Midnight and Moonblack

[Tigre]

Cersei watched the woman in the mirror pull a brush through long, silvery hair one final time, settling it in the appropriately sleek but still rather artfully tousled look. Flickering a smile at herself, Cersei stood up from the vanity she'd been seated in front of, casting a critical eye over the loose, flowing black trousers and snug, well-fitted top she'd donned. The shirt was metallic in appearance, and very dark - black, mostly, but it sheened a deep purple when the light hit it just so. It was one of her favourites, and it brought out the violet in her eyes quite nicely. Arching one pale eyebrow at her reflection, Cersei nodded in satisfaction and turned from the mirror, scooping up the small black clutch that accented the outfit nicely.

~*Tonight we hunt?*~ 'illyr's voice murmurred, caressing Cersei's conciousness with the searing, hot-coals sensation that she'd grown accustomed to long ago. ~*Tonight we blood...*~

"Tonight we hunt," Cersei whispered, agreeing with the silence that surrounded her. A different sort of hunt - not the hunt that 'illyr relished in, the soaring and falling on one's prey, the ripping and tearing into flesh, the rush of hot blood across the tongue, down the gullet, settling welcomely in the belly. Cersei's hunt - the subtle dance of power and pleasure, the joining of spirit and body. If the end result left the prey twisted and dead, well, that was hardly Cersei's concern.

Leaving the small apartment they'd selected as a dwellingplace, Cersei flickered off the lights, turning to cast one last glance around her aeyrie. She'd have flown tonight, if she hadn't wanted to ensure that her hair didn't get mussed - the apartment was only on the sixth floor, but it was better than it might have been, and she'd already discovered access to the roof. Tonight, though, she would walk - the club wasn't far, and Cersei was looking forward to her first night out on the new town.

[Maira]

Kivan was just getting on shift and the night was pleasantly warm. Taking his place at the door, he crossed his arms, took up a stance he could maintain for hours, until he got shuffled inside, and smiled at the first person to arrive at the club. Checking ID's for the first few hours of his shift was typically rather boring but Kivan did it with a smile. Most of the Club patrons were regulars and he just waved them in. Periodically there would be new people to town, or from out of town, and that's when things tended to get interesting.

Working at a club where a good portion of the patrons were Dark Ones, was never boring. Between the Vampires, Custoss, and Magic Users alone, tensions had a tendancy to be strained. Not because the couldn't get along, just because with that many 'not normal' people in one place, it just happened. Throw in the the hot-blooded Were-creatures of various descent and things could get quite exciting.

After two hours of checking ID's, Kivan finally made his way inside. Slapping his replacement on the shoulder as he passed, Kivan ducked into the dark thudding warmth of the club. So far, the draw was leaning more towards the 'normal' human side, very few Dark Ones had passed him on their way in.

Doing his rounds, Kivan nodded at the few aquaintances he had in the crowd, spoke to a few at the bar, and then took up his 'post' by the dj's area. For the last few hours of his shift, Kivan would stand there, talking to the dj or whatever patrons needed him to answer questions, and people watch. Rarely there was a disturbance he had to break up, but if that came up he would.

Kivan's gaze was just sweeping past the front door when something caught his attention. Turning his whole body toward the door, quite unsure of what he was looking for, Kivan focussed all his senses in that direction. An unusual presence in the shape of a silver haired woman was what had drawn his gaze he realized as no matter how much he tried to look at everything else, his eyes kept returning to her.

Turning to the dj, Kivan motioned he was going to go check something out by the front door. In the middle of changing tracks of music, the man just nodded understanding.

Slowly but surely, Kivan made his way towards the woman who had just entered. She was not a type of Dark one he recognized but that she was one, was quite apparent. Keeping a respectful distance but being close enough to be heard over the bumping of the music, Kivan asked her, "Can I help you with something? You're new to the area aren't you?" As he waited for her answer, Kivan's golden brown eyes trailed up and down her black clad form and he couldn't help but be appreciative. He did notice the purple sheen to the top she had on and that drew his attention to her eyes. On a whole, the woman was absolutely stunning.

[Tigre]

~*I like this...*~ Shri'illyr hissed, in the back of Cersei's already-overloaded mind. ~*I think I shall have this... I will keep it. Forever...*~

'illyr smiled beguilingly at the man questioning them, turning Cersei's already alluring appearance into something somewhat more sinister. The draconic counterpart of the pair was rarely given leeway to move the body, but Cersei was distracted by the heavy beat of the music, and by the crowds of possible 'victims'. At times like this, 'illyr's predatory nature seemed almost to overcome even Cersei's wild side.

