Whiskey, Demons, and Wolves... Oh, My! [Veles]

Guest

If ever there was a shit hole of a bar, this was it. Deep in the heart of Librium, this shady little place was known for many a thing – none of them good. The furniture within was all wooden. Perhaps there had been cushions on the chairs at one point, but they’d all been lost in one bar brawl or another. Gouges scarred the table tops. Some were inscriptions to show who’d been there, others were just wounds, much like the late cushions.

In a half-walled off corner to the right, the overly-cheery chimes of video poker machines rang out, barely audible over the classic rock that pealed out from speakers around the bar. A pair of ragged men was engaged in a rowdy game of pool at one of the two tables on the left-hand side of the room. Something akin to a dozen tables sat scattered around the main floor area of the room. Only a handful contained people, most of which were there alone. Some of the tables themselves were where they were supposed to be, but most had been scooted off to the side, possibly to allow for dancers… perhaps from the night before, as the floor was currently empty.

The floor itself was made of half-rotted wooden planks, which easily completed the shit appeal of the bar. Thin slabs of plywood had been nailed down here and there to cover the holes from too heavy of a boot, table, or god only knows what. Behind the bar, however, rows upon rows of hard alcohol gleamed like a beacon in a damp, dark cave. The bartender, a middle-aged male in boot-cut jeans and a tight black shirt with a pair of tattoo sleeves, wiped the counter with an almost bored expression on his handsome face.

The front door burst open, mostly due to a strong breeze blowing through the alley. A woman stood, silhouetted in the doorway, her glowing crimson eyes the only thing visible until she took a step forward into the dim light of the room. One hand grabbed the door and shoved it shut, making sure it was not in danger of flying open should another strong breeze whip down the alley. A slight look of irritation was plastered to her face as she scanned the patrons of the bar, instantly calculating who the biggest risk of a fight was, and which of the exits were blocked. In the blink of an eye, she was on the move, headed straight for the bar.

The black jeans covering her lower torso hugged her hips tightly, showing off the sway of each step. Black combat boots thudded faintly as she moved across the wooden planks, deftly avoiding any leery spots, or plywood cover-ups with either very precise, or very practiced steps. A bright red tank top peeked out beneath a black leather jacket that finished the outfit, contrasting with her pale, freckled flesh and the fiery hair that tumbled down her back in waves. Attached to her right hip, the handle of a .45 was visible with each swish of her arm, while the hilt of a slim knife protruded from the top of her left boot. Despite the two weapons, she still felt naked without her swords. They’d gotten into a fierce argument no more than half an hour ago, and she’d left them at home for the night.

Now she needed a drink.

A simple shake of her head stopped the bartender from pouring her usual vodka concoction. He grimaced a bit at the look on her face. It was one of those nights. Practiced hands moved up, swooping a bottle of whiskey from the top shelf and pouring out two shot glasses. Sabre reached the bar just as he tipped the bottle up from the second shot and she downed the liquid fire without a twitch. A single ice cube tinkled into a tumbler as the bartender poured out more whiskey into the glass. She was done with the second shot by the time he capped the bottle again.

As the liquid settled inside her chest, Sabre finally took a seat on the barstool in front of her. The bartender removed the two empty shot glasses with a slight grin, before moving off to refill a beer on the other end of the bar. Sabre exhaled with a slight hiss and then sucked in a deep breath. She could feel the alcohol entering her system already. Muscles that she hadn’t realized were tense loosened, and she took another few slow breaths. Closing her eyes, she grasped the tumbler in front of her and took a sip. When she opened her eyes, the glowing had all but stopped. Her level of irritation was diminishing gradually.

She took another sip.

Getting there…

Another sip…

There.

Content with her level of tension, Sabre spun her barstool so that she was facing the other patrons. One leg crossed over the other and she leaned back against the bar. The large fellow in the biker gear at one of the center tables had originally been her first choice for who would cause a ruckus, but now she allowed herself a closer look at just who was here tonight. She recognized the pair of dirty drunks playing pool in the corner. They were regulars, as were most of the people at the bar with her. The man closest to her had an odd aura, however. He was not familiar. She made note to pay special attention to him, though her eyes remained glued to the pool game. A slight smirk tugged at the corners of her lips as she reached back, grabbing her drink so that she could sip while she watched.

