as he took it. He didn't seem to be happy about the suggestion. Nik gave a small smile and then brought Una out towards the back of the dance floor, where it was less crowded. He didn't say a word.

Uná laughed softly. "Ever heard of a dance battle? Well this might be one of them. Or something else entirely. Depends on you." Uná relaxed and faced Nikolai. She tilted her head and grinned.

Dirty Dancing - Time of my Life (Final Dance) - High Quality

Nik took a few steps away as the pulsing rhythms of the EDM song were beginning to fade. He turned away from Una, removing his jacket and tossing it aside. He took the moment to undo the first few buttons of his shirt and roll up his sleeves. His heart was racing. He knew the choreography well and had seen the scene hundreds of times. He just hoped Una could keep up. As if on cue, Nik spun on his heals as the first few words lingered into the air to the groans of some of the fellow club goers. Nik walked towards her slowly, motioning with his finger for her to come closer as he approached. He had the roguish smirk in full display as usual. But as he approached, he wiggled his eyebrows slightly. "Not really a dance battle... just making you hold true on a promise. Try to keep up."

Uná's eyes open wide as the music starts. She loved this dance and had been dying to do it for sometime. She could even sing the song to it as she danced. Grinning she relaxed even more into walking up to Nikolai. Stepping into his arms she said. "I'm trusting you on the lift." She fell into the rhythm of the song as he dipped her and they started. She kissed him lightly on the lips as he grabbed her hand for the spin out.

Nik's eyes widened as as her lips met his. They tasted vaguely of tequila and lime. His mind wanted to stop and take a moment to process that, but she went for the spin and his body took over. He felt it was just better to let his body take over for now, and his expression nearly froze into a slight smile with a fierce gaze. He was hitting his marks perfectly... clearly a sign that he had rehearsed as much of this as possible on his own. Having a partner just helped make things simpler. And it felt right.

The dance was so iconic that everyone in the club knew bits and pieces of it. Nikolai knew this dance Uná could tell and it really meant something to the two of them. Unthinkingly it was very apparent that there was something between them. Uná knew the motions were fluid and sharing this with someone, no sharing it with Nikolai made the words of the song sink in and hit harder. Passion made her cheeks heat and her eyes sparkle as she mouthed the words. He was really good. His timing was fluid and the turns were textbook perfect. His footwork as she spun him then the two turns and she was ready for the fancier stuff. They nailed the spin moving right into the next one then the twist. Uná wondered what he was planning on doing at the pause.

Nik kept himself focused on the dance. His mind was nearly blank as he followed the moves. Una knew the dance by hear too it seemed. She was following step for step and turn for turn. He had to admit it was sort of tiring, and the pause coming up was a good time to get in a moment of calm. He took the moment before to scan the audience before his sight narrowed in on two individuals standing next to each other: Nathan and Elijah. The former was scowling and looked like he wanted to stare laser beams through Nik's skull. Elijah, on the other hand, was smiling up a storm and raised his glass as he noticed the young man on the dance floor looking up at them. Nik gave a small nod towards Elijah before looking back at Una, pulling her in for a slight moment of respite. They were uncomfortably close... but Nik felt on top of the world. So he did what he felt was right. He lifted his right hand and tapped her nose with the tip of his index finger, letting out a small "Boop" to try and ease the tension in such a passionate dance.

Uná laughed then spun out for the turns and the side lift. The crowd clapped and she looked for a place for Nikolai to show off. She knew that she could get away with mirroring him across the floor and thankfully people had actually gotten out of the way of the dance. She had to stay far enough away for him to get the leverage for the lift. It was a bit nerve racking but Uná pushed down the uncertainty.

Nik decided to change up one move, since they didn't exactly have a stage. He slid on his knees along the floor slightly before hopping back up to do his slight solo routine in the open aisle the people had cleared. He knew that he could pull off the next part... at least, he hoped he could. They did it on the first take in the film. He could certainly do it now. He prepared himself for the most crucial part of the dance as he performed the slight solo routine.

Uná matched him move for move but across an open space as Nikolai did the step crosses. She put enough of her style into it cutting of the last step cross to get ready for the lift. Uná looked over at Nikolai and nodded waiting for his nod back. She planned as soon as he nodded to do the lift. After all they did it in one take in the movie and she trusted Nikolai to get it right.

Nik was in the midst of a deep breath as he turned his head to Una, noticing her nod. He adjusted his feet slightly before giving a nod and a smile to his dancing partner. They certainly had this. He faced her squarely and kept his hands at his sides and at the ready. Now was the moment of truth.

Uná did a run then the slight hop and she felt Nikolai lift her. Contracting her abdominal muscles, arms out for balance, chest and head up, and legs out straight. Think pretty. That always got her though any dance routine. She grinned they nailed it.

Nik held her as still as he could in the air before slowly lowering her down in front of him. Once on the ground, he moved his hands to her back to pull her in close for a hug. This wasn't what he was expecting to do tonight. He whispered in her ear as he held her close. "Well... that was better than I could have imagined."

Uná hugged Nikolai and buried her face in his neck laughing breathlessly whispering to him. "That was amazing!! If you tell me that was my birthday gift just a week or so early I couldn't be happier!! Thank you Nikki!!"

