Demon in the crowd (Open)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L3oxJD6pF4&feature=related (Song for the post!)


The sun was starting to set and the dim light it provided in the city was enough for everyone to wrap up the daily business they had been taking care of before heading home and spending time with family or getting ready for a night out. The clouds drifted by in a lazy haze across the multicolored sky in no hurry as the people rushed about to use the last hour or two of daylight to the fullest. Standing against a building near the center of all the hustle and bustle was a man leaning against the building looking as if he had not a care in the world. His black button down shirt flapped in the mild breeze that rolled its way through the streets and tossed his hair a bit in its wake. His right boot clad foot raised up and planted firmly against the stone wall he was leaning against. Faded black jeans covered his legs and pressed between his index and middle finger was a cigarette that seemed two puffs away from being done.

He ran his free hand through his messy yet stylish hair and took the last draw from his smoke before flicking it away to die out. Pushing off the wall he turned and started to walk down the street seeming to head no where but if one was to look at him they would think he had it all under control. An air of controlled chaos hung around him and his demeanor seemed to demand the attention of those around him as he carried himself in a very confident manner. He usually did his best to blend in with the crowd but he was in the mood to have some fun and he wanted to be noticed by others at that point in time. He did not seem to walk but rather glide along the street as he made his way past all kinds of people and got more then the occasional stare from the ladies in the area.

It was not long before Daven found himself outside of a bar and opening the door he made his way inside and looked around. It was still early but this place was packed with people and he could smell the weakness of the mind in the air and the aroma of sin that ran rampant through the building. A smirk found its way to his face as he removed his sunglasses and tucked them in the front pocket of his shirt. Blue eyes darted around the place looking for someone that he might be able to play with for the night but no one caught his attention right away. He moved across the wooden floor to the bar and placed a hand on the oak top before ordering a beer. He turned around and pressed his back to the bar raising his elbows to rest on it as he got a better look at the patrons.

Men and women danced on the floor on the far left of the room while others sat at the tables that scattered themselves about for those who wanted to sit and chat. The people here were all a bit to easy for him to play with. He wanted a bit of a challenge tonight and as he grabbed the beer placed next to him and drew from its contents he sighed thinking there was no one to be had. Pushing off the bar top he made his way to a table in the center left of the cluster and sat down with his beer. He put himself here as a way to play with the mind while drawing attention.

Someone who sat in the middle of the place alone would seem lonely and out of place while looking for attention. Put that same person off center a bit and they seemed important and the type that one might want to get to know. It was all about body language and position of ones self in any situation that got things started. He sat with his legs spread and a hand behind his head while looking at nothing in particular it would seem. It gave the appearance that he was open to talk to people but that he also didn't really mind sitting alone and enjoying his beer rather then someone starving for attention. He was a spider setting up his web and waiting to see what he would catch..

Daven had been enjoying his beer when the back of his chair was hit slightly and he turned slightly to see a fiery red head come into view. She was a stunning beauty to be sure however he was no mortal man and he looked at her as another piece of meat on the buffet table he called life. However she seemed like the kind of challenge he was looking for tonight and he smiled to himself as her eyes gained a fire all to themselves aimed right at the man who aimed to grab her. True enough the man backed down without a fight but for Daven that worthless worm had just made his job a little more difficult by upsetting his prey. Pulling a matchbook from his pocket along with a smoke he lit the cigarette and shook the match out under the table.

What no one noticed was that he simply made the fire jump from the head of the match to his index finger with little effort. He then pointed that finger at the mans pant leg and lit it on fire. It was small at first but grew rather rapidly. Standing from his table as the flame started to spread he made his way to the vixens booth his effortless steps carrying him there slowly but with purpose. As he moved closer to her he held his hand out with a stunning smile and offered a handshake.

"Name is Daven I saw you head past my table and was wondering if you might like some company."

The words rolled off his tongue and somehow even in a normal tone of voice seemed to rise above the noise within the bar area itself. Right as he said it the man who had reached out to grab at the red woman jumped up stamping his leg on the ground and screaming fire. His leg and caught fire and his friends tossed drinks at it trying to put it out and patted his leg with coats and shirts. It went out quick enough but the scare and the fact that everyone was not looking at him was enough to make him leave the bar with his friends.

He used that moment to move himself into the seat across from her and set his beer down in front of himself. He looked her over and held a hand to his chin with a smirk forming on his lips.

"Now I have to wonder what a warrior like yourself is doing in this hole in the wall bar. Is there some sort of criminal on the loose or are you looking to unwind after a had days work? I can't figure it out."

He launched right into conversation with the hopes of getting her talking before she had a chance to reject him from the table. He wanted to close off every polite way for her to tell him to fuck off quickly because otherwise she could avoid being rude. However he had the very distinct impression that she would easily be rude to anyone she pleased if she wanted to be because she was not a common lady walking the streets. She knew how to handle herself and that's what made this a challenge.

