On the Clock (OPEN)

[Tahmores Stian]

A typical night of work in one of the busiest clubs in Clerkenwell; drunks, druggies and people just looking to cause some trouble with whoever they can rile up. Always something to keep the bartenders occupied between serving drinks. Luckily for Tahmores, been a werewolf, he is in possession of a fantastic memory, so keeping track of the customers and their orders isn't that much trouble.

Leaning against the bar for a moment Tahmores stops to catch his breath. The clubs around these parts are usually the haunts of vampires and humans, but you can never be too sure exactly what species someone is, but it does seem that some vampires have figured out a way to pick up on the ways that a werewolf and other vampires carries themselves. Been one who tries to avoid any form of unnecessary violence Tahmores has had no reason to learn how to pick out people, if any vampires or human makes comments about his species Tah' refuses to answer their questions or give them any confirmation that they might be correct.

Taking a breath Tahmores goes back to serving the customers, it shouldn't be long until he knocks off for the night, he'd already been at work for almost six hours. Every now and then the people he serves would take a look at his left eye, his clouded half blind eye. Tahmore just gives each person a hard glare and they hurry off to go back to drinking.

[Nessarose Allens]

She exhaled, a breath of smoke left her lips and she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling that the weed was giving her. Nessa was one who still functioned fairly well when drugs were in her system although she did get slightly more aggressive than usual. She walked into the club, her eyes scanned the crowd once before she headed over to the bar, she did not care about who was in here tonight, it was not her problem whether these were vampires or werewolves, if they came up to her looking for a fight then she would give them one, the reasoning was as simple as that. She intended to have fun tonight, something that her job rarely allowed her to do.

Dark grey, skinny jeans were on her legs, accompanied by knee high black boots and a black leather jacket. Her hair was let down in a messy disarray, Nessa was pretty although she was not beautiful, there was something slightly 'badass' about her attire although she could not pull off this look as well as some of the vampires could. The fact was that for a human, she pulled it off fucking well.

As she approached the bar, she let her eyes move towards the occupants of the bar, many were taking a sip of their drink before picking it up and quickly darting away with it, like they were afraid of something. This was highlighted when her dialated pupils fell upon the bartender, giving the customers glares, making them hurry and finish their drinks. There was something different about this one; that was it, his eye, only one of them, was cloudy as if he was going blind. That had to be what the customers were getting in trouble for. A smirk played upon her lips momentarily before it was replaced with the vacant look that drugs often gave her.

Of course, going to get yourself in trouble.

No, its us in trouble. Remember?

If her thoughts could have giggled then they would have at her reminding the voice that they were apparently 'one and the same'. She approached the bar, sat down and stared openly at the bartenders eye with a lopsided grin upon her lips. Her eyes glittered in an almost malicious way; because she knew exactly what she was doing. "Whiskey, please." Even her words were slightly sarcastic, although they always were when she was out, as if her being sarcastic would put people off talking to her. Of course, this usually worked, something to which she was very grateful. "So, what happened to your eye?"

[Tahmores Stian]

Tahmores could probably get a warning for giving the customers death stares whenever they made drunk comments about his eye or looked just that little bit too long, but really what are they going to do? Who are they going to complain to? The boss of the bar is hardly ever around and the people who complain are drunk so who would take them seriously, he could tell them to get the fuck out of the club and all they'd be able to do is stare at him stupidly. Sure some might try to fight back but if they're human Tahmores wouldn't have a single problem with taking them down, the combination of his natural and werewolf strength making him more than capable of handeling a few rowdy drunk patrons.

The flow of customers coming to the bar has slacked a little, slowing down enough to give Tahmores time to give the bar a bit of a clean up and look around to see if anyone inside has become blind drunk and/or causing a commotion and has to be told to leave. While cleaning the bar Tah' notices a female come up, without even knowing or talking to her he can guess that there is some kind of attitude about her, one that could cause some trouble.