Nik gave a small smile as they embraced. "Happy early Birthday!" He breathed a sigh of relief, given he had forgotten to order anything else. He moved his hands off her back and onto her sides to push her slightly away so they could face each other. "Not to ruin the high of this... but could we talk briefly? In private?" The words had escaped his lips before he even realized what he had said, and had to hold himself back from widening his eyes in shock at him saying that much.

Uná didn't like that sound of that. She swallowed audibly. "Of course." She looked around and she saw the bartender point to two margaritas and Uná pulled Nikolai over grabbing both drinks and handing one to him. She scanned the room and saw a dark corner that was unoccupied. Uná gulped the frozen drink and pulled Nikolai over to the dark corner. "What's up? Are you okay?" Her concern poured off her and she hoped that it wasn't something she did that was bad. Her mind flashed back to the kiss and sipped the margarita that was over half gone.

Nik tasted the margarita, his face scrunching up as it became clear he wasn’t a huge fan of the flavor. He shook his head. ”It’s not about me. Though we should talk about the fact that some freak just spoke into our heads. I got a little side tracked cause you wanted to dance...” Nik shook his head again, as if trying to clear his mind physically by shaking away the clutter. ”That’s not the point, though. I want to talk about Nathan.” His expression was unnervingly serious, and he waited to see how she reacted to that before he started saying more.

Uná looked confused. "Nathan? You want to talk about Nathan?" Nikolai had thrown her with that sentence. She sipped the margarita the sucking sound acknowledging that the drink was empty. She set her empty drink down on an empty counter by them. Then she eyed the drink in Nikolai's hand, then looked at him pointedly, then the drink, then him. She rolled her eyes grinning. He wasn't catching on quick enough. "Alright. What about Nathan?" She leaned in and moved closer looking up at him sipping the drink from the straw.

Nik rolled his eyes and handed the drink over. ”I know I’m not his biggest fan... and I’m saying this as your friend... I don’t think he’s the right fit for you.” He physically recoiled at saying that, throwing his hands in the air to emphasize his next point. ”I’m not saying you can’t choose who you date or care for or whatever... I’m just saying that he seems to get a bit... controlling. And I had a friend at my old school in a relationship like that. And the guy started off all sweet and stuff before he became a control freak. And I don’t want to see that happen to you. Because I really care about you.”

Uná's eyes widened. "Well that was unexpected. Something has changed and I wondered if I was the only one who saw it." Uná pulled a face and looked away as she realized that she was reading way too much into all this. He was just worried about her...as a friend. She shouldn't have kissed him. Looking back at Nikolai she smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "Thanks for looking after me Nikki. I'm sorry if I was to forward earlier...I am just glad that I didn't throw you off."

Nik looked confused for a moment... before his eyes widened as he remembered that she kissed him. He gave a nervous laugh that was a bit too loud to be normal before clearing his throat. ”No... no, not at all. It was fi-errr-good. Great. Fantastic... I mean... you know, keeping with the movie. Cause there’s the... the kiss there... uhhh... yeah...” He knee for a fact there wasn’t an actual kiss there. He had that scene memorized. He just hoped she hadn’t exactly caught on that he knew. But regardless, he needed to shift the topic.

”You should... get back to the others. I’m gonna go check in with Elijah and hope that Nathan doesn’t try to throttle me.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Uná raised an eyebrow as she set aside the empty drink. She knew that Johnny kissed Baby on the nose sweetly but there was no actual kiss in that part of the movie. She was stuck on that part. He didn't realize that she went off script. "I should go back to the others? Throttle you? He's here?!? Oh I bet he does want to throttle you. Oh and by the way there isn't a kiss in that part...well not really. But that scene ends with one." Uná leaned up and kissed Nikolai waiting for his reaction.

Nik closed his eyes as her lips touched his. He slid his right hand onto her cheek to hold her in place while his left hand placed itself on her waist to pull her in close. He wasn’t as off-guard this time. He ended the kiss quickly, giving a quick smirk. ”I knew they didn’t kiss there.”

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After getting back to the table and a few more drinks later...Uná laughing got up from the booth with the girls and passed by the VIP section on her way to the dance floor. It wasn’t too awfully crowded. She was decked out to the nines. Her hair was down and artfully messy. She’d been feeling a bit rebellious and naughty especially after so many drinks that the leather pants and black camisole that she’d bought earlier fit her mood. The only thing that ruined the outfit, or enhanced it depending on who you asked, was the fact that she had to wear a bra but it was black like the cami so it was fine. The illusion she cast of them having IDs that said they were 21 was the perfect ruse to let loose and have fun. Margarita after margarita went down she knew she should stop but all the insecurity about Nikolai would come crashing down. If she drank and danced she forgot. So that's what she was doing. Was kissing Nikki a good idea? Not going to think about it. It would work itself out.

Uná smoothly glided on to the dance floor and started to move to the music. The blaring hip hop beat making the words almost unintelligible but she was too lost in the rhythm to really care.

Lex sat impatiently in one of the booths housed in VIP. He sat alone, but the tables adjacent to him on either side were populated by 4 men in black suits, all of whom were on the payroll. Donned in white vested formal wear that nearly matched his complexion, he leaned back in his seat, seemingly dissatisfied.

This was supposed to be a time to cut loose. A time to itch the scratches that he developed during the day. A time to indulge in anything at a whim just because he could. And, yet, here he was… bored. He reached for a half empty glass of scotch that was sitting in front on him on the table and raised the glass to his lips. Just as he did, he noticed a woman with hair of fire clad in black pass by and he froze mid sip as he eyes followed her movement. Even his lackeys took notice, all of whom were now looking toward the dance floor like a pack of lions who just spotted an antelope.