Guest

Veles felt his ears twitch instinctively as the door slammed open, but he barely resisted the urge to turn and observe. He was in the city, things like this were normal. If he jumped at every little thing, he would clearly show how out of place he was. But he couldn't resist at least attempting a look, so he tilted his glass back and drank slowly. Trying to catch a reflection off the only lustrous surfaces in the bar, the bottles, he could only make out glowing red eyes.

He certainly didn't have to wait long for a glimpse of the newcomer, she sauntered right past him to sit just a little further down the bar. The bartender seemed to recognize her and grabbed for a vodka bottle. He had nearly poured it when he caught her eyes and immediately reached to the top shelf for the whiskey. Good whiskey at that. He poured two shots and a tumbler for the lady and by the time he had placed the top back on the bottle, she was scooping up the third glass. With a smirk, Veles looked to his own empty glass, it used to contain a rather dark stout beer. Perhaps he'd have to change things up for the next drink. Waiting for the bartender to stop his obvious admiration of the newest patron, even though her back was turned, he asked, Got another bottle of that whiskey in back? pushing his glass forward.

The bartender seemed to give him a disgruntled glare, but stepped quickly into the back and returned with two unopened bottles. These are all I have left he said, just as Veles laid down a generous amount of money on the bar.

Not anymore. One for the lady and the other for me. Give me a tumbler, no ice while you're at it. Veles stated simply in his usual baritone voice, watching the bartender's jaw slacken a bit. As Veles received his glass and cracked the seal on his bottle he noticed the bartender collecting and counting the money. He'd left enough for the booze and two weeks worth of tips at a legitimate bar instead of this dive. Veles poured his glass half full and raised it to the bartender who was now staring at him. It all went down in a gulp.

You're welcome. Veles offered as a conversation starter with the woman next to him. He turned slightly, second glass of whiskey in hand and got a good look at her. The form fitting clothes, the bright hair, the obviously displayed weapons, the pale skin. The whiskey was the least of his problems tonight. He took another sip of his whiskey. His heavy boots resting on the edge of his stool, laces covered by his loose black cargo pants. His thick leather belt held a large utility knife at his right hip. Over his upper body a tight fitting vest seemed to hold a great many more knives, these ones smaller, meant for quick draws and throws. His hair was rather short, having been cut down recently, but his scruffy beard was unshaven.

Tonight should be fun.

Guest

Sabre could feel eyes on her as she watched the pool game. The hairs on the back of her neck rose in suspicion, but her face was a mask of cool and calm. Bringing the tumbler of whiskey up, she took a sip and nodded approvingly as one of the men sunk the 8 ball. From across the room, she could plainly see his opponent’s displeasure. Another pair of coins were quickly inserted to begin a rematch.

The bartender’s exit to the back room piqued Sabre’s interest, and she turned on her stool to see what he could possibly need. She hadn’t heard the telltale noise of a keg run dry in the tap, and she hadn’t drained him of that bottle quite yet… but sure enough, when he returned, he was carrying a pair of fresh bottles of the high quality whiskey. One eyebrow rose as she watched from the corner of her eye, the unfamiliar man purchase both bottles… and then some! Her keen ears eavesdropped on the conversation while she took another sip of her own whiskey. She kept her eyes focused on nothing in particular in front of her, but casually turned her head to take a look at the pool rematch that had just begun.

Being the only female in the bar at this moment, Sabre was less than surprised when the man walked up offering one of the bottles to her. Both eyebrows rose, her crimson eyes drinking him in as he stood before her. Already, she could smell the whiskey on his breath, and she noted one of the bottles had recently been opened.

“Generally, I would just say thank you, but in this particular case, I think I should follow it up with a ‘and what can I do for you?”