She looks directly at his injured eye, yes this one could be trouble. Giving Nessarose a small smile Tah' serves up her drink. "So, what happened to your eye?". Brash little thing this one. Tahmores just smiles a little. "Got hit with some shrapnel a few years back. Couldn't take the stuff out right away or I would have lost full vision". He slides her drink across to Nessarose. "Anything else I can help you with miss?".

[Nessarose Allens]

In reaction to her words he merely smiled, that was strange. Due to the fact that he'd been glaring constantly at all the other customers she had expected a somewhat more .. vicious response than a mere smile. It was this very reaction that made her want to push the subject, to get a reaction out of him. The idea did not sit well with the voice, she could hear it complaining quite audibly in her ear, but then it was exactly the reason she would pursue the subject. Because it annoyed someone who was not herself and someone who had been giving her quite a lot of annoyance in these past few years.

Got hit with some shrapnel a few years back. Couldn't take the stuff out right away or I would have lost full vision.

How do you get hit with shrapnel?

I wish you could.

She could not help but smile at this as she sipped on the whiskey that he'd handed her. It was all she could do not to agree with the voice and giggle at the man. It was probably a touchy subject, so she did not laugh, although that didn't stop her nodding and attempting to pursue the topic that so annoyed him. "What, doctors didn't exist then?" There was a tinge of rudeness to her words, a tinge of sarcasm that seemed to taint her words. It contratsed heavily with the voice in which she spoke it which seemed overly pleasant.

Anything else I can help you with miss?

She pondered his words quietly to herself, the vacant look about her told everyone who chose to look that the drugs were kicking in. Yet, this still did not help that slight instinct that made her want to fuck up, made her want to do something fun. She glanced around the bar, the music making her cringe inwardly. "How about put some decent music on?" She challanged him, not really caring whether he would change the music or not, or even if he could. She smiled and took another sip of her whiskey. While she stared at his eyes, she tilted her head. "What did it feel like?"

[Tahmores Stian]

"What, doctors didn't exist then?"

This is the exact reason why Tahmores doesn't go into explaining why his eyes is clouded, people start asking questions and he has to keep telling the same half-lie again and again. He couldn't exactly come out and tell people that it was a granade thrown down by a vampires when he and his clan raided their coven, how he was forced to run and drag himself back to their camp. But for most people a simple lie will still their curiosity. "I was living in the Middle East, there was a fight in the streets and someone threw down a granade. I wasn't able to get away in time, damn thing cut up my face". "And yes doctors were around then, but in the cofusion of the explosion not everyone could be attended to on time, there's only so much they could have done". Parts of it were true, parts of it were lies.

Luckily Tahmores is not one to anger quickly, his patience is no infinite but he can put up with a hell of a lot more than other people before letting himself get riled up. "Decent music huh? Not sure if there's anything I can do for you. See what you think is decent music could be disliked by someone else, and then I'll get someone esle coming up asking for me to put on decent music and so on and so on it's a never ending cycle of nagging customers".

"What did it feel like?"

"You're seriously asking me what it felt like to have hot metal embed itself into your eye? Well if you really need to know it felt really really bad. Got bits of metal all around my eye and down the left side of my face. One metal piece went strait through the cornea, another split the iris. It felt like, well it was, hot metal been dragged out my face. At first the pain wans't really there, just a dull numb throbbing of my heartbeat".

[Nessarose Allens]

I was living in the Middle East, there was a fight in the streets and someone threw down a granade. I wasn't able to get away in time, damn thing cut up my face.

Her eyes narrowed slightly; though it was enough that it would be visible to this man. He was lying, she was not sure what he was lying about, but he definately was. It wasn't as if what he was saying was not possible, it definately was and she had no reason to doubt it, she'd heard horror stories from those wars before, she'd seen what they could do to people and yet somehow the facts did not add up, somehow there was something missing in this story that was of vital importance. Speculation coloured her face as she stared at him in silence for a moment; maybe if he knew that she knew he was lying, he would tell the truth. Then again, he may not be so inclined. What was his name? She could find out exactly what had happened to him in the 'Middle East' after all, it was not as if an accident like the one he described would go unknown by the media; nothing ever surpassed them. She would get to the bottom of this sooner or later.