The corner of Lex’s mouth raised up a bit into a crooked smile before he finished his drink. He gave a glance to his waitress across the room and pointed at his empty glass. With a nod of acknowledgement, the waitress went to work on getting Lex served while he, himself, got up from the booth and started his pursuit. As he passed his henchmen, he stated simply, “Eyes up. She’s mine.”

As Lex passed people, he made no efforts turn sideways or pause if there were human obstacles in his way. Either move or get moved. As he made his way through the crowd, pushing or nudging several who were unprepared for his arrival, he finally stopped just behind the the dancing beauty. He glanced left and right, trying to discern if this woman came with anyone, but no one was willing to meet his colorless eyes. Good. I’d hate to have to mess up my suit with more bloodshed. His eyes then went to her once more. He looked at her backside with a certain hunger in his eyes before scanning her the rest of the way up.

“Don’t tell me you’re here alone, Red,” he said in a raised voice, overpowering the music. “That’s an injustice that I’m going to have to fix.”

Uná smoothly turned to the deep voice full of male confidence that made her smirk. And for a moment all she saw was white. She looked up, and up, and up. He was dressed in all white that just about matched his skin tone. His hair was white blonde and his eyes so light they looked colorless. He looked like an angel dressed in modern day clothes. But the look in his eyes was far from angelic. The look screamed predator and apparently she was the prey.

That look was different than the looks Uná got from Nikolai or Nathan. It thrilled her and frightened her. She revised her opinion of him looking like an angel and decided that he looked more like a favorite character of hers from a novel. Frost, from the Merry Gentry series by Laurel K Hamilton. Only thing different was his hair. Frost's hair was silver like tinsel and obscenely long. Pity. But you can't have everything.

Ignoring the barely registered alarm bells going off Uná kept dancing moving close and retreating teasingly. She couldn't help it flirting was fun and dancing was just another way to flirt. Uná nodded to her group of friends that she'd left at the booth. She could just make them out past the crowd. “Sorry to disappoint, Frost but I came with my girls. So no need to fix anything. I could use a dance partner though.” Her voice was pitched over the music but only enough for him to hear if he was paying attention. The words came out unconsciously slow and sultry. Really she was just trying not to slur her words.

“Hmm,” was the monosyllabic response. He could nearly lift her with one hand and put her in his pocket and yet there was something powerful about her. He looked up at the speakers as if expecting to see a physical embodiment of the music playing. The last song ended and the next up sounded like a throwback. Ginuwine’s Pony. He could work with that.

The bass lines hit and Lex’s eyes quickly fell back down upon the red hot in front of him. His hand moved to the small of her back and pulled her closer until she was against him as his other hand hung loose. His body swayed with the the beat, but his eyes were focused, watching her movements, trying to get a read but also just enjoying the view. He found his teeth involuntary clenching as his mind trailed off to a possible result of this encounter.

Uná moving to the beat felt him pull her against him as she smirked and circled her hips. Then she leaned her torso back slowly and raised her arms over her head. The slow shimmy back up was a normal dance move and was fluid due to practice. She turned in his arms his hand on her stomach. She swayed with him for a moment turning again. Facing him she smoothly pulled his other arm to her hip and grinning wickedly with his hands on her hips she bends backwards. Her camisole rides up to flash her lower stomach slowly as she ungulates like a gypsy almost bent in double. This puts her hips against his and the movements grind against him.

Uná comes out of the back bend torturing in her slow languid movements. She grins up at Frost in triumph. “Song half over and you seem frozen in place.”

“Certainly stiff,” he said, his eyes looking up from the situation and back to the VIP lounge. “You should come with me,” he offered, taking a half step toward his destination already. “What are you drinking?”

Uná’s alarm bells ring louder and are once again ignored for the most part. “I really should switch to water.” Uná steps with him without thinking.

Lex’s hand found Una’s back and guided her along as they made their way to the VIP lounge and into his reserved booth. Waiting for him was another full glass of scotch. Lex’s underlings made strict efforts not to make eye contact or follow their movements. They learned long ago that if they interfered with Lex’s good time that there were grave consequences.

“Water?” he asked after sitting down. His eyes were locked on hers while his hand feverishly beckoned a waitress over. “Sure I can’t get you something else? Anything else,” he said, his expression quite serious. “I could even have them bring you something from next door. There’s a great sushi place…” She was being cautious, responsible. Neither qualities interested Lex tonight.

Uná perked up at the sushi comment. She smiled and her eyes sparkled like sunlight over a clear creek. “Sashimi and unagi sound amazing. I’ve always wanted to try sake…” Uná blinked at Lex’s serious expression.[color-green] “Well what surfer could resist fish? Tuna, salmon, yellowtail...It’s all so fantastic…”[/color] Uná cleared her throat and looked away playing with her hair she was blushing prettily.

Lex gave a nervous smile as he took in the information. The waitress finally approached and Lex was quick to beckon her closer, whispering in her ear the order. Her expression went from determination to concern and then back again. When he was done reciting, she looked at him for a moment and he gave a simple nod with a dismissive wave of his hand before returning his attention to his new partner. “A surfer?” He asked as he brought his drink to his lips and took a sip. “I hope you take no offense, but you don’t have a typical figure of a surfer,” He set his glass down. “And that’s not a complaint.” He put his arm around the back of her, resting it on the booth, hesitant to go for the shoulders just yet. “What do people call you, Red?”