Cersei turned her attention to the object of 'illyr's attention, sweeping the man a quick glance head to toe. "Not bad..." she whispered to 'illyr, then extended a hand to the bouncer. "Cersei. Yes, we're new here - and I'm sure we wouldn't mind a little help..."

[Maira]

Kivan didn't miss the slight change in the woman's bearing, and that more than anything alerted him she was likely a Shifter. "Well Cersei, you picked a good night to come, its rather quiet so far. Things might pick up later but there's no way to tell for sure. What is it I can help you with?"

As they were both still standing basically in the doorway, Kivan placed a hand gently on her shoulder blade and directed her to one side, over towards the bar. As they walked, Kivan drew the shadows about them a little closer. Avoiding the attention of the few Dark Ones that were in the club until he could get her situated would probably be best.

As it was, he still felt a few pairs of eyes on them. Turning to see who else had noticed the woman, Kivan saw another Shifter watching along with the Vampire he was talking to. *I will handle this guys, go about your business,* Kivan stated firmly into both of their minds. As they weren't actively causing trouble he didn't slip in any compulsion but he was ready and alert for any threats to the newcomer. The club may be a safe haven for all Dark Ones but that didn't necessarily mean somebody might get a little too curious and wind up offending the lady.

[Tigre]

'illyr stiffened the body slightly as the man touched her - she hadn't given him leave, nor invitation. It would serve him right if she snapped that little wrist...

Cersei smiled playfully, scolding 'illyr wordlessly and following the man, allowing her attention to play slowly over the others in the room as they walked.

"Are you volunteering to be my tour guide, then?" She murmurred, glancing up at him through silvery lashes.

[Maira]

Turning his back on the two that were watching, Kivan smiled warmly at the woman's question, "Sure, I suppose if you need one." Once they were well out of the way of other patrons, Kivan removed his hand from her shoulder. He'd felt her stiffen slightly at his touch and he felt a little twinge of dissapointment that he quickly ingored.

"So you need a tour guide for the whole city or just around the club here?" he asked, trying to ease the tension between them. Whatever shared Cersei's body with her was aggrivated with him, that much he could tell just standing near her. The last thing he wanted to do was provoke an unknown Shifter in the middle of a crowd.

*Who is she?* came a familiar voice into Kivan's mind. Turning his head as if he were looking about them so she wouldn't see the distance in his eyes, he answered his boss, *Working on finding that out, she wants a tour guide.* As this wasn't a terribly uncommon request from new arrivals, the answer he recieved was no surprise, *Well then you've got the night off, with pay of course. Just make sure things go smoothly* Silently acknowledging his boss, Kivan turned back to Cersei, his smile still warm and welcoming.

[Tigre]

Cersei smile deepened, gathering a rather wicked gleam, and her violet eyes turned playful.

"Come now... the city can't be that difficult, and I'm sure I can find my way around a club... haven't you got any more... interesting... territory I might explore?"

The young woman was playing, as she often did - there was little honesty in her question. Still, she anticipated the answer with an almost childlike glee.

[Maira]

Kivan listened as the woman talked, he liked the sound of her voice. He thought for a minute she was changing her mind about needing a tour guide until she made it clear it wasn't the typical kind of tour guide she was after. His left eyebrow climbed his forehead as he caught her implication and the wicked gleam in her eyes.

Making Kivan blush was near on impossible. He'd had many a succubus come onto him and he'd never batted an eye. Yet somehow, the way Cersei was looking at him, the way her voice sounded, and the way she held herself all added up to a combination he couldn't ignore if he wanted to. The blush was slow and faint but it was there all the same as he answered her. Clearing his throat once, twice, he finally answered, "I've just been informed I'm supposed to make things go smoothly for you. I'm not sure however that my boss would approve of me taking the night off for that kind of... umm... showing you around." Not that he himself would mind however.

It had been a long time since a woman's teasing had gotten to him the way that Cersei's was playing was. He knew too that that was exactly what it was; playing. That didn't change the fact that his normally standoffish self was suddenly very focussed on the small delicate woman standing before him.

[Tigre]

Cersei blushed prettily at Kivan's words, turning the statement around and pretending she'd never meant what he said.

"Oh my... I wasn't aware that this was *that* kind of club," she murmurred, shaking her head slightly. "I certainly wouldn't want you to get in trouble with your boss for 'showing me around'..."

Then shedding the coy nature, Cersei offered the man a sincere smile. "However, I'd like to know your name, if I might... and any other pertinent information you might like to share!"

[Maira]

Damn woman, she really was trying to play with his mind! Unfazed, Kivan laughed at her obviously contrived coyish response. When she finally gave him a genuine smile, Kivan's own smile increased.