A grin played on her lips as she finished the whiskey in her tumbler. As she placed the empty glass on the bar, she nodded an okay for him to refill it with one of the bottles in his hand if he so desired. In her mind, she scoured lists of potential threats to the Guard that she always studied so vigilantly at work. This man didn’t ring any bells or set off any mental alarms.

He was armed, though, and could still prove to be a threat to her personally, of course. She’d made more than a few enemies in her time. Some were bound to pop out of the wood works eventually. Who would use a cat’s paw to do their dirty work, though?... Or perhaps, in this case, a dog’s paw.

Her crimson eyes glowed as she sucked in a deep breath through her nose. The whiskey on his breath was easily the most prominent smell on him, but she could have sworn something about the rest of him reeked of dog. He wasn’t human, that was for sure. Just a glance at his aura was enough to tell her that he’d be much tastier than any mortal. At least he wasn’t terribly hard on the eyes, although she generally preyed on slightly less scruffy men. Still, she wasn’t completely opposed to the idea of tasting something new later tonight.

“So,” she asked, leaning back some to relax her body more. “What brings you to this shit hole?”

Guest

Taking another sip of his glass as he slowly took the few steps required to approach her properly. Stopping just at her side, she placed her glass on the counter, clearly letting him know that she would accept his offer of her drink of choice. With a small grin, he cracked the seal on her bottle, deftly filling her glass then placing the bottle on the bar next to her glass.

Well, you simply sit yourself right there and enjoy this whiskey. He commented, lifting her full glass from the bar and holding it out for her to take. You could let me enjoy your company for a little while. He commented again in his deep voice as she leaned back and relaxed. You could... enjoy mine. as he leaned slightly closer, bending at the waist. Leaning slightly over her form, the scent of whiskey nearly masking his wolf. Or we could shoot a game of pool.

Stepping lightly away, careful to bring his bottle of whiskey with him, he clodded across the floor, letting his boots pound over the patched wood. Just enough to gather the attention of most of the bar's denizens. Approaching the wall-mounted rack, he ran his fingers over the various pool cues. Choosing one crafted from darkwood, he lifted it and felt its weight. Perfect for his heavier striking style of play. Glancing over his shoulder, he spied the red-head across the bar. She was still sitting quite comfortably, Come now, surely you can handle it.

With a grin, he watched as he lured her from her seat, he made his way to an empty pool table and dropped a few coins into the mechanism. He deftly prepared the rack of balls, offering her the cue ball to her for the break. His whiskey bottle and glass at a nearby high-top table. Glancing at his whiskey carrying cohort as she chose her own cue. He thought she might even have swayed her hips to tease him intentionally rather than just the natural way she had moved.

Tonight would be fun. I would offer a wager, but strip pool wouldn't have nearly the same affect for each of us, I'm sure. he offered with a grin. She was already distracting him from the game he hadn't started yet, and she was still fully clothed. If she didn't smack him across the face then and there, tonight would be very fun indeed.

Guest

Sabre watched as the man obliged and poured her a second glass of whiskey from a previously unopened bottle. Her crimson eyes moved to his hands as he held the tumbler out towards her. A devious thought crossed her mind as she eyed the scars that covered his knuckles. How easy it would be to turn this rough and tumble dog of a man into a pile of puppy goo…

She decided against it and accepted the tumbler, her fingers brushing his as she did so. Her abilities remained untapped… for now. Lifting the tumbler up in a silent ‘cheers’ to him, she took a sip while he began to explain his motives. So far, all seemed innocent. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion, one brow rising as she waited for the catch.

A game of pool? Well, that was definitely not the catch she was anticipating. She watched him travel across the bar, towards the empty pool table. His movements were fluid and purposeful – even down to how much noise his boots made on the wooden floors. As he chose a cue, she took another sip of the whiskey and finally stood from her seat. One hand reached back, grabbing the bottle he’d bought for her, and she made her way over to the table. Her hips swayed with each step, conscious of the eyes on her. His clomping footsteps had got the other patrons’ attention – now she was keeping it.