Uná turned and looked back at him. He really did look like Frost. Suddenly she wanted to hear him say her name. But he wasn’t getting out of being teased. “People call me lots of things. If you’re asking for my name do you really think you’ve earned it? And yeah I know I don’t look like a surfer. Trust me the girls get in the way. But there are few out there that can show me up on a board.”

Lex regarded her with a raised eyebrow, his eyes glancing over her breasts at their mention before refocusing on her eyes. The waitress came back and dropped off the water before wordlessly disappearing once more. “And how do you suppose I earn it?” he asked slowly, drawing out his words. He shifted in his seat, moving his body to directly face her. She liked playing with fire. He was curious to find out how much.

Uná raised an eyebrow at him as she reached for the water. She sipped and thought about it.She scooted closer and their knees touched. Uná setting the water down let her eyes roam over him. She reached out and started to stroke his tie. Uná had visions of pulling him into her with that tie and her eyes flared hotly. She resisted the urge to do it but barely.

Uná bit her lip and reached again for the water. “I am no queen or princess to set an impossible task before a suitor. Besides maybe you’ll like me more if I let you pretend.” As she looked down the world seemed to tilt slowly. She looked up and around the room. She caught a flash of neon color out the corner of her eye. This wasn’t unusual in a club but the fact that it was a neon blue butterfly that was flying around was the problem. She knew what that butterfly meant. She looked away from it abruptly and firmly ignored it.

Uná got lost in his eyes again and liked the feeling and attention she was getting. Alarm bells that should have been ringing were silent as the little changes in the club went unnoticed. A flower out of place, a butterfly in a building, a shaft of moonlight that shouldn’t be there, the smell of wet earth. It really was only a matter of time before things got worse, and worse well that was yet to be defined.

A hairline grin formed on his mouth just before he said, “I like you plenty already.” He was not a fan of wasting time as his condition was finite. He reached up and took her chin between his thumb and index finger and gently drew her in as he leaned forward to meet her. He stopped just before his lips touched hers and said, “I could make you a queen.”

Suddenly the sound of the sushi hitting the table interrupted the moment. As the waitress was arranging the dishes, Lex shot her a look of pure loathing that froze the poor woman in place. Hesitantly, after a beat, she finished what she was doing and scurried off in a hurried panic. Once she was out of sight, Lex looked with furrowed eyebrows and a silent snarling face to one of his men and gave an upward nod. The man got up from his chair and trailed off after the waitress.

Turning back to the table, Lex rolled his shoulders and shook his head, trying to physically relieve himself of the aggravation. His demeanor became soft once more when he looked back to his new friend. With a defeated sigh, he waved his hand across the plethora of food as if presenting it as a gift. “I would have rather tasted something else, but the food has arrived. What delectable treat would you like to indulge first?”

Uná’s eyes had gone wide at his touch and her lips parted. The moment was ruined by the waitress. Uná looked away and quickly glanced around the room and saw a few things out of place that didn’t seem to have been noticed yet. He turned back to her and she to him. He indicated the sashimi and Uná’s gaze went to his eyes then the food then his eyes. She bit her lip and thought about it. She looked around for chopsticks. She didn’t find any. “I’d happily eat, although I don’t see why you’re feeding me. One problem, Frost. There aren’t any utensils.”

Lex looked to the table. His jawline flexed at the predicament Fucking waitress…. He made the right call just before. He would be doing the service industry a favor. “Perhaps a grace disguised as a problem,” he said as he pulled out his phone from his pocket and began typing into it. As he ended his message, he tucked it back from where it was retrieved and, nearly simultaneously one of the remaining men in black suits picked up their phone, reviewed it, obediently got up from their seat and wordlessly started heading toward the back exit of the club. “It’ll be just a moment. Until then…” His eyes fixed on hers and his brows lowered. He looked ravenous. With his right hand, he reached out toward her face, his fingertips lightly dragging over the surface of her cheek as the palm of his hand found its home on the back of her neck. His left hand then came out, taking her by the waist and, with both, he pulled her in to him, taking her lips into his.

Uná’s breath hitched at his look and her eyes went wide. She shivered at his touch gasping as he pulled her to him and then kissing her. Hands flew to his shoulders and tightened on them. Throwing caution to the wind Uná moved closer. Knees on either side of his thighs she kissed him back. Tentatively she ran her tongue over his bottom lip followed by his top. Her hands moved to his hair feather light. Fingers spearing into his soft white blonde hair and cupping the back of his head. A white hot heat seared through Uná and settled in her center pulsing.

Their corner dimmed to the rest of the club almost imperceptibly. The air became heavy as if an invisible fog settled in the club. Mist swirled a few scant inches around the floor. On the far side of the club a threshold gradually morphs into something that looks like it could have been pulled right out of a King Arthur myth. The other side of the doorway is a black so deep that seems to pull in light. “Uná...” The whisper was sibilant and deep comprised of many voices in a hauntingly dissonant harmony that raised hairs and made people shy away from it. It stirred the deep primitive part of the brain that you rely on when things frightened you.