Relaxing visibly, Kivan pointed at an empty table and asked, "You wanna sit down? Much easier to talk when I don't look like I"m working." Then as an afterthought ( gods where were his manners?) he asked, "Would you like anything to drink?"

Out of habit, as he waited for her answer, Kivan's eye's swept the club just in time to see a girl bolt out. He raised an eyebrow curiously as he watched her go. Then, at a slower but equally as determined pace, two men and another woman made their way out after the first woman. Shrugging at the sight, he turned his back on it. It wasn't his problem, there'd been no disturbance and anyway, he was off for the rest of the night now.

When Cersei answered him about her drink, Kivan nodded and said, "I'll be back with that in a minute, my treat." Then he turned and went and placed the orders at the bar, all the while keeping the shadow's close about Cersei so nobody would bother her. When the bartender presented the drinks, Kivan asked for his jacket that he'd stashed back there at the start of his shift and he was given that too. Slinging the jacket over his shoulder, he gathered up the drinks and headed back to the table that Cersei was waiting at.

Setting her drink down in front of her, then his across from her and his jacket on the back of a chair, Kivan took a seat across from her. "Okay, so you wanted my name and any pertinent information I can give you huh? Well for starters my name is Kivan. As for pertinent information, I think you need to be more specific. I'm willing to give you as much information as I can but I need to know what you want to know first." As the ball was now in her court, Kivan took a slow swallow of his beer letting the taste roll in his mouth a minute before swallowing. It wasn't very often he actually got to enjoy the club and he was damned sure he was going to take advantage of the opportunity. Especially consdering his company.

[Tigre]

Cersei chuckled at Kivan's smile, an honest moment of mirth erupting from her middle. Shri'illyr was silent - perhaps willing to allow Cersei to lure in her conquest, perhaps only waiting for a chance to emerge. The dragon was a seeming, an elaborate projection of Cersei's inner soul, and thus not a true beast - but she'd been given life on that other world, in Cersei's past, and Cersei had been altogether too willing to allow her freedom. It was for this, partially, that she'd been disallowed the mantle of priestess; still, Cersei couldn't sorrow over that. She liked herself, and 'illyr, just as they were.

"I'll have... an amaretto sour," she offered, taking the seat Kivan directed her to, then watching critically as the man left the table, moving to the bar to order. Well, she couldn't fault 'illyr's choosing, this time... not at all.

When Kivan returned with the drinks, Cersei took hers willingly, touching one finger to her tonue and running it along the rim to collect a taste of the sugar, first. "I love girly drinks," she commented, playfully. "I have a friend who loves amaretto, too. His wife was forever rueing his taste for girly drinks... 'why can't you like something manly?' she'd always ask him. Most amusing..."

Shrugging, she returned herself to the conversation at hand, meeting Kivan's gaze levelly. "Where are you from... why are you here... the usual. Spill."

[Maira]

Kivan gave a soft chuckle at the command to 'spill' from Cersei. Taking another swallow of his beer he studied her for a moment before finally sitting up a little straighter and looking her in the eyes. "Alright, I'll spill if you do," Kivan answered her, his tone serious but his eyes showing playful mischief. "I am from what is now Alaska, though it wasn't called that when I was born. Truth be told, I was not born to the shape I walk around in almost constantly now."

At this point, Kivan let an image of his true self flicker in his mind and before Cersei's eyes. The light and shadows he had drawn around himself to create the illusion of the big Kodiak bear dissipated quickly as he didn't want to attract attention.

So as not to leave Cersei hanging, Kivan continued with the answers to the rest of her questions. "As for why I'm here, I don't really know. I've been a wanderer for nearly 300 years now. I drift from city to city as my mood takes me. I've spent time studying with various other magic users to hone my skills but other than that I don't really have a purpose or goal in life at the moment." The only time he had was when he had taken a human wife. That was nearly 100 years ago now and since she had died, along with their children, he just wandered.

All mirth had gone out of his eyes as he had talked. The memories, though long past, were still quite vivid. One of the curses of being graced with advanced mental abilities, it normally meant better memory recall as well.

Giving his head a shake to clear it, he prompted with a half smile, "So its your turn. Spill." He hoped that her story was at least as forthcoming. She too was a Shifter that he could tell, just what kind he had no idea and he was eager to find out.

[Tigre]

Cersei shrugged, leaning forward and planting her elbows on the table. The image of the bear was impressive - she hadn't ever met anyone that wasn't actually human, at least that she knew of, since she'd returned from the otherwhere. This could prove to be interesting. Plus, she'd never met anyone from Alaska.