His main mistake; was piking her curiosity, for now she would not rest until she knew the truth, even if it meant interogating him or stalking him. There was more than one way of stalking people and Nessa knew almost all of them. "So, let me get this right, you were hit by a grenade?" Start with the basics, for her to find where the lie actually was, then she would pester him until he actually told her the truth. Yes, Nessa could be annoying, but that was her job she was supposed to find things out. By now it was both a habit and a compulsion.

You realise you're pushing boundaries?

I don't care.

A slight frown creased her expression as he spoke about not putting on some decent music. She smirked and sipped on the whiskey, giving merely a shrug to show that she really did not care whether or not the music was changed. It was merely a comment that she had made, now that her curiosity had been spiked by something else; she was none to fussed about what was happening around her. There were few people at the bar now, so she could comendeer his whole attention, oh yes, Nessa could be very annoying when she wanted to be.

You're seriously asking me what it felt like to have hot metal embed itself into your eye? Well if you really need to know it felt really really bad. Got bits of metal all around my eye and down the left side of my face. One metal piece went strait through the cornea, another split the iris. It felt like, well it was, hot metal been dragged out my face. At first the pain wans't really there, just a dull numb throbbing of my heartbeat.

For a minute she was quiet, sat staring at him while she absorbed his words with a succesion of nodding. "So none too pleasant i'd imagine." The words were spoken with that similar sarcastic hint, although these were more to herself than to him. "How long did it take to heal?" It did seem as though her questions were ceaseless, but that was how it went when her curiosity was spiked, she would continue to ask question until they could no longer be answered or until she had satisfied her need for knowledge. Nessa tilted her head a little, taking another sip of her whiskey, her eyes never left the bartender. Now for a name. "My name is Nessarose Allens, yours?" Non-chalantly she asked the question, with a smile and a shrug as if she thought it was rude to speak to someone without knowing their name. Of course, he would never suspect that she wanted his name for more perverse reasons; if he would not tell her what he was lying about, then she would find out herself.

[Tahmores Stian]

Tahmore watches Nessarose. She probably hadn’t believed him one bit. She watches him and Tahmores simply looks back with a little grin and leans on the bar, obviously telling this girl the simplistic version isn’t going to satisfy her. He couldn’t tell her too much without getting close to telling her the real story, revealing his true identity as a werewolf. Revealing himself as a werewolf to someone he doesn’t know could be dangerous. This woman could be a vampire or a human holding a grudge against his kind, for all he knows she could be some kind of hunter just waiting to find a were’.

“Yes, you are correct I was hit by the shrapnel that came out of the grenade and some other flying debris”. Answer her questions with simple answers, it may not get her what she wants but at least for now Tahmores can stave off her probing questions and just tell Nessarose what she wants to hear.

”How long did it take to heal?”

“It was about three months before I could take the bandaging off of the eye, and even after that I couldn’t see out of the eye properly. I couldn’t open my eye fully and even now most of the time I keep it closed out of habit, but I try to keep it open when I’m working”. Tahmores sighs a little when Nessarose asks for his name, mainly because people tend to think that he’s giving a fake name. “Tahmores. Yes I know it sounds like a fake or cover-up name but it’s real. My family were big into naming the kids with names that have some kind of proper meaning, they believed that out names influence out paths in life, that we’d try to live up to the meaning of our names". He pauses for a moment, "An old fashioned kind of family".

[Nessarose Allens]

There was something knowing in his gaze and at the same time there was something familiar, something she had seen before. If her head was not spinning, if her system was not riddled with drugs then she would have seen it straight away; werewolf. After all this time, werewolf spotting was something that she could do with ease, it was simply a matter of the way they walked, talked and acted. There was something similar and predatory in those actions. Nessa could feel her head spinning, she took another drag on the cigarette, it would do nothing to clear her head yet she figured that if she was going to fuck up, she may as well do it thoroughly.