“Oh, I’m quite certain I can. But can you?” she asked, grinning as she placed the bottle down near his. Taking one more sip of the whiskey, she set her tumbler down and removed her jacket. The gun at her hip was much more obvious now, as was her pale, freckled flesh, but at least now she’d be able to shoot without the hindrance the jacket gave. Walking over to where the cues were hanging, she plucked a lightly colored 18 from the rack without seeming to give any thought to her choice. The wood was familiar in her hands, namely because this was the only stick she ever used.

Crimson eyes flashed at his offer of strip pool, but she grinned. “But you’re already a stroke ahead since I removed my jacket,” she chuckled, accepting the cue ball. Spinning it in her hand, she placed it on the dot and then rolled it a few inches to the left. Once satisfied with its position, she chalked up the point of her stick and leaned forward over the table. She looked up and sent another grin at the man before sliding the pool cue through her right hand and sending the cue ball flying towards the others.

CRACK!

The triangular formation broke, and the fifteen colored balls rolled this way and that across the felt top. A beige and purple ball slipped into one of the corner pockets, and Sabre smirked. “Stripes it is. Guess that makes you… solid.” Crimson eyes scanned the layout of the balls on the table briefly, deciding on her next course of action. Moving halfway around the table, she finally decided on a shot, and leaned down.

Her left arm brought the stick back and then sent it forward again. The cue ball rolled towards its target, the 10 ball. White ball connected with the beige and blue, and the pair rolled towards a corner pocket. The 10 fell in, but the cue stopped short. “So, how exactly does strip pool work? Are you supposed to be losing articles as I sink these shots, or will you just get naked once I’m done cleaning up shop?”

She winked across at him, leaning down over the cue ball. It hadn’t stopped precisely where she’d wanted it to, so she wasn’t left with much. Letting out a quiet breath, she knocked the white ball forward, towards the 9. They rolled away together, but neither fell into a pocket. Standing back up straight, Sabre moved around the table to where her whiskey was waiting.

“Suppose I should get a feel for your moves at some point, eh?” she grinned, taking a sip as she leaned back against the wall behind her.

Guest

Smirking to himself Veles watched as Sabre collected her cue and immediately taking controlled shots. Her form was completely casual, but she was definitely in calm command of the situation. Even as she joked about stripping, he knew she was simply riling him up to watch how he would react. Would he be an eager, desperate puppy; hungry for her attention? Would he be a cruel, cunning hunter; only looking for his own gain? Would he be a balance between the two? Veles was sure she was watching his every move, trying to gauge him.

Stepping away from the side of the table, Veles collected the chalk and deftly prepared his cue. Resting the chalk on the edge of the table he stepped off to the side and took another long sip from his glass of whiskey, setting the tumbler down carefully. Turning and glancing at the table he had noticed that her last shot wasn't exactly perfectly prepared, but she had the where-with-all to not leave him with a great shot either.

Stepping close to the side of the table, he leaned low stretching his arm before him and balancing the cue's tip against his hand. With a overtly fast strike, he hit the white cue ball just off center, giving it a vigorous spin. It spun until it bounced of the angled bumper and nearly came to a stop, it had barely nudged the maroon seven ball. The seven angled against the corner pocket and fell in, the white cue gently rolling away from the bumper leaving him a clear shot across the table at the one ball.

With a grin he slowly stood and made his way around the table, "Well, while I might be a stroke or two again, I have a feeling you're wearing quite a bit less than me. And I'm sure that once you get a bit low on articles, I might just be too distracted to make another shot on this table." he quipped. Leaning low again, he rested the cue's tip against his outstretched hand and drove the heavy stick forward.

Veles had hit the white cue so hard it had jumped a foot across the table but landed with an incredible backspin. As it collided with the yellow one, the cue seemed to replace its position as the one fell into the pocket. He was pleased with his shot, but didn't want to rush through the game too quickly. He had four nice shots to choose from, but chose the more difficult of them, which would also be very hard to manage a good shooting position from.

As Veles stepped around the table, he intentionally walked near Sabre and kept his voice low, "Veles Canis, by the way... figured you might want to know who bought you your drink tonight. And who might you be that I'm spending all my money on?" he offered while collecting the chalk again, coating the cue again to ensure perfect contact. Standing at the end of the table and stretched out again, breathing slowly out as he lined up his shot.

