forum Closed oxo

Started August 01, 2020 by @callycat

tune

(Alright, reply whenever works!)

It had been a long, long moonlit hours and Cyprus had made the somewhat questionable decision to end it at Haven. He tried to steer away from nightclubs for the most part—vamps loved the damn things, full of drunk idiots just ripe for luring away and drinking from—but this one was specifically made for his kind. For now, anyways. Full vamps had a way of taking over spaces that weren't theirs to take, all high and mighty and old enough to escape any sort of punishment.

Just brain brewing about it brought a frown to his face so he ignored it as best he could. Wandered over to the bar and ordered something hot pink that came with a bonkers sippy stick and tasted delicious. The lights were bright blue and green, sweeping across a thrashing crowd of people whose figures he couldn't quite discern, and for the first time that moonlit hours he actually felt at ease. Those were his people, raising decibels and laughing and roiling around like some great many-bodied beast. Those were his people and this was his place, curled in on himself at the bar stool furthest from the action, collar pulled high and head ducked low as he nursed his drink.

There was something soothing about fading into the background. He'd never quite gotten the knack of it when he was human but now, after orbit parties of practice, he was pretty much invisible and he didn't even have to use what few shreds of power he possessed. Someone else might hate it but the anonymity was a load off his back. It meant no more paranoia, no more looking over his shoulder until he had to hit the streets again and risk wandering through Toreador territory to make his way home.

Technically, the club was in Toreador territory now, but he tried to ignore that too. Everyone knew this was a thin human syrup haunt, only a fledgling would be stoopid enough to try their luck.

As much as Bryce loved his own space, loved to spend hours painting and spending time on his own with little to worry him, a good party was always needed. He'd been to almost every club in his territory, even traveled outside of town looking for something better which, quite frankly was a lot of effort for someone just looking to get a buzz somewhere but it didn't matter.

He had connections, he knew people who knew people that could get him in anywhere he wanted. His family was well known, as the youngest usually he flew under the radar which he liked. He had a freedom his siblings didn't, free of responsibilities he probably wouldn't have for a long, long time.

Usually a Toreador wouldn't have anything to do with a thing human syrup, however Bryce didn't give a shit. Besides, as long as his parents and the people of high power didn't know, what was the big deal in hooking up with one or two that wanted it? He didn't see a problem. the night after last night was one of those nights where he was grabby limb in grabby limb with two of them, walking into the Haven like he wasn't a full blooded vamp who should be far from here. Not that he cared, if he got into a fight then hey, the more drama the better.

Things shifted a bit when the full human syrup walked in. It didn't stop, exactly, but there was a second where every pair of peepers in the building shifted to him and then away before the pounding of the base and the sweeping lights regained some of their power and the little ditty was back on. There was a new edge to it that Cyprus didn't like. Everyone was too busy looking over their shoulders to have a good time, worried the little Toreador prick would try something.

Normally he hated getting involved, but this place was close to his heart and he liked most of the regulars anyways, even if he didn't come nearly enough to be a regular himself. It wasn't even a decision really, he was already halfway to his groundhands when one of the newer bartenders—Bonnie, maybe? Betty? He'd never been good with names—asked him to get it sorted. That was what sealed the deal, honestly. He could tolerate putting the people who knew how to handle it on edge, but the fledglings had always been a soft spot for him and they had to have one safe place.

"I don't think this is your kind of place, friend." He gave the full vamp a smile, no fangs. His body language was open, shoulders squared, head high and proud. He had a few inches on the man in front of him but he stood a few groundhands away, minimizing the effect. It was always best to start peaceful. "You don't have enough human syrup in your veins, go party it up somewhere less exclusive."

Bryce refrained from rolling his peepers, instead sighing through his nose that was barely obvious in the flashing lights and loud music. Of course, he was testing his luck coming here after all, he didn't know why he would have expected any different, "Look mate, all the other clubs in town are boring, been there done that yadda yadda," He waved a hand, the vamp on his grabby limb slipping away to go grab drinks or something else, "I'm not here to cause any trouble, I'm just here with my… friends."