She was going to be a tough egg to crack and that was exactly what he was looking for tonight. She didn't ask him to leave which means he had one foot in the door already and that was more then enough for him to work with. She mentioned him being a pyromaniac and he assumed she had caught the motion he had made under the table which was more then fine. Plenty of people had all different kinds of powers they liked to play with so why should he be any different? If anything he thought to her he might seem a little more normal. He held his hand up when she said he owed her a drink and one of the waitress's came over to take the order. He simply pointed to his beer and then hers and held up two fingers to show he wanted her to bring them each another drink then turned his attention back to her.

"Well I am no criminal madame but rather a man out and about looking for a little excitement in this circle we call life. I mean when you think about it it is a ridiculous idea to waste time sitting around and slaving away to make ends meat. Time is the only thing we actually possess in this world and to squander it away is a fool move."

He picked up his beer and finished it off with a lengthy gulp and set the empty back down on the table. The waitress came back with the ordered drinks and set them down on the table. Picking up his beer as it was set down he went to drink and held it out to her leaning to the left slightly and holding the bottle tipped in her direction in a cheers kind of motion.

"To our respective outlooks on life and the way one should live."

He waited to see if she would accept the offered toast and then took a healthy swig before setting the bottle back on the table and sitting up fully. He did not take his eyes off of her as they spoke but rather gave her his full attention in an attempt to make her feel like the only interesting thing in this bar which for him she was at that moment. He listened to every word she had to say and nodded whenever she might add emphasis on a word or try to drive a point home. These subtle movements were simple in nature but it would show he was paying attention to what she had to speak about.

"So is this a regular spot that you like to come to? I happen to be rather new to this city you see and I am not familiar with it in the least. I figure you might know the good spots to go around here when one is looking for a good time or maybe just maybe...a little trouble.

He tossed her a wink when he finished that statement and took another sip of his beer. He was trying to wrap her up in a cocoon of webbed words so by the end of the night she would be more prone and open to suggestions he might have in mind. However these things took time and he had to layer the conversation with light banter at the start and slowly move into more in depth discussion while steering the conversation in a direction that would allow him to take full control of the flow of words. He was rather good at this game but he was feeling her out right now and doing his best to break that icy demeanor of hers before he could make any real progress.

He entered the bar as a drunk stumbled out, opening the door for him. The sounds of a rowdy crowd poured out into the street, as did a variety of smells, most drowned out by the scent of drink. It lured him in, as a moth to the flame. His wings were folded beneath a cloak of heavy, black cloth treated to be impermeable to most substances. His vivid blue-gray eyes were hidden beneath the shadow of the golden locks of hair he hadn't had the time to cut in weeks. He smiled at the interior of the bar, full of patrons that he had no intention of getting to know. As he walked to the counter, intending to order a drink from the bartender himself, people shifted ever so subtly around him.

They'd been doing that all day. Angelo cared less as to the reason why, mostly because he could feel the subtle heat emanating from the surface of his body. The case he was working had him flying so much that his body was beginning to heat up even when he wasn't airborne, and he would just kill for a drink at the moment. "I'll have some lager. Cheap, if you please." Part of him figured that it would be a good idea to avoid spending too much on alcohol this month. The Guard weren't exactly rolling in the money, and he was having to deal with a great deal more expense this particular diem than he liked. Perhaps it was time to find a new career. One where, at least, I don't have to worry about things like that. Then again, someone like me wouldn't be much good as anything else but a mercenary. Or a corpse, but most people seem to be good at that occupation lately.

The bartender managed to get his drink, and he slipped the neck between his index and middle fingers while he paid with the money released from the ring and pinky fingers. That accomplished, he raised the amber bottle to his lips and downed the whole thing in a single go. He felt the cold liquid running down his throat, cooling him off in the process. At this point, he still didn't care enough to regulate the heating himself, though he was more than aware that it was making people back away nervously from the sudden isobarrier of hot air. The Guardsman glanced around the bar as he set the glass down on the counter and headed for a relatively quiet seat down near the entrance. It would be easy to leave then, but he still wanted to stick around. Going home wouldn't do much good, and it didn't exactly seem like a great idea to hang around any of his acquaintances when he was in such an unusually foul mood.

Daven smirked when her eyes flashed at him and he was tempted to let his own demonic iris take form but he refrained from doing it out of the simple fact that it would take all the fun out of the banter they were sharing. "Fireboy works just fine for me and I just happen to be able to play with fire as far as you know." He left it open to her that he had more tricks up his sleeve but it was only because he wanted to keep her interested and focused on something other then what he was. He hoped that it would peek her curiosity more and keep her engaged in the conversation a bit longer. It was at that moment he noticed someone else enter the room and they only reason he picked up on it was because of the heat that was flowing off of him.