Veles slammed his cue forward, sending the white cue ball slamming back and forth from one bumper to another. After the third complete cross of the table it finally impacted the bright orange five ball. The orange ball bounced back and forth between the edges of a side pocket but came to rest at the very edge of the pocket instead of falling in. The white cue rolled away from the impact and settled next to a striped ball, a horrible shot for him, but not such a bad one for Sabre. He was disappointed that the five hadn't sunk, but then again, he didn't want to rush this game.

"Suppose I should let you lean over the table again so I can get another glimpse of your ass." Veles offered with a wolfish grin. He stepped around the table to the high-top holding the whiskey, which he leaned an elbow against. He collected his glass of whiskey but didn't drink right away, he simply watched Sabre, waiting. "Well go on." he urged with a slight raise of his glass and eyebrow. His grin seemed permanent by now, and it was ear to ear.

Tonight will definitely be fun.

Guest

This man was a difficult read, even for Sabre. One eyebrow perched up on her forehead as she returned to the high-top to give her whiskey more attention. She was sure about one thing about this man – he was forward. It was still up for debate whether or not she liked that about him. Usually she was the forward one in these types of situations. Granted, she hadn’t even been hungry before she’d set her eyes on this one.

Crimson eyes fluttered closed as she took a long pull from her tumbler, and she let out a quiet sigh as she set the glass back down. Damn, but that was good whiskey. Opening her eyes all the way again, she returned her attention to the pool table he was now leaning over. She hadn’t left him the best of shots, but she guessed he wasn’t some sort of rookie and could sink something. Her intuition was right, and she watched him sink the maroon 7 without issue.

As his voice drifted over to her, Sabre looked back at his scruffy face. A light grin snuck onto her lips and she leaned against the high-top table, allowing her hip to jut out some. She’d caught his glances as she was shooting, and decided to let him ogle a bit more. Scanning his body, she silently counted the articles of clothing covering his form. “I’d have to agree with you,” she smirked. “Although, I can’t say I’d feel too bad about you not making your shots…”

His style was very heavy-hitting, she noticed as the cue ball leapt across the table. At least his heavy hits were precise, however, as proven by the 1 ball’s descent into one of the pockets. Her eyes skimmed the table, taking note of the shots he’d left himself. She counted four. Her eyebrow rose as he chose the most difficult of the shots, and she took a swig of the whiskey while he lined himself up.

He was at her side then, murmuring to her whilst in her personal space. A light shiver raced up her spine, but she smirked. “Name’s Sabre – Sabre Galweigh,” she responded in kind, setting her tumbler back onto the table lightly. “Thank you, by the way.” Her left hand picked up the tumbler of whiskey and she raised it towards him before finishing the contents and setting the glass back onto the table a bit more roughly than she’d anticipated.

Cracking open the bottle of whiskey he’d purchased for her, she poured herself another glass of the fiery liquid. She didn’t need keen ears to hear his next shot. As she replaced the top to the bottle, she watched the cue ball dance across the green felt. A smirk graced her lips when nothing fell into a pocket, and she went back to looking Veles up and down again. Even without his clothes off, she could tell he was well-toned, probably covered head to toe in lean muscle. His aura exuded feral strength, and she’d be lying if that didn’t cause her demoness taste buds to water.

“If you insist…” she drawled, taking one last pull of the freshly poured whiskey. When she stood, she made sure to brush past him on her way to the table. His grin was very nearly stretched all the way across his face, and she couldn’t help but be reminded of a big dog with his tongue lolling out. Smirking with her back to him, she surveyed the table briefly and finally moved to the side to lean over the cue ball. He’d left her a few nice shots.

The stick tapped into the cue ball, sending it rolling towards the striped ball he’d left her. It fell in with a quiet thump, and the cue ball moved to sit in line with the 14. Her back arched some as she leaned into the shot, slamming the cue ball into its target. It fell into the corner pocket, and she glanced up to give Veles a sly grin.