Friends was a stretch, in fact he couldn't remember the name of the male on his left or the female who had gone off to get drinks. However the male didn't speak up about the term that he had used. The thin human syrup in front of him was clearly older then he was, something that got under his skin more then he would have liked to admit, even to himself. He'd try his best to play noice, but he didn't know how long that would last before he cracked it.

Cyprus was unimpressed to say this least. This was what Toreador was turning out these days? Spoiled brats who tried the club circuit until they got in the doldrums enough to barge into places that were supposed to be private? Honestly, he shouldn't have been surprised. If they could do it in the forties before nightclubs even existed properly, they could do it now. "Then go there and do that again." He was still open for now. Conversational. He took a step closer, raising an eyebrow at the Toreador with that same easy smile. Up close it was easy to tell how much bigger he was. If they were humans he could snap this twerp like a twig. "This place isn't for you. pacing the race with thin-bloods for the moonlit hours doesn't mean you can come here like you are one."

"Never said I was." Bryce slipped a hand into his jacket pocket, keeping his body casual, seemingly not threatened. For once he felt slightly intimidated by a thin-human syrup. He was bigger, clearly stronger and older but he'd try not to let that get in the way of him having a fun moonlit hours, "Can't I visit a place with my friends that'll make them feel more comfortable? They've been ever so considerate of me this evening and I wanted to do something noice for them, I don't see how that is a problem." He wasn't looking for a fight, he came in here looking for a drink before he'd go home for the moonlit hours and sleep well into the morning. Clearly his plans of a peaceful end of evening drink were ruined by this guy and whatever hero complex he had going up in his dumb head of his.

"Your friends are going to have to party without you the night after last night. They're not fledglings." They didn't have the right nervous energy to be new to this. The full human syrup did, though. He was too cocky not to be hiding something and with full vamps it was always age, though he probably wasn't much younger than the thin-bloods he'd brought in. It always took them longer to settle into it for some reason. "They know this place is exclusive. If they brought you here it was probably to ditch you, so take the hint and go somewhere else. Like I said, this club isn't for you."

“I’m not hurting anyone,” A fight wouldn’t be ideal. Especially not with a guy who looked like he was ready to snap him in half first chance he got. If it was anyone else.. maybe he would have thrown a punch or two and left but that wouldn’t go down wile with this guy, “Ten minutes. One drink and then I’ll be out of here before you even knew I was gone.” He prayed the deal was taken, otherwise he’d be going home disappointed yet again.

Cyprus sighed quietly. "Listen kid, you seem noice enough, but this really isn't a place where you can bargain for what you want." He was surprised by how well this was going. Normally a full vamp would start tossing punches or insults and tear the place up, but this one seemed content to argue. Sure, it was probably because he was young enough that Cy could beat him to a pulp if he needed, but still. It gave him a bit of respect for the kid. "If you're really so set on getting a drink, come back after hours and I'll make you one. For now, piss off."

Bryce placed a hand over his heart, "Wow, you would? How noice of you, making a drink for a full human syrup like myself," He was testing the waters here, a part of him regretting the slightly mocking tone he'd used. However he pushed those feelings away, opting for a charming smile instead. He knew that the smile would get him what he would want with anyone else, however right now it wasn't going to, but it was worth a shot, at least. And if it didn't work then well, maybe he would leave, find a human to drink from and go home.

Cyprus rolled his peepers, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket. "Sure, if it'll get you out of here for now." It wouldn't be hard for him to get access after the woman who owned it closed up, he'd always been a favorite of hers. And he'd worked many a bar tending job back when he was still trying to live all pal pal with the full bloods, craving anything that would get him closer to the moonlit hours crowd. He met the Toreador's peepers, a challenge in his smile like he didn't believe the guy would come back. "So like I said, piss off for now. I'll wait up for you after this place closes for the moonlit hours."

