Brave New World

[cptdragon9]

“Favorite color?” he smiled, eyes twinkling mischievously, amused how she was able to put the brute in his place. Clearly she wasn’t all fluff, and that raised her status on the desire-meter a few more points. Despite his claims to the contrary, he really did like strong women. “I suppose that currently it would be burnished amber. A wonderful color… for a desirable coin.”


He then reluctantly drew his gaze away from Sandra to settle on Lucien as he pursed his lips. “And as to my skill in my line of work, I rather excel at it, as much as I excel in anything I endeavor to.” He had noticed Lucien inching along, trying to looks as surreptitious as possible, but to Tim’s trained eye, it screamed sneaky.


At least Sandra had put him in check, but Tall, Dark, and broody still had something in his pocket and Tim couldn’t quite glean exactly what it was. The damn dead guy’s brain was difficult to read, probably because he was dead, or undead, or whatever status of worm-food he was. He still was calculating what speed he would need to move in conjunction for how far away Lucien was and guest mate attack speed the brute could move to complete the simplest movement which would be pulling something from his pocket and flinging it at Tim. Exit points were at a premium, but there was an extra body in the room to add to the calculations, one that said hulking body wanted to remain intact and unharmed, which made Sandra an excellent pawn.


One that just might keep the Rex alive on this multi-faceted chessboard.



(gone camping this coming week… will be back by next Wed…..)

[themascura]

"Were you now?" Lucien's sharp-toothed grin spread slowly across his face. He took another draw of his drink, visibly swallowing before setting the now empty cup down on the nearest table. His every movement was exaggerated, drawing out the movement of powerful muscles and deliberately displaying exquisite control of said muscles.

"It just so happens that I do similar work. Mergers and Acquisitions, as well as some... trouble shooting. I enjoy it very, very much. One might say that I am also very good at what I do. Perhaps, if bar-keeping doesn't suit you, I could see if Maximus would allow you to join me in my department." He was enjoying this little cat-and-mouse game with Rex. It had been some time since he had been given the pleasure of an opponent who was equally as tricky and just as swift on his metaphorical feet.

"I think Timothy will do splendidly here at the bar, Lucien, but thank you for your suggestion." Sandra patted Lucien gently on the arm, as if she considered him some sort of over-sized child who had been trying very hard to play nice and get along with the other children.

"I do believe the Amber room is currently empty." She mused out loud, gently straightening Lucien's slightly askew vest and tie before turning back to Timothy with a warm smile, "I think you might like it. Ah, and before I forget... the rules." She took a deep breath and set her mostly-empty glass down.

"We must never draw attention to the speakeasy, that is the first and most important rule. No one should ever know we are here... it would be dangerous for us all. To that end, guests or potential customers must be first introduced to either Maximus or Steele. You may go into town as often as you like, but you must not tell anyone the true nature of your job, so on, so forth. I, for instance, tell the town's people that I care for the Mansion's books." She waved a hand lightly, indicating that he would probably gather the rest of the nuances of that rule.

[cptdragon9]

Again the diminutive man pursed his lips as Sandra rattled off the rules, still keeping a lazy eye that wasn’t even close to lazy on Lucien. “So, you have a bar, but don’t advertise. Strange.” He waved off any protest with a hand, even as he moved further down the bar, spotting a deck of cards. These were clearly not the mass- manufactured plastic-coated variety that Vegas and Atlantic City were known for. No, these cards were pressed paper with neatly hand-drawn scripts denoting their value. They were also a bit smaller, something that played into his nimble hands as he absent-mindedly shuffled the deck.



Actually it was a display of skill. If he’d been raised in a different atmosphere, he might well have been a dealer; or perhaps a performing magician as he began to make one card dance against the grain of the shuffling deck. Then another. Then he alternated those cards, making the ace of spades chase the queen of hearts, both cards seemingly making the trek on their own. It was an interesting illusion all done with slight of hand and a simple understanding of physics. It also shows just how quick-handed he really was. Well, not totally revealing his attack speed, but showing enough to Lucien that even though the big guy had enough beef to flex, Tim had the ability to dodge those punches, maybe even nail him in a pressure point or two in the process, though he wasn’t sure that his new friends had the same reaction to such judicious applications of acupuncture-type poking.