"Alaska - I'm impressed. I'm just from plain ol' Iowa... not much to say about that. Simple farmgirl, wandered into town, and here I plan to stay, ar least for now." She flashed a smile and took another sip of her drink, watching him carefully to judge his level of acceptance. There was certainly more to her story than what she was letting on, but it wasn't exactly something she felt open to sharing.

[Maira]

Kivan was more than a little dissappointed by the obviously short and sweet version of Cersei's story. He'd rather hoped that his trusting attitude and telling of his own story would be enough to coax something out of her.

Trying not to let his dissappointment show, Kivan teased her, "A simple farm-girl from Iowa huh? Now the from Iowa part I'll buy, but not the simple farm-girl bit. Nothing about you is simple Cersei." He said this with a warm smile, one he hoped would ease her into trusting him even a little bit.

Kivan knew he was a big guy and could sometimes intimidate people but he rather doubted Cersei was intimidated. The something else that shared her body wouldn't allow it he was sure.

As he waited to see if she'd respond to his teasing, Kivan tried to sense what else she was. Typically he was able to discern what sort of Shifter a person was by scent. Leopards and Wolves and all other creatures had very distinct scents that were very easy for a bear to recognize once he knew them. Cersei however, didn't smell like anything he knew and that baffled him more than a little.

[Tigre]

Cersei arched an eyebrow playfully, smiling and rising to Kivan's banter.
'Come now - I'm just a simple girl, from a simple world. This club,' She gestured about herself with one hand. 'Is by far the most interesting place I've ever been. Not to mention, it's my first time in a place of such... repute.

'illyr remained hidden, watching the world through Cersei's violet eyes. She seethed slightly - she could feel his attempts at discovering her, and she wasn't about to allow that to happen - but remained coiled tightly about her counterpart's conciousness. ~* He suspects...*~ she whispered softly. ~* He searches...*~

[Maira]

As Cersei dodged his implications, Kivan decided he'd give up for now on determining just what she was. She had said she planned on staying for a while so if she came back to the club he would have plenty of time to figure her out. Giving her a knowing smirk, Kivan asked innocently, "And just what repute would this club have miss? It is a fine, upstanding establishment that never has anything unusual happen."

As he wasn't going to get any personal information out of her any time soon, Kivan decided to try a different line of conversation. "So, if you're just a simple farm girl visiting the city why did you choose this one? You got a job here, family, friends? Surely you had some reason for coming to our lovely town."

[Tigre]

"Family, friends?" The left corner of Cersei's mouth curled in what may have been a smile. "No family to speak of - certainly not in these parts. And... I consider everyone a friend! Or at least, everyone friendly. But no, there's no one in particular here. I just heard it was a nice place to be, so here I came." She offered a friendly, open smile. "Are you from here? Any... close... friends?"

OOC: Okay, so it's short... but... it's what I had to offer!

[Maira]

Kivan nodded understanding as she gave her reasons for being in town. He wasn't sure what he made of them, but everybody has their own reasons for doing things. When she asked if he was from the city he gave a soft chuckle and answered her question with one of his own, "Did you forget already? I'm a big cuddly teddy bear from Alaska." Shaking his head with a little bit of amusement he continued, "I've been here a while but I haven't really made too many close friends. I've got a few people from work that I get together with on a fairly regular basis."

In all honesty, he'd never really had the need for too many friends. As a bear, he was solitary by nature. Only over the years he'd lived as a human had that urge to be alone been slowly supplemented with an occaisonal desire to be around others. Spring really seemed to be the only time his urges to be with people really got to him, after all for the bear in him that was mating season. Spring used to be the only time in his life that he would activlely seek out another of his kind and then only for a short while. Living as a human, spring didnt hold quite the same draw it used to but it certainly made him more social than normal.

[Tigre]

Cersei shrugged slightly at Kivan's chiding tone, offering a wry smile. "You can be from here, and still be from Alaska... haven't you ever felt like you just... belonged? Like suddenly, magically, you'd found the place your heart needed? Then, no matter how long you've been there, you know you're home... and it'll always be where your from, even if your birthplace was... elsewhere."

[Maira]

Kivan heard what Cersei said, understood the words just fine, but just didn't feel what she meant. Slowly, when she was done speaking, he shook his head and answered, "Nope. I was born and raised, in a matter of speaking, in Alaska and while I haven't been back in what feels like forever, I've never found another place that felt like home to me." He was being open and likely too honest but he had a sneaky feeling that with that little spouting of words, Cersei had been a little more honest and open than she thought he'd notice.

Wishing that he could get just a bit of an idea about the woman, Kivan asked curiously, "Where is Home for you then Cersei? You speak as if you've found your home somewhere other than where you were born, where's that?" He'd already shown her his true self and some of his powers, maybe she would be willing to share that one secret.