C O F F I N bait. [open!]

[nel]

Neon light illuminated troublesome auras across the synthetically lightened pathways as the drunks made their way to and fro the bars and nightclubs dotted along the vast stretch of urban life that was Clerkenwell. It was surprising really that humans found the stupidity within themselves to venture out into the big bad world in search of cheap thrills when they knew trouble of the Sanguarian type would be lurking around every corner in hope of catching a good meal before they themselves went for a night out on the town. Her soft hazel eyes scanned the faces of a young boy and a slightly older one hardly out of his teens swaying and singing loudly as they narrowly dodged the debris and homeless people with their feet and guessed idly that the two were probably sold by some old barman eager to earn customers. You see, the Vampires and Werewolves fought varying receptions – a few liked the idea of the fanged menaces having a bite now and then (even going out their way to discover what it feels like themselves. Stupid kids.), some just tried to act like it was nothing as long as they weren’t confronted by it (most politicians were in this departments) while others simply abhorred the idea that the ‘Living Dead’ walked among them in a night-to-night basis. She liked these ones the best… Yum.

Tonight she was dressed to kill in a somewhat modern styling. She wore a simple red spaghetti-strap vest with blue hip-hugging jeans and a pair of simple gold slip-ons. Hunting clothes – definitely not her clothing of choice however it certainly seemed to attract the human males attentions as they greedily eyed her voluptuous figure as she did with their succulent arterial veins. She grinned suggestively towards some tattoo-clad punk with green hair whose gaze lingered a little longer than necessary on her assets before finally lifting his gaze. With a little encouragement from his friends he clumsily sauntered towards the beauty with promise in his eyes and slung an arm around her shoulders. Her gaze dropped to his long bony fingers with amusement at his hilarious flirting techniques. “Hey babe, wassup? Like what you’re seeing?” He asked flashing her a smile. Her surprise turned to mild disgust when she noticed the caps on her teeth – this was one of those poser kids. Hm… this would be fun. Lifting her arm to wrap around his waist she squeezed gently causing him to jump in shock while she curled her lips into her own Cheshire grin, making sure to show him a little of her own very real, very large canines. For a moment he must have thought she was wearing caps too because he sort of chuckled before realizing they weren’t going to slip off before she went to sleep.

It was always bizarre when your company find out that you’re not all that you’re meant to be. This had to be one of the better ones she had seen this year… first, the eyes. They always look like they’re away to pop out. Second, they turn this weird mixture of blue and white which is closely followed by maybe some mumbling and thirdly they run. Well, try to at least. Punky here stood for a moment in inner turmoil before his courage started to return. “Wow. Y-you’re a real one aren’t you?” She raised an eyebrow to allow him to draw his own conclusions. He cleared his throat lightly and turned his head back to his friends who were sticking their thumbs up and generally being obnoxious pricks then he turned back and leaned in a little closer. “Does it like, does it like hurt? You could bite me and I’d be one right? A Living Dead?” One again she didn’t say anything but smiled innocently as he got excited. “I want to be one too. Come back to mine and I’ll let you do it – I want you to do it. This is fucking awesome!” He put his hands behind his head and grinned broadly. With one last smile she led him off and let the natural darkness engulf them both.

They never did find the body though a missing person search was posted in the newspaper this morning in any hopes that the boy might not have just disappeared. Nel wasn’t feeling guilty about it, in fact, his blood served a great purpose in keeping her looking her best.. It was three days since she was out last and though she wasn’t desperately hungry she was craving attention of her own kind and would often seek them out when she felt bored or wanted some intellectual conversation. Tonight she was looking for a partner, nothing more and nothing less. Putting on her best garb and curling her hair into an exotic twist of net, jenny-clips and hairspray she donned a black and green satin corset dress with black kitten-hells and soft silken gloves. Her attire more suited to the darkest of ballrooms or a funeral than anything else yet it suited her pale skin finely and was sure to attract the attention she so desired.

There was this one club she often visited, one mostly for the youth of the day where ashen-faced teenagers visited in cheap hot-topic knock-offs and posed as coffin bait much to her amusement. The Vampires she had encountered had all recommended this place as a place to pick up willing prey even though the fun in the chase was taken out. No doubt the lazy Vampires or the ones that were completely out in the open chose to come here in hoped of picking up an easy dinner. Sitting at the far end of the club (As far from the speakers as possible) she settled herself down on the worn material of the booth chairs and ordered herself a red wine – posing drink of choice here. Now all she had to do is wait.