The guy looked like the type of guy that could handle himself and if he didn't know any better he would think he was some kind of big name in the city with the way people avoided him. However it could also have been the unnatural amount of heat that came off the body. Whatever the case was he had taken notice and if things went sour with this female he had a back up plan in the male. The scene around here seemed to be picking up a bit more and he was almost sure he was going to see some action tonight in one form or another. He just wished that this one was around when he had set the grabby man on fire before.



"What about you? Im sure there is something more to you then a pretty face and a nice body with an air of get the fuck away from me. What's your story?"

He finished off his second beer and called the waitress over once more for yet another round. He leaned back into his seat relaxing a bit against it as he waited for the fiery headed temptress to throw another bitchy quip at him. He was not yet near breaking the shell of hers but he was damn sure gonna keep working at it. He wanted to see how far he could take this and if he was good enough to crack this safe of her emotional dysfunction. All he could figure was that she had something done to her in her past that had her put this wall up or then again she could just be a flat out bitch. Either way this was fun for him.

He felt a pair of eyes on him, not for very long, but enough for him to get particularly suspicious. He plunged his right hand into the pocket of his jacket and slipped his fingers around the rectangular prism that was his box of cigarettes. With a flick of his thumb, he slid the top open and selected the closest tube to his index finger. Withdrawing his hand, Angelo swiftly placed the brown filter between his lips while the index finger of his left hand came up to lightly touch the end of the cigarette. It lit with a soft 'pop', quickly lost in the noise of the bar. So, where exactly do I find myself at the end of the week? I could always head back to Celestis, see a little of my family. Then again, I don't think Uncle's doing so hot, so he might not be up to receiving visitors.

The young man appeared lost in thought as he inhaled a long drag of nicotine, eyes above the crowd and static, staring at a point between two ceiling panels. His hand came up, plucking the white cig from his lips as he exhaled a steady stream of gossamer smoke. He watched the serpentine vapor as it twisted, morphing into acrid forms and figures until they vanished, suddenly, like the ghosts of his past life. Well, I should really be heading back to base, for now. Not much else I can do tonight, not unless we turn up another body-- or worse, a string of them. He took another drag of smoke, letting it flow into his lungs before he released another cloud of vapor. This time, he could see the air undulating with released heat. Shit. I'm going to need to cool down, again. Otherwise I'm not going to be going anywhere once I burst into flames. Bet that killer would enjoy the view. He waved to the waitress, mouthing "beer". She seemed to get it. Now all he had to do was stay cool for a bit.

Daven smiled to her as she did not let go of any information but rather probed him for some. He shrugged and decided to be outlandish with his description while actually including partial truths about himself. IT was fun to be over the top and have someone not believe you when actually you could include all kinds of truths about yourself and they would never know the difference. He saw heatwave over by himself smoking and thought that maybe he could bring him into the conversation. As the guy waved for another beer Daven caught the waitress and paid for it sure that she would let the guy know it was taken care of. He then turned back to Fire crotch.

"Well I come from hell and my plan is to eat all the people of this world and use the bones to pick my teeth. I like puppies and kites a lot and of course cotton candy. Clowns scare the shit out of me as do spiders. I really just want to be accepted for what I am and allowed to live a normal life praying on the weak in my strive for world domination through the use of tree bark."

He said it all with a pure straight face and when he was finished speaking he picked up his new beer and took a lengthy swig of the dark substance. He gave a shrug to her before he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Mr. grabby hands and come back into the bar and was looking at the table they were seated at. The man moved back to his original seat with his friends but he was looking back at the two of them every now and again and whispering among his friends. He assumed trouble was going to be found with them at some point and really Daven welcomed it with open arms.

"Looks like your best friend is back. So now that I have given you a ludicrous explanation with undertones of truth for you to pick out how would you feel about doing the same? If your against it we could always make a little wager for the information so that way you have a chance to gain something in return."

Angelo reclined somewhat in his seat, a respectable fog of smoke beginning to linger around him as he released another burning breath of vapor. He hoped the waitress would return quickly, before he really needed to go and dunk his head in some water. His eyes flicked idly to the waitress as she returned, setting his drink down in front of him. "Uh.. the guy over there paid for your drink," she explained, as he reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet. AJ raised an eyebrow as he articulated his head to glance past her. Following her gaze, he found it terminating at a table occupied by a woman with flaming red hair and a demeanor that dripped with almost tangible frost, and a man with dark hair and the aura of someone cocky.