Uná didn’t notice anything. Getting up the courage she nipped Lex’s bottom lip sharply. Running her tongue over the area she followed no real direction with the kiss. Only her third kiss ever...well third person but that was a technicality. Or was it fourth? She couldn’t remember and didn’t frankly want to. Inhibitions gone she broke the kiss and leaning back she reached out for the scotch that he was drinking. She sipped it then swallowed feeling the smooth burn. A sultry smile she took another sip and kissed him sharing the scotch with him. Rushing headlong into danger she deepened the kiss. Her hands flew to his tie and she started to loosen it.

Lex’s throat rumbled as he let a low growl escape his lips. His hands gripped her waist and squeezed, pulling her in a little further as he straightened up. If she was going to have his tie, he was going to give it to her. Lex’s vision tunnelled. Anything outside of her shape was nothing anymore. There was just her. The heat. The appetite. Lex lunged in, kissing her neck before taking a nip. One of his hands fell away and went behind him, working feverishly to undo the back of his vest. His fingers were too large and his patience too thin. He conceded to simply grabbing hold of the vest and ripping it off of himself, tossing it haphazardly in a random direction before pumping his chest out, displaying the buttons on his shirt. “Your majesty?”

Uná shivered lightly as he nipped her. She watched him toss off his vest and the shiver that went through her, this time, she was sure that he not only saw but felt. Unconsciously her hips moved against him in time to the music that filtered into her. She put her hands on either side of the booth and bit her lip her eyes unfocused and hooded.

Her eyes snapped like blue fire. Suddenly her full eye flashed black so quickly that it was almost impossible to notice as she snapped her eyes shut. Smiling wickedly and leaning into him leaving him guessing where her body started and his ended she ground into him provocatively. She leaned in and licked up the side of his neck.

Whereas he was rolling with her grind before, Lex quickly stilled himself. He thought he saw something, but it was quick. His face bucked back as he tried to meet her eyes again. “What was that,” he asked, almost stern in his delivery. “Your eyes. What was that a second ago?” His brows were furrowed with curiosity, but there was also a look of caution behind his eyes.

Uná froze and leaned back. Eyes narrowed she dropped her arms to the side. “Bonne prise, mon garçon. Cela fait partie de son pouvoir. Sentez-vous honoré. Celui-ci aura besoin de plus de force, elle est plus jeune que vous ne le pensez et innocente.” The deep sigh that comes out of Uná is echoed by a hiss that reverberates around the room coming from the threshold across the room.

Uná’s eyes close and she falls forward gently onto Lex asleep. Once more the sibilant hiss echoes through the room this time louder. “Uná…” Uná whimpers and flinches hearing the voice.

There is a laugh that can only be described as deeply evil and hauntingly beautiful. It echoes through the room and as a nightmare of Lovecraft proportions stalks into the light tips its head back and roars. Chaos ensues as people scatter from the threshold. Screaming people do more damage to each other than the creature right now. It seems to be looking for something or someone. Its eyes fall on Lex and Uná the dissonant sibilant hiss issues forth from it. “Uuuuunnnnnnnnáááááááááá….” Uná clenches and shudders in fear and starts to cry.

Lex straightened up as he gestured for one of his men to come get the girl. He held her secure while he rose from the booth, ignoring the chaos from the other patrons. As one of his men approached, he passed her over and stared at the beast for a moment. “If she dies, all of you do,” he said to his men as he looked on. “Shoot it.” Lex didn’t have his twins guns on him at the time. His men did not share that disadvantage. Two of them started shooting at the creature. A third came in from the back exit, dropped the chopsticks on the ground after seeing what was going on and quickly followed suit, drawing his firearm and trying to take the thing down.

Lex watched on and saw no signs that the efforts were effective. He turned back to his men, took possession of the girl again, carrying her in his arms and began walking toward the exit. He looked to each of his people one-by-one as he moved. “You. You’re staying here. Keep that thing busy. You. Cover me as we go and make sure no one is following us. You. Get the car started and bring it around. Now.” Each took their direction and executed. Lex raised his foot into the air and brought it crashing into the exit door, destroying the door’s hinges and sending the metal thing sliding across the back alley. As he stepped outside, he looked deeper in the alley and saw a crumbled body in a pool of blood. The nametag on her shirt said ’Becky’. Lex huffed in amusement. On the other side of the alley was the parked SUV, Lex’s man just now arriving at the driver’s side door. The headlights sprung to life with the roar of the engine and the white Cadillac Escalade came rolling forth. One of the remaining men opened the car door, allowing Lex to place the girl inside. Once everyone was in, the driver hit the gas and the sound of squealing tired was the soundtrack of their escape.

“Who is she,” one of the men asked as they drove.

“I don’t know. Didn’t get a name. But she has power. And I bet I know where she learned to use it.”

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@KatKook@webboysurf@Dezuel@Silver Carrot@Damo021@c3p-0h

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Aya sat in their little corner of Avalon, laughing with the other girls as they drank and shouted over the pounding music. She nursed her first drink, feeling awkward and out of place, but appreciating the opportunity to go out with other teens and feel normal. Her outfit was casual, a cute navy blue romper with little golden stars (with zippered pockets) and a pair of heeled ankle-high boots.

She brought her glass to her lips again, viewing the crowd. A blush rose to her cheeks and she looked down again when a man across the club raised his drink and winked at her. No, this definitely wasn’t her scene.