[hanariyo]

Don't smile. Don't sneer. Don't talk. Ignore them.

Michaela repeated the mantra in her head, consistently and loudly to drown out the noise around her. The drunks - vampires, humans, and perhaps even werewolves - were definitely out of control. She was tempted, oh so tempted, to break out into a snarl. It would either silence them or attract humans to her. If she did, she'll be spotted immediately as a vampire. It wasn't worth the trouble. She'd rather keep silent and walk away. It seemed like the humans in London are more interested in being turned into a vampire and completely unaware that most vampires would rather turn them into their next meal. Countless times, humans had approached her and pleaded with, threatened, and even tried to bribe her to turn them into a vampire. How irritating - and all because her fangs were larger than male vampires. Michaela Shaw always did resent her fangs for this very reason. It made talking, smiling, laughing so difficult.

Not that there was much to laugh about these days. Her gray eyes took in the sight of the drunks as they moved around her. The scent of cheap alcohol, vomit, and drugs made her nose wrinkle in displeasure but Michaela continued to walk the slowly filling streets of Clerkenwell. Her life was not the most exciting out there. As soon as the sun set, she was at work, when she was finished she left for home, sometimes stopping by a pub to unwind and relax. Today was such a day. She had had a tiring day at work - being an accountant was not the most stimulating career choices but it did pay the bills.

Her office was suited for vampires, and most of her coworkers were the living dead. They were always generous enough to bring back a little snack - to share of course. Tonight, she was going to a new establishment. The place she usually frequented had closed down a few weeks ago.

There were pubs and other establishments on either side of the street and there was an abundance of clients (and prospective meals). Clerkenwell was the ideal hunting ground for her. It was close to her home and when she makes her daily treks back to her home and feels the need to feed - well, it was simply too easy to lure one unsuspecting (or willing) human out back.

Fortunately, tonight she had already eaten before stepping outside. She was dressed in casual clothing, and Michaela was pleased to know that even her coworkers would not be able to notice her. Her usually pin-straight dark hair was curled into waves. A light gray top and a pair of dark blue jeans clung to her body. The kitten heels on her feet clicked impatiently as she strode down the street. Every once in a while, she did step out into the "real world" and enjoy herself. As a human, almost two centuries ago, she would have never dared. Now as an immortal being, or close to one anyways, she had nothing to fear but her own kind.

It took her a while to get to her destination. She was unfamiliar with the clubbing scene and the place her coworkers had recommended to her was new but quickly becoming one of the more favored places for vampires to meet. Shaking her head and straightening, she stepped into the club.

It was rather different from her usual low-key environment. As soon as she stepped inside, Michaela felt like she didn't belong. A sense of unease passed through her and she wanted to turn and walk out - and would've if not for the large boisterous crowd that followed her in. With no direction to go but forward, Michaela moved.

The music was loud, the light a little irritating, and the alcohol was overpriced and no where as sweet as blood. The clients - pushy, drunk, perverted - were getting on her nerves. Michaela frowned as she swatted away another roaming hand from her person. She'll have to give her coworkers hell for introducing her to such a place. Scanning the club with her sharp eyes, she spotted several places to sit and formulate her next course of action.

Whatever that may be.

One booth was quickly filled with a couple - from the looks of their clumsy movements, Michaela was able to deduct that they were human. Another was taken by a group of what seemed to be teenage vampires. Again, they were humans - her sharp eyes were able to see the smudges of white powder and the sheen of sweat on their faces. Even with the powder, they were unable to match the chalky paleness of a true vampire.

Finally, her eyes landed on one booth. It was occupied solely by a woman. By now, Michaela was losing her patience and no longer wanted to stand around looking for an empty booth to allow herself some privacy. As long as the woman was quiet, she'll be as well. Making up her mind, Michaela headed to the woman.

When she arrived at the table, Michaela nodded at the empty seat across from the woman. "Is this seat taken? I won't take long." She smiled now, making sure that her fangs were able to be seen. No one was foolish enough to refuse a vampire after all.

[notes: err, so she doesn't know that Neliel is a vampire yet like the guidelines say. etc.]