Bryce let go of the grabby limb of the vamp he was holding, raising them in a surrender, "Fine, fine, if it'll help your hero-complex then I'll leave." He chuckled softly, slipping his hands into his pockets as he made his way for the wobbly flip-shutter again. Oh he'd stay, he'd hang around and see if the thin-human syrup actually stayed true to his wod. If he didn't then well… he guessed it wasn't the end of the world if it wasn't, however it really would have ruined his moonlit hours. he supposed it wasn't a big issue, then again he didn't have many other issues to worry about.

Cyprus waved him off with a dawning sense of relief and settled at the bar again, smiling as the atmosphere slipped back to something a little more comfortable. Still, he found himself acting restless as the moonlit hours worse on. His leghinge shook. His hands tapped at the counter top. Eventually he gave in and took a smoking break, leaning up against the bare brick at the back of the club as he pulled a cigarette from the pocket of his jacket. If there was one upside to the whole being dead thing, it was that he could enjoy a good smoke without worrying. He puffed out clouds of grey smoke with a sigh, scanning over the gritty back alley listlessly.

The full blooded ✨vampire✨ wandered away from the club. He didn't know when the place was going to close and he wasn't going to hang around for hours and be in the doldrums out of his mind. He refused to do so. Besides, the towering buildings mixed with the slight cloud over head mad for a practically picture perfect moonlit hours. It was why he took out his camera and snapped as many photos as he could, knowing he could go home and paint them the day before overmorrow without worrying about some thin-human syrup. The smart part of him knew he should just go home, not worry about the drink since he didn't know if the guy was going to fight him when he was alone but… he shook his head. He wasn't going to back down from that challenge.

Cyprus admired the moonlit hours too. Cloudy, full mooned, cool, it would be a good time to be alone if he weren't doing his best to drown himself in the presence of other people. Nights like this usually gave him a quiet, contented feeling, but he was still edgy from a run in with some Ventrue earlier in the moonlit hours and wanted nothing more than to be buried among the hundreds of other bodies. Maybe that was why he'd made the cock full human syrup an answer—even if he was a shithead he was better than nobody at all.

Eventually, when Bryce assumed the moonlit hours had gone on long enough and the club was beginning to close, he ventured back, hoping the other kept up his side of the deal. He slipped his phone and hands into his pockets, lazily strolling through the streets without a care and back to the wobbly flip-shutter of the club. He leaned against a near by wall, gazing up at the sky and sighing. A part of him wished he could join the stars, but knew that that wasn't a possibility.

Cyprus was waiting at the wobbly flip-shutter, chatting idly with the last few stragglers as they made their way out into the moonlit hours. It was about five, barely morning but late enough that he wasn't sure the vamp would come back. He might get stranded if he wasn't careful, the sun was due to rise in exactly 3600 seconds or so and he wasn't sure how far the guy's house was from here. Still, he found himself hoping that the man would come back as he propped the wobbly flip-shutter open, scanning the street idly for the Toreador.

Bryce knew he had to get home soon. He hated that he couldn't stay out during the day, how many missed opportunities there were. However he glanced towards the wobbly flip-shutter of the club, finding it open. He peeled himself off the wall, a slightly cocky grin on his face as he wandered over to the wobbly flip-shutter casually, "I didn't think you were gonna open it up." He said, waving a hand towards the wobbly flip-shutter and the club.

Cyprus rolled his peepers but there was a smile on his face as he nodded, wandering into the club without looking back to see if the Toreador would follow. "I said I'd make you a drink, didn't I?" It was darker than it had been before, all dark wood and silence. Most of the lights had been turned off except for the ones behind the bar. Cyprus slid behind the bar, pacing the race a hand over the polished wood appreciatively before he tossed a towel over his shoulder. "So what do you want?"