“So, I’ve never seen you around here before. What about this shit hole caught you eye?”

Returning her eyes to the task at hand, she moved around to the opposite side of the table. He would not have a good look at her ass as she bent over from over here, but if he looked past the cue stick, her shirt was not exactly clinging to her chest. Crimson eyes shining, she went for an awkward shot on the 11. It bounced from one bumper to the other, and rolled up to a corner pocket, but stopped there. She scowled, but at least it was working to her advantage, blocking his best shot.

With a soft chuckle, she stood back up straight and made her way back towards the table. “Your move, slick…”

Guest

Veles watched as the freckled beauty in playing pool with him took several long sips of whiskey and even pouring more for herself in the short time it had taken him to take three shots. Sabre was surely feeling it now, and that certainly wouldn't work against him. When she set her glass down with a loud clank, and then glanced at him throughout her shots, it was confirmed that the whiskey was taking hold, but he didn't know quite how much. He'd enjoy figuring it out regardless.

Taking a long drought from his own tumbler before setting it down empty, Veles stepped partially in Sabre's way as she approached the high-top table, happily allowing her to brush past him. As he took his first serious look at the table in a while, he noted his available shots; legs spread casually wide, butt of the cue resting on the ground, both his hands overlapping one another high on the stick, its tip nearly touching his chin as he thought. "I came here to drink, of course. But a guy has his appetites too, and I'm a bit hungry tonight." he offered as an excuse for him being in a bar. It wasn't some grand design, he had just completed a small contract for Umbra, received his pay and decided to subject himself to a long night in the city before returning to his home in the forest nearby.

Stepping around the table and leaning over for his shot, he rested his hand on the green felt and let his eyes flick up to Sabre again before returning to the table. CRACK. His shot spun the white cue ball viciously and it followed a tight curve around a striped ball that was partially in the way. Connecting with the green six and sending it quickly into a side pocket. It bounced rather hard and nearly bounced back out of the hole, but it finally settled down. The white cue had bounced into a difficult position along one of the side bumpers, not leaving him a great deal of leeway for additional shots. This game was taking too much of his attention.

He slowly stood and collected the chalk, applying it deftly as he asked Sabre, "And what brings you to this shit hole? Let alone often enough for the bartender to know your drinks of choice? Not that you're hard to remember... but clearly you enjoy dives. Come down here after work? Maybe when the boyfriend riles you up?" Veles was enjoy nudging the conversation. He saw her shoulders clench just a little bit at his teasing tone. Perhaps she had just gotten in an argument, perhaps he had just struck a cord. "Then again, if they keep this whiskey in stock, I might have to make some return trips myself after a crappy day at work." he offered as a consolation to let her know he wasn't trying to pick on her and fully understood that sometimes... days just sucked.

The blue two ball was his target this time, he leaned down and smashed the white cue all within a second. He knew the shot would succeed and fail at the same time. The two cracked hard and bounced along the length of the table in a narrow zig-zag before plunking into a corner pocket. The white cue didn't stay in the table for nearly as long. Just after the impact with the blue, it angled directly into the nearest corner pocket. Scratch. He stood and stepped to that pocket, collecting the white ball, and walking towards Sabre. "Table's all yours... don't clean it up too fast or we'll just have to do dirty things all over it to compensate." he taunted with a grin.

He held the white cue in his open palm, offering it to her as a servant of old might have held a silver platter for their master. His wolfish grin was from ear to ear as he watched her. It was easy to appreciate her form, she had a classic beauty to her features, but a hint of unusual with her pare skin and red hair, and exotic with her more demonic features. She certainly didn't mind flaunting herself either, he was coming on pretty strong and she hadn't shied away in the least. He could almost feel her own excitement building as he egged her in. Maybe she liked the challenge of a male asserting control of a situation she was in. Maybe she was about to reach out and smack him. Either way, he could feel her building up to something.

» Veles Canis
» Metropolis In Ruin (Veles)
» LOA (kinda) for Veles/Arthur
» It's Raining Cats and Dogs in Here... [Veles]