[nel]

As predicted, the pub was slowly getting more and more crowded as the night wore on yet she remained watching the few people come and drink their wages away. Behind the music she could hear the unpleasant mating calls of the human males jeering at some poor woman as she sidled bravely up to the bar for a drink. If the barman had noticed, he didn’t say anything and she figured this was what was considered ‘normal’ for people here. She herself had been brought up with respect and demanded it of others but it seemed these women were unaccustomed to standing their ground and by the looks of it they were secretly enjoying the attention despite their protests. Her dark optics flickered to the bar then back to her drink as she massaged the glass tenderly with a gloved finger.

The door opened again and this time a large group of people pushed through with an ashen-faced beauty at their front looking somewhat more confused and angry than she should have been. After a short acknowledgement of their entry she lost attention and allowed her mind to flow to her work where she was supposed to be reading a manuscript of some sort. As you’d expect she dealt with a lot of her kind during her working hours as well as humans but mostly it was a quiet night at work every night alone in her house. In her human days she had aspired to become an author of some sort but nowadays it had lost much of its glory to the Vamp fanatics that bought every Vampire-written novel due more to the fact that a Vampire had thought of it rather than the wonders of its content. It was tiresome living an eternity of pessimism but what exactly was one to do with a now wasted source of talent? Yes, work a nine ‘til five job (9PM to 5AM of course) to pay off the ever-rising taxes… and the gangs that sought you out.

Lost in her own world she hardly heard the steps of the approaching however she assumed it was a waitress and looked up only after the other spoke. Her eyes flashed to her face, noting it was a female voice belonging to a pretty lady with long dark hair and grey eyes. Her skin was of smooth ivory like her own except with a somewhat more youthful glow to it than her own. Her suspicions were confirmed when the woman flashed fang in her way, probably assuming she would scatter like the cowardly day-walker she was thought to be. Unfazed by this she nodded politely and returned her grin, flashing a little fang of her own to settle equal-footing. Flashing fang in a hostile situation would be a direct insult for any immortal but she thought this only a demonstration of superiority between human and Vampire – she liked her already.

“I’d rather have the company of a fellow being than one of these blood bags I have to say.” Her grin faltered to a distasteful smile as she watched one human from the booth belonging to the ‘fanpires’ waddle up to the bar, chains from her skirt clinking merrily behind her. She looked like fucking Santa Clause gone horribly wrong.

[hanariyo]

Although she was surprised, Michaela did not let it show on her face. Now that she was closer to the woman, she was able to pick up on the tell-tale signs of vampirism. She was pale, didn't have a whisper of a heartbeat, and have a nice pair of fangs on her person. The distaste she rather vocally expressed for their human counterparts also told her much about what kind of vampire the woman opposite her was. That didn't bother her. She was open minded and very well aware of the sentiments of vampires regarding werewolves and humans alike.

Her eyes followed the disapproving gaze of the blond vampire to see a young human girl who was masquerading as a vampire. She was obviously trying a little too hard. No self-respecting vampire would dress in such a way. After all, not all vampires want to be noticed immediately - otherwise it would be very difficult indeed to attract a decent meal.

"Why thank you. It's funny how they like to play dress up." Michaela nodded towards the girl at the bar. She seemed to be trying to chat up the bartender, trying to get something from the man. A free drink? A phone number perhaps? "They seem to think we're quite harmless, really. I don't know whether to be amused or irritated with their stupidity." Michaela said with a close-mouthed smile. She slid into her seat opposite the vampire quickly and quietly. Although she felt nothing, she knew that if she was a human woman, her feet would be aching at that moment. She placed her drink on the table silently and extended her hand for a handshake. "I am Michaela, by the way." It was rude not to introduce herself, after all.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noted that the bartender had very thoroughly rejected the girl. Not that she would blame him. The girl barely looked old enough to be allowed in such an establishment. She was also a very graceless creature. The bartender on the other hand...well, she wouldn't mind taking a bite out of that one. Or perhaps, it wasn't the girl he was so averse to, but the aspect of a vampire. Michaela frowned a little at that thought. Every single human man she had run across seemed to prefer women of their own species. It was quite disheartening that human men these days have such bad taste. Instead of dwelling on her rather pathetic, non-existent love life, she turned her gray eyes back to her fellow vampire.