"Well, might as well thank him in person," he muttered lowly, though just enough for the waitress to hear and scurry off to take care of the other customers that were no doubt clamoring for some attention from her. He took one final drag of smoke and then allowed the cigarette to drop into the ashtray at the table. With that, he gripped the neck of the bottle and proceeded to sidle over to the table, where he held up the beer. "Who do I have to thank for the drink?" AJ asked, a game smile on his face as his looked from the woman to the man. He had just finished making an outlandish statement, and so AJ made another attempt at an introduction.

"The name's Angelo," he added as he sat down, the heat storm subsiding a moment later when he took a swig of the drink. This time, it looked as if it was going to stay at a normal temperature. ”Well, truth be told, I’m not really the gambling type. But I suppose a bit of information about myself won’t hurt too bad. Part of me is from Hell. My plan isn’t to rule the world, but then again, I don’t really have a plan. I love romantic dinners, chick flicks, and long walks on the beach. As for my friend there… Well, he and I are more like acquaintances. Recently, we had a bit of a falling out. I don’t think he likes me much anymore.” He laughed. She seemed like sarcasm came naturally; he appreciated the wit, though his eyes wandered to the object of her statement. The night continued to become interesting.

Daven looked up as Angelo came closer and introduced himself which in turn prompted Daven to do the same. Reaching a hand out in offer of a shake he motioned afterward to the booth that Sabre was sitting in for him to take a seat next to her. He gave Sabre a wink deciding that he was going to shake things up just a little bit and have some fun with the guy as he hopefully took a seat and joined them at the table.

"My name is Daven and I bought the drink because you seemed to be sitting by yourself as this beautiful red headed temptress has been. It just kind of hit me that maybe if I got you both together you might just hit it off and get to know one another."

He tossed Sabre a smirk and nodded as she gave him her own version of herself.He took it all with a grain of salt and brought the beer to his lips once more draining the bottle via chugging the liquid down and ordering another round for everyone. If he was buying they damn sure needed to keep up with him tonight or they could buy for themselves. He decided that he should be fair and clue them in on that so they could decide for themselves.


"Well not to sound like a prick but im buying so I expect everyone to keep up! Down em and get ready for the next round so we can toast to new friends and old scars.

He was playing the tipsy role up as he was still sober as a bird but people tend to relax a bit more around someone that they think is under the influence. His goal here was to try and take the pair of them down in conversation and perhaps form some kind of a bond where he could engage them at a later time and build some kind of trust to the point that he could use them down the road. He was out for his own selfish reasons and never did anything without having some sort of stake in it.

The first thing AJ noticed about the man once he neared was that he possessed a singularly solid grip. The second was that he seemed to be in an immensely jovial mood. Angelo grinned at that. "My name is Daven and I bought the drink because you seemed to be sitting by yourself as this beautiful red headed temptress has been. It just kind of hit me that maybe if I got you both together you might just hit it off and get to know one another." Angelo laughed softly at that, shaking his head "Thanks for the drink, then. I'll stick around and see where this ends up." . “As if. He feigned offense for a moment, facial expressions contorting into a look of hurt surprise. He kept this up for only a moment, and then laughed heartily. “Name’s Sabre, Angelo, and don’t worry – I’m not looking for anything from anybody tonight, sweetie.” He smirked in return, eyes observing the woman as the unusual connotations of her last words came to mind.

"Well, how fortunate it is that the only thing I've really got to offer is my charming company, then," he remarked slyly, playing along for the heck of it. In the back of his mind, however, the question of what exactly she usually looked for presented itself. Jumping to conclusions was not something he endorsed, but there were several possibilities that emerged. Several, he crossed out immediately-- she didn't seem the type to merely and indiscriminately jump into bed with people, for money or otherwise. On the other hand, he could see that she'd be considerable as an enforcer or procurer of information. "Well not to sound like a prick but im buying so I expect everyone to keep up! Down em and get ready for the next round so we can toast to new friends and old scars. AJ chuckled at the signs of inebriation that began to set in on Daven. "I'll do my best to keep up, but I've got work in the morning so I'm afraid I can't stay too long past that point," AJ added, shrugging innocently.

Truthfully, he was more apt to the idea of an early bedtime so the return to the crime scenes of tomorrow could be expedited. That seemed hardly likely, but he hoped for the best regardless. He sensed hostility enter the air around them like a dank wind, some foul and malodorous scent that drew his attention in the direction of a small group of average human males conversing in rapid, low tones. Whatever they were up to, it was hardly bound to be anything good. Sabre's voice broke into his tactical analysis. “So, tell me, Angelo… What is your opinion of a good old fashioned bar brawl?...” "I'll fight if I have to," he replied, smirking confidently. "IF there's one thing I've learned, it's how to throw a mean right hook." His features sharpened into something innately more predatory, the gray blue of his eyes appearing to be hard diamonds glinting in the light.