A foreign voice entered her mind. Aya went frozen, eyes wide. It whispered and coaxed, sending a chill down her back. And then it was gone. Aya looked around to see her other classmates reacting too. She hasn’t been the only one to hear it. She kept her lips pressed together.

Sitting in silence, she took another sip from her drink, the hot bite of alcohol doing little to warm her blood. Aya looked up again to scan the crowd for a familiar shock of red hair. As Uná’s roommate, she felt responsible for looking out for the younger girl. Nik had whisked her away to dance just a bit ago and–

There she was. But she wasn’t with Nik. A tall albino man was dancing with her. Aya’s hair went on end. Something about this man... the harsh light in his eyes, the set of his mouth...

Dangerous, her instincts whispered.

Aya put down her glass and excused herself from the group. Uná could take care of herself she knew... but Uná was also a drunk 15 year old at a club, dancing with a towering man who looked hungry. Aya’s mind started spinning with excuses to pull her away as she watched them move away to a table.

She pushed and slipped through the crowd, trying to keep her gaze on them when a laugh echoed through the club. It was a dark, heavy thing. Aya paused. The laugh came again. And then there were screams.

Aya looked over her shoulder to see what could only be called a demon. Memories of Drake in the library flashed through her mind. Gun shots reverberated through the club and Aya threw her hands over her ringing ears. She turned again to see the table empty. A flash of white hair mixed with orange swept through the nearby door.

”Uná!” Aya broke into a run. Or she tried to at least, as she shoved her way through the throng of frantic people.

Reaching the door and falling outside was like a dam bursting, people pouring out into the open air. Aya fought to stay upright, ducking against the building’s wall to avoid being trampled. She looked up again, desperate for —

There. The man slipped into a car and it sped off into the distance. Fear clutches at Aya’s throat. Uná was gone, Uná was kidnapped —

And then like instinct, like breathing, Aya snapped into the astral plane. Without a second thought, she sent her spirit running after the car. The starlit world moves quickly around her — quicker than it should have. Aya sprinted and there was no ache in her chest, no deep gasping for breath. But still the car sped ahead of her. Furrowing her brow, Aya urged herself faster.

And then she was flying.

Aya soared through the astral plane, keeping pace with the car. All she knew was that she couldn’t lose them, she had to see wherever it was they were taking her roommate.

Her body stood forgotten against the wall, still and quiet as people panicked around her. Her eyes were open, pale and sparkling like galaxies.

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Nik leaned over the upper balcony overlooking the club, his beer loosly resting in his fingertips while dangling over the lower level. He lifted the bottle to his lips for another sip, the bitter taste causing his nose to scrunch slightly as he swallowed. He wasn't a big drinker, but tonight was an exception to the rule. His eyes scanned the dance floor below. Una had gone back to dancing apparently. And he was going to have to have an awkward conversation with her about what everything had meant. But for now, he was just trying to sip his beer in peace and enjoy the view.

Nathan looked over at Nik sipping his beer. "So what was all that about?" Nathan said as he walked up to Nik, who was swiftly becoming a pain in his ass. He sipped his water and leaned against the railing next to Nik.

Nik shrugged. ”Something Una and I talked about doing a long time ago. Finally had the opportunity to pull it off.” Nik turned around, leaning his back against the railing as he sipped his beer. ”And to be fair, she asked me to dance.” The smug grin returned as he took another swig of his beer.

Nathan glowered at him. "Yeah well doesn't mean you're out of the friend zone." Nathan looked out at the dance floor his gaze drawn to the coppery red vibrancy that was Una's hair. It took so much to not want to drag her out of there. He noticed all the attention that she got and it bothered him. He didn't like it but she seemed to. She was too friendly by half. No more than half. It was like no one was a stranger. She must have had a good childhood or be way to naive for anyone's piece of mind. "So seriously do you like her or are you just being a dog in a manger? Cause it's really starting to piss me off."

Nik chuckled as he took another sip, watching Nathan fret. That is until his expression soured. The kid in front of him was jealous... and rightfully so. Nik couldn’t exactly blame him for it. ”I liked her since the moment I met her, same as you. Thing is, I pitied you when we first met. I backed off, let you sweep Una into your arms. And I regret that.” Nik turned his head away, his expression clearly one of shock. He’d said a lot of things tonight that he wouldn’t have normally. Must be these damn sleeves. Knew they were bad news.

Nathan grunted. "It's kinda hard not to like her. And pity me? Seriously? You don't know enough about me to pity me. You know what makes this situation suck even more? It's that I could see us actually getting along if we weren't after the same girl." Nathan shook his head at that knowing it was more or less true.

Nik shook his head. ”Maybe... but I know for a fact you aren’t going to see me as a friend. Especially not after what went down during and after our dance.” He took a moment to sip on his beer again, finally emptying the thing. He stared at it as he spoke, not looking at Nathan. ”She kissed me during and after the dance. And I kissed her back the second time. And I told her you weren’t right for her. Because the thing I regretted was thinking that you were the right kind of guy for her.” Nik gripped the bottle firmly. He knew he was about to have hell to pay.

Nathan pulled his gaze off the dance floor. His eyes narrowed on Nik's and his vision started to get red at the edges. He kissed her?!? His jaw clenched and he balled his hands into fists breaking the glass that held his water. His sclera bled to a blood red and his breathing was ragged. He sneered at Nik. "Who died and made you god? And what makes you think you're right for her?" He was dripping blood that never hit the floor. It seemed to hang there and start to simmer and bubble like water that was going to boil soon.