Yes, you are correct I was hit by the shrapnel that came out of the grenade and some other flying debris.

He's still hiding ... something.

Yes, i'm aware of that.

Oh? Wow.

She would not dignify the voice with an answer to its comment and instead pretended to nod along with what Tahmores was saying. His name was strange and yet she knew she had heard stranger before. She drained the last of her drink; looking down into the empty glass in a half confused way. Where had it all gone? She shook her head once and slid the glass back toward him. "Another please. Do you know who threw it?" These seemingly innocent questions were not placed within the present day nonsense randomly, Nessa knew how to play these games. Hell, she'd been trained in this purpose. She slid the money after the glass, distracting him so that maybe she'd get the answer she needed, rather than the one she wanted.

I, personally, think he's and idiot. Lets go.

Then its a good thing nobody asked your opinon. Shut the fuck up.

It got tedious, arguing with herself all the time and yet she knew that she could not stop it, despite how hard she would try. It was annoying and yet it was refreshing at the same time. Vaguely she wondered what someone would say if, for an instant, they could see inside her head to see what truely lurked there. Somehow, she thought it would be interesting. "Do you .. resent, what happened to your eye?" Oh boy, she really was coming out with some off questions tonight. Nes took another drag of her cigarette, feeling her head spin as she did so.

[Tahmores Stian]

Tah' takes her glass and refills it, sliding it back across the bar top to, catching the money with a finger and dragging it towards him. Her question of who had thrown the grenade comes as he is putting the money away in the til and getting the change. "Yes I know exactly who threw it, I know their face, it's one I'll never forget, it is burnt into my mind like the scars around my eye. But the man who threw it to the ground is not an easy person to find, he is hidden and with good reason. There are many out for revenge against him, when he threw that explosive he not only took action against myself but my family and those we knew. So many were injured or killed". His heart suddenly beats a little bit faster, the pain and guilt of having run from the vampires coven still weighing on his mind. Not a day goes by when he doesn't blame himself for the deaths of so many of his kin, Tah' hates himself for turning tail and running back to the camp leaving the bodies of his friends and family to be desercrated and destroyed. For a moment he closes his eyes, clearing those thoughts from his mind.

"Do you .. resent, what happened to your eye?"

"No I do not. I am still able to function perfectly well. Better that I lost only full use of my eye than a leg or an arm. Then I would be nothing, no use to anyone". A wolf missing a limb, now that is a sad sight, no better than a mangy dog on the street looking for scraps. Unable to hunt for his clan he becomes a burdon for them fo they must spend that extra time hunting for his food as well and then carry it back. "My one regret is that I was not brave enough to take that man down, instead I ran, I ran so fast and for so long... I left them all behind".

[Nessarose Allens]

The whiskey was slid back to her and she caught it in expert hands, not a drop was spilt. Somehow, she looked far to young to be an expert drinker and infact, she rarely went out anymore. Yet there had been a period of time when forgetting was the only thing that had been on her mind. It was around then when she drowned her sorrors every night, made sure that there was never a night when she was sober and made sure that she always knew where to buy some drugs. She'd slowly spiralled downhill and allowed the voice to control her thoughts, words and actions. Then she had been given an oppurtunity to live again and she had taken it wholeheartedly.

Yes I know exactly who threw it, I know their face, it's one I'll never forget, it is burnt into my mind like the scars around my eye. But the man who threw it to the ground is not an easy person to find, he is hidden and with good reason. There are many out for revenge against him, when he threw that explosive he not only took action against myself but my family and those we knew. So many were injured or killed.

Oh so he's in hiding.