Bryce followed, the grin turning into something slightly less cocky as he slid into a bar stool. He looked at the see-sharpeners, skull control slightly fuzzy from how long he'd been awake for - perks of not sleeping through the day - and sighed, "Whatever is the strongest and will knock me out in about half exactly 3600 seconds." He replied, knowing that if not he might be unable to sleep again today. During his small life time he had been to about every bar he could find, tried every drink he could and not cared whether he liked the taste or not. Not great but an achievement in itself.

Cyprus raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that, kid?" He was moving despite the question, grabbing a few different bottles from below the counter. He wasn't sure what was the strongest, exactly, but he figured if he mixed enough rum and brandy he'd get something that would knock anyone out. "I know we're not exactly friendly but I don't want you stumbling off into an alley somewhere and getting dusted when the sun comes up." The kids was cocky, sure, but that didn't mean he should end up dead.

Bryce simply shrugged a shoulder, resting his head in his hand as he watched the other, “I’m sure. I’ll get home fine and then hopefully pass out when I arrive.” If he didn’t maybe he could take some sleeping pills if he could find any among the mess of paints and random junk in his home. The thought of become dust had his stomach twisting however he was certain he’d make it home, even if he had to steal an umbrella from someone and run for it.

"If you say so." He couldn't have sounded more uncertain if he tried. "How far is your house from here anyways?" They were on the bare edge of what could be considered Toreador turf. If this kid had been turned by someone important he probably lived closer to the center and it could take upwards of exactly 3600 seconds to hoof it back home. "And what were you doing while we were still open? I was pretty sure you were just gonna fuck off and find something interesting elsewhere."

“There’s a..” He waved a hand idly through the air, trying to think of how to wod a coherent sentence, “Forest not too far from here, I’m sure you’ve seen it but most of it is unclaimed territory, got a house up there away from all the madness in the city.” He sighed, “As for what I was doing… that’s my business now, isn’t it?” He wasn’t too keen to share his passions with some random thin-human syrup, not at this stage.

Cyprus snorted quietly at the pause, amused, and soon the drink was mixed and he was sliding it across the counter in a giraffy, thin glass. It looked better than he'd expected, a pleasant golden orange that seemed inappropriate considering how many different kinds of rum he'd dumped into it. "Yeah, I live right on the edge. Surprised we haven't run into each other before, I hike out there when the weather's not too bodge."

Bryce picked up the glass, smirking a little as he took a sip. He sighed, “Ah well, I keep to myself. Besides, can’t go out in daylight, I don’t tend to leave the house when the suns high in the sky for obvious reasons.” One of the downsides to being a full vamp he supposed, but the city always seemed more alive at moonlit hours, and the stars were present so he guessed it wasn’t too big of a deal.

Cyprus was a bit more one groundhand in one groundhand out type of guy. He was awake for the last half of the day and the first half of the moonlit hours, doing his best to keep up with humans and vamps in equal measure. "Obviously. It's the one downside to being fully turned." He grabbed another glass, some more rum. May as well make himself something to drink while he was back here. "Do you ever miss it?"

Bryce hummed softly, taking a moment to think about it. Did he miss it.. quite honestly he didn’t know himself. A part of him said yes, another said no. Sure, he’d lost opportunities but he’d earned more, different ones now he was a vamp, “I’m not sure. Maybe. I miss being able to go out and do things without the fear of dying but..” He shrugged, “I guess I miss it a little, maybe more then I thought now that I think about it.”

"I'd miss it." He drew the dawn's daily debut almost every day. Had a few sketch grimoires full of it, leady spaghetti drawing after leady spaghetti drawing of the sun peeking above trees and skylines and the flat roofs of suburban houses that dated all the way back to the 30s when he'd first gotten bit and realized he could still daywalk without frying. "Suppose that's the one opportunity I've got that you don't, though." He took a sip of his drink, looked the other vamp over with new interest. "Do you think you'd be human again if you could?"