Nik rolled his eyes, the bottle in his hands beginning to crackle with red energy. ”And you do? Your focus the entire time you’ve been with her is on shaping her into the kind of person you want her to be.” He took a step away from the railing and back, his own eyes trained on Nathan. ”Don’t do something you’re going to regret, Nathan. Learning to deal with heartbreak in a healthy manner is important for kids our age.”

Nathan growled and tried to reign in his anger but it was a hard thing. "I don't know punching you sounds great right about now. Sounds like you deserve that much at least. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't regret it. But I know that would lead to using my power on you and as good as that would feel it wouldn't win me any favors. For the record you're a fucking ass most of the time." Nathan walked off from Nik and swiped a wad of napkins from a table. He blotted the wound on his hand as he came back over to Nik. "This time I'll let it go but until I hear it from her," He pointed at the dance floor not looking away from Nik. "Then I'm still in the running. And damned if I won't make this hard for you. I need her in my life."

Nik looked at the bottle as it crackled with energy. He hadn’t exactly learned the art of not making things explode yet. But as he looked up, he gave a small smile. ”It’s cute you think you could win that competition. Hell, if you really want to find out how she feels, you should ask her now. She’s been pretty honest tonight.” His somewhat friendly smile turned borderline sinister as the grin turned devilish. ”Unless you already know that she’d break up with you.” There was something about this conversation... about the way that Nathan acted around Una that was practically begging him to push Nathan to the edge. Perhaps he just wanted a fight... or maybe this was insecurity? Nik didn’t know for certain what Una wanted. Does she want to date me? Exclusively? Or does she plan on going out and cheating on me like she did with...

He couldn’t even finish the last thought. All Nik knew was that he was irrationally angry, about three beers in, and ready to see just how far his powers could go if Nathan really went at it.

Nathan smirked. He actually thought that we were officially dating. Oh this is priceless. We never made it official. Mostly because we were still getting to know each other. Oh I can press this button repeatedly. Nathan let out a soft mocking laugh. "So sure of yourself Markov? Besides she can't break up with me." Nathan left it at that. Stretch the truth a little bit but I doubt that Nik would go running to Una. Besides if he does then I know if she'd spare my feelings or tell the truth. Which it would probably be the latter. She's nothing if not truthful, even if it hurts. Which is why I always refrained from asking how she felt about Nik.

Before their argument escalated further, the screams of fear and panic jolted the two back to their setting. Una was nowhere to be seen... but a large monstrosity seeming to terrorize the environment sure as Hell was.

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Looking around the club whilst waiting for drinks, she sees that everybody is dancing and having a good time. Also, a good deal of the people in the club didn't look of age either, so at least their group wasn't too conspicuous. Although Heidi couldn't hear the music, she could roughly estimate the tempo of the music from the way people were dancing, and to not look like a statue and possibly give away to strangers that she was deaf, Heidi gently bobbed her head to what she calculated was the beat.

After a short while, drinks arrive. Heidi takes a sip of the margarita, and visibly scrunches up her face. It was very sweet, but also very, very bitter. After a few smacks of her lips, Heidi takes another sip, and seems more prepared for the taste this time. It was strong certainly, but it was admittedly tasty. Due to not having to take breaks to talk much, Heidi was the first girl at the table (who didn't just down the whole glass) to finish.

Almost immediately, she notices the effects. While her brain was still far, far faster and more powerful than she was quite used to, it had almost halved it's speed. Things felt a little more cloudy, and she found she could actually think in a manner more similar to how she used her brain before her mutation developed. She no longer felt like a computer. She felt like a very intelligent human. It was a nice feeling!

Just as she was about to try her luck at joining in, when something terrifying happened. Possibly the most unsettling thing that could happen to a deaf person. She heard a voice. Just a voice. No other sounds. But the voice was clear as day and it sounded like somebody was speaking very close to both her ears at the same time. She deduced that they must be talking inside her head. There was a telepath. Quickly, Heidi began sending her brain into overdrive, thinking of as many pointless topics as possible while she simultaneously mulled over the words in her head. She took this measure so that if a telepathy was indeed here, and they tried to read her mind, they wouldn't be able to keep up with the flurry of irrelevant information in order to find anything useful. She was essentially scrambling her own brain.

"To the lonely souls lost in the world, to the forsaken and depressed. Do not be afraid, there is no need to cry, no more need to run away or hide. I am one of you, you not alone. We are the chosen ones, the ones whom are currently being oppressed. Where we are forced to hide from sight, where we are called freaks and monsters. We are not monsters my brothers and sisters, we are a different branch of mankind. So I urge you to leave where you are hiding, find others like yourselves out there. Tommorrow I will guide you to where we can all meet. Under a new light. A beacon to guide us to the future which is waiting for us. Seek love and passion, and go forth... with my prayer."

It sounded very much like a call to arms, which was concerning. Heidi couln't deny that mutants were outcasts from society, but to draw so much attention that almost made this sound like Brotherhood propaganda. Mutants are feared and mistrusted partly out of prejudice, but partly because most of them are untrained and unchecked, and these very logical, rational fears feed into the prejudice. Before her own mutation developed, Heidi read a lot of anti-mutant literature, but even then, was intelligent enough to sort the bigotry from the alarming truths. There were too many stories of Alpha Class mutant schoolchildren in regular schools either accidentally losing control of their powers, or deliberately harnessing them, and harming others. The only difference in those cases to school shooters is that school shooters aren't born with the gun.