"I bet i could find him." It took the breif silence in her head and about five seconds to realise that she had answered the voice out loud. Momentarily she started blankly at him, fighting the shock that ran through her, no that was stupid. She took a drag of her cigarette, running through what Tahmores had said. Yes, she was sure she could find anyone, to date she'd never failed even when she was tracking down those who had mysteriously dissapeared from government. It was not lightly that she was placed at the head of the technology and communications in Atrum, they would not let someone with mediocre skills in, they would have to be an expert. Like Nessa.

There was no way to cover up her answer so she merely took another swig of whiskey. Maybe he would have mistaken the non-chalant seriousness in her voice for drunken confidence. That was all she needed, someone becoming curious.

He's talking again.

You're being helpful now?

But it was right, he was speaking again in reply to her question and she could not help but listen with interest. Her sluggish mind was starting to work its way into recognition, and as it did so the voice became more fidgety as if it had already figured something out and it was keeping it from her. "At least you left them alive, at least because of you they were not killed. Running seems easiest in those circumstances. But heinsight is a bitch of a thing." The token bitterness had returned to her voice and she took an almost unhappy sip of her whiskey. She shook her head slightly, a belated smirk playing upon her lips. It was unemotive however, just a bland expression.

[Tahmores Stian]

Tahmores looks at her for a moment. Either this girl is full of herself or there’s something going on beyond her constant questioning session. “Go on then, run yourself off to the desert and try to find the guy”, he leans forwards a little. Everyone in the world knows about vampires and werewolves now, so what harm could it do to mention them. “If you think you can walk into another country and hunt down a coven of friggin’ fangers then go ahead be my guest, I could care less how many of the bastards burn”. His anger is starting to get the better of him, if he doesn’t get control of his emotions sooner or later he’s going to blurt out his whole history and the reasons behind his hate for the vampires, he takes a slow breath to calm himself down.

“Part of me wishes I hadn’t run, that I’d stayed there and fought, ripped their throat out with my bare hands for what they did. It was a cowardly thing to do as well, using grenades and guns against people who couldn’t even defend themselves. But I have told you too much already I think, you may be slightly drunk and so may not remember what I have told you later on but it is a risk I am not willing to take".

[Nessarose Allens]

She'd blown it; she could tell from the look that he'd suddenly shot her that he suspected something. Nessa gave him an intentionally vague smile, hoping that he'd pin down her confidence to drunken words. Not that she was drunk, her mind was still quite clear although some words were sliding past her, that was more due to the drugs rather than the alcohol, it took more than a glass and a half of whiskey to make her slur her words.

Go on then, run yourself off to the desert and try to find the guy, If you think you can walk into another country and hunt down a coven of friggin’ fangers then go ahead be my guest, I could care less how many of the bastards burn.

There was silence in her head and in her words as his speech sunk in. She took a sip of whiskey, staring at him with narrowed eyes. Suddenly, like a clap of thunder, realisation hit her. Werewolf. She should have guessed! The realisation made her laugh out loud although it was more a sound of mockery than of triumph. She merely stared at him in response to his anger, a half smile had crept on her lips and held itself there in the crooked way it had. Her stillness was deceptive, pondering as she reviewed what she had been told in her head. A werewolf versus vampire fight? Nessa wondered who'd she'd want to win in that circumstance, or rather what she'd want to win. They were both as bad really.

"Where's the difference really? Using grenades and guns against innocents in another country is worth your guilt but when you see the hell you've put innocents through here its merely worth a shrug and a second glance. No guilt." Nessa's voice had lowered to a bitter tone, she no longer cared what had happened to his eye and half found herself wishing that he'd been made blind. At least that would teach them, any wound of some sort would be worth it. Teach the bastards that simply because they were stronger did not mean that they could own everything they touched. Nessa downed the last of her whiskey yet did not rise from the bar, she simply continued staring at him. "No, i'm not drunk."

[Tahmores Stian]

So she was one of those kinds of people then, the kind that for reason or another held some kind of grudge against the werewolves or vampires. "I have done nothing to the people of this city. Whether you care or not I have never tasted human blood, never have I taken my teeth to anything other than the creatures we hunted in the desert or the vampires who attacked us. It is unfair to judge the whole on the actions of a few. It would be like me thinking that all humans are ignorant, stupid, pig-headed morons.Though from the some of the humans I have come in contact with since coming to London, I'm starting to think that my thoughts on you people could be all too true. Because of people like you we have had to live in hiding and skulk around the shadows like common dogs and criminals. Treated as we are second class citisens. Think what you wish lady, but if it's a fight to prove that we are savage dogs you're looking for then I'm sorry but you're plumb out of luck".

"Probably best that you're not drunk, wouldn't want you saying something that'll get yourself in trouble now, wouldn't do at all to get yourself into something like that aroun dhere. Because you see, a good few of the workers here are like myself, they are my kin. You make a move to harm any of them and I will act to stop you. It's more than what a human would do. You're kind see someone getting beaten in the streets and you just keep walking as if it's not happening at all. You have no care for your fellow man. I would rather take the beatings of a hundred men than watch another were' get beaten and not be able to defend himself". Tahmores sighs and glances down at the bar. "Perhaps you should leave now".

[Nessarose Allens]

You're gonna get us in trouble you idiot!

Darling, trouble is my middle name, so shut the fuck up and enjoy it.

It was not often said that she was in her 'right mind' because, of course, when one heard voices you were never there. However tonight, as opposed to other nights, she was more out of it. Her thinking was incoherent, her smile was vague and she was unsure as to what she was doing. She wasn't drunk, she was high. Vaguely she wondered which one was worse, which would get you into the most trouble, she chuckled slightly, a sound that did not appear altogether right. Normally she'd be terrified at being in such a vulnerable state in front of a lycan, but tonight she didn't really care. This one brought some interesting conversation to the table and she wanted to get to the bottom of it. Curiosity always won out with Nessa, always.

On the actions of a few? She chuckled again, although this time there was more substance to the sound, bitterness. "No offence Tah, but every lycan i've ever met has been a bloodthirsty dog worthy only of a bullet through the brain, so please, forgive me if i don't believe you right away." Taunting a wolf was never the best idea, especially when said wolf had a position of authority in this bar. His words caught her attention and caused her to glance around in an unbalanced manner, so there were more lycans in this room? Her eyes narrowed towards various patrons and workers in the bar. Yes, she saw it now, it was only in her 'drug minded state' that she had not seen them.

A sneer played upon her lips, it was no use for this one, trying to antagonize him would be hard. But .. there were others, they need only do one thing, say something and it would be enough to sign their death notice. One could say Nessa was vindictive, that was true only when it came to lycans. "Yes, p'haps i should," she downed the last of her whiskey and made a beeline toward the door, when she was sure he would have stopped watching her, she doubled back, heading towards one of the lycans. Nessa was going to have fun tonight.

Getting yourself in trouble, again.

[Tahmores Stian]

(sorry. Kinda had a shitty day)

At first Tahmores had had a slight disliking for Nes', but now his dislike grows to something close to hate. So she is someone who isn't above killing any and al werewolves and vampires that come along her way. Could she be a hunter? He has never encountered one of them himself but he'd heard that they are are averse to putting down a supernatural creature in public. "Your experiences with our kind has marred your views. But it is how you have come to think so there is very little I can do to make you think otherwise". Her looking around the bar makes Tah' feel slightly uneasy. Is she thinking of finding a werewolf or two and try to kill them, or at least ruff them up a bit to 'teach them a lesson'?

"Maybe you're best finding a bar or club where vampiers and wolves don't frequent. If you do something like that I think you'll have a better time. Unless you're one of those people who likes putting themselves in dangerous situations to get their kicks".

He is glad that Nessa has left and he keeps an eye on her until she is near the door then goes to serving some of the customers twho have come up to the bar. He'd have to keep an eye out for that one and tell others about her. Most of the werewolves working at the bar are young and inexperienced in controlling the times that their change happens.