Looking around, she not only saw that there was no obvious indication of the telepath, and they could be anyone, but also that the mutants from the school had clearly heard the same thing in their own heads. Heidi saw Uná and Nik, but she couldn't get a good enough look at their mouths so couldn't catch what they were talking about. Heidi kept scanning the room for the telepath, occasionally looking back to the table to make sure nobody was talking to her while she wasn't looking. The next time she spotted Uná, she was with a man in a white suite, with white hair. Everything about him seemed powerful and dangerous, and she had a really bad feeling about him. That the two of them were sitting so near to them were watching the man closely didn't help. Unfortunately, the crowd swelled in size, and obscured her view of them from where she was sitting.

Heidi then turned her attention to the balconies. They would be a good vantage point, albeit remote. Perhaps the telepath's powers are longer range than she'd though. But as she looked, she suddenly noticed that people were pointing and silently screaming, so she followed her eye to see a monster, some kind of apparition, in the club. Heidi didn't believe in ghosts, or monsters. This was most likely a result of a mutation. Either way it looked too large and powerful for Heidi to be able to help much besides figuring out its exact nature. But before she could do that, she saw Lex's table open fire of this monster, with actual guns, and Lex carry an unconcious Uná off. This was something she could help with, and was quite a pressing concern, not to undermine a giant monster in a club. A classmate getting kidnapped wasn't exactly trivial either.

Heidi got up, and began to follow them out of the club. On the way, one of the men she had seen sitting near the white haired man approached her, holding out his hand and telling her that she couldn't go this way. Without hesitation, she ducked under his left side, slipped past him, and began running. Once she made it outside, she saw the briefest of glimpses of a car speeding round a corner, rather fast, and there was no other sign of Uná or the man anywhere. They must have been in the car. Despite seeing it at a distance for less than two seconds, from an angle, she focused hard on that memory, long enough to interpret the make, model and color of the car, as well as the licence plate.

With that committed to memory, she spotted Aya nearby, standing dead still against the outside wall. Heidi approached her, and kept guard until she came back to her senses.

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"Another, please," Drake asked, leaning on the bar. The bartender gave an uneasy nod before executing the request. Soon, Drake's hand held a glass containing vodka and Red Bull. Super buzzed and energetic. That's what he was going for. He turned his body and leaned the opposite way, his back now to the bar while his front faced the dance floor. He saw several familiar faces, but wasn't quite ready to be sociable. Maybe after one more...

Just then, a foreign voice entered his head. Shock set in. He hadn't heard a voice in his head for a while now, but this one was different than before. This one spoke in full sentences and the tone was uniquely docile. "Seek love and passion, and go forth... with my prayer."

Can you hear what I am saying, Drake mentally asked, unsure if that was how this was supposed to work. His answer came in the form of silence. Drake shook his head, as if he'd be able to shake the confusion off of him, before tending to his drink some more. As he looked around the room, his eyes fell upon Aya quite a ways away in a booth. He was tempted to go make conversation but their relationship was fragile and he wasn't sure he had the mental fortitude to avoid any faux pas. He also saw Cleo, with whom he was far less nervous about speaking to. She was already used to his drunken ramblings. There were also some faces that he didn't recognize immediately, but it wasn't too surprising. He had been a bit of a fly on the wall, lately, as oppose to the social butterfly he once was.

"Fuck it," he said audibly to himself. Time to get social. He stood up and started walking toward the booths. Just as he'd taken his first few steps, he saw Aya stand up with a look of concern painted across her face. He followed her gaze, his eyes falling on Uná and a very, very pale man in a white suit. Holy shit, a vampire, he thought with amazement and disbelief. That dude is definitely going to suck her blood! Panic started setting in as he patted himself down, trying to take inventory. No crosses or holy water. Fire can kill vampires, right? Drake looked at his own hand, the image of it slightly doubling. Uh oh. Definitely drunk. Probably shouldn't drink and burn. Especially not in a crowded place.

Drake's eyes began darting back and forth, trying to think fast. "AYA!" he shouted, competing with the insanely loud house music. "DO YOU HAVE GARLIC?!" But she didn't react or even look. He was too far away. Drake huffed, frustrated, and started forward again, trying to close the gap.

A menacing laugh erupted from the club and Drake stopped dead in his tracks. Suddenly, something hit Drake from behind, sending him airborne. He fell in a tumble, knocking over several patrons in the process. As he laid sprawled out on the dancefloor, he turned his body to look back at what assaulted him and beheld a monstrosity. Ohshitohshitohshit! Gunfire could be heard as people started unloading clips into this thing. It didn't look like the monster in his own mind, though. This one was different. He looked back to check on Aya who was now in a sprint to get out of the club, along with a sea of other people. Someone threw a wooden barstool at the creature and the thing destroyed it with a slap, sending pieces scattering. One of the splintered legs skidded over to where Drake was laying. His eyes widened with excitement as he grabbed for it. You're fucked now, vampire! He pulled himself to his feet and stashed the stake in his back pocket before losing his balance and nearly falling again. Holding his hands out like a man on a tight rope, he regained his equilibrium and surveyed the room.

It was either time to leave or time to fight. He looked around at all who was left as he contemplated the decision, the grotesque beast just a few paces away from him.