Again he felt he needed to assuage any nervous feelings. “Not a problem. I actually value my own privacy, so if you wanna keep things under wraps, I c’n do that.” He gaze had drifed back towards Sandra, fluttering his thick black lashes at her. “Anything to make you feel safe.” That suave smirk on his face showed that he was still willing to continue this dance between the three of them. “I could pass myself off as a vet. I have quite a bit of animal husbandry under my belt. I would assume that you have some livestock on site, if just to keep up appearances.”


He waited patiently to see if that was a viable option, all the while waiting to see if Lucien would try to throw a punch or stick him with something. Sandra clearly had a calming effect on him, but it might not be enough to keep him in check. Plus Tim had this obnoxious habit of pushing buttons.

He couldn’t help himself. He turned to Sandra and once again poured on the oily charm. “If it wouldn’t be too much of a trouble, could you escort me to this Amber room? I’d love for you to give me the grand tour.” The smile oozed great big gobs of cheese.

[themascura]

A card flipped through the air like a fluttering bird, followed closely by a second and then a third. A line of them, like spinning acrobats blurred through space, hopping as if by magic from one of Tim's hands to the other. Sandra watched with unconcealed delight, a smile lighting her deep blue eyes. Lucien, the pale-haired man known amongst his co-workers as 'the devil', watched on with an eery delight of his own. It lit his face as well, but with the pale shine of the disturbed. He looked... gleeful, in a strange, hungry way. It was his deck of cards- one of many he kept around the dregs- that Tim was playing with. The sight of the little slips of paper he had used so often to wager with flying about the air, being played with by another, caused a deep and unholy glee to rise in him like smoke from the pits of hell.

How many lives had been laid down in bets against him with those cards? He could feel the slips of paper hissing against their palms in the back of his mind. How many more precious, nameless things had been wagered, hanging on the whim of chance and the small shoulders of the illustrated figures? He could remember the look of terror in their eyes, hear the soft intake of breath, smell their fear. He smiled slowly at Tim.

"Do you play?" He questioned, his voice a full two octaves deeper than it normally was. Sandra paused and glanced back at the giant, smiling quizzically.

"Play what, Lucien?" She questioned, expression never indicating she found anything wrong. The larger man in the pale silver pinstripe suit grinned demonically at her, watching as she glided around the bar and took Tim's arm.

"Does it matter?" He questioned, just a hint of a hiss slipping into his words. Sandra shook her head and sighed, leading the way toward a small hallway at the back of the bar. Lucien's laugh followed them, echoing off of the wood panel walls.

"He's a little strange, but not a bad man." She assured Tim, chuckling a little and resting a pale hand on his arm, "Maybe more than a little strange. Harmless though. What kind of animals are you good with, if I may ask? The Emperor, Maximus, has a number of exotic cats he is very proud of."

[cptdragon9]

Lucien’s laughter had a sobering effect on Tim. No, not fear; though the suave mutant would assume that the normal layman probably would have pissed his pants. No, the vibe Tim would have mostly associated with such strong feelings would have been….. arousal? Was the blood sucker getting turned on by Tim’s slight-of-hand?

Ew, he was going to have to wash his hands after he put those cards away…

“Oh I play lots of games,” just not any homo-erotic ones with vampires with a hard on for pain, Tim amended to himself as Sandra led him away.


"He's a little strange, but not a bad man." She assured Tim, chuckling a little and resting a pale hand on his arm, "Maybe more than a little strange. Harmless though.

Oh no. Lucien was Far from harmless. Of that Tim was absolutely sure.

What kind of animals are you good with, if I may ask? The Emperor, Maximus, has a number of exotic cats he is very proud of."

“Cats? I c’n do cats; though I’m more of a dog person myself,” Again he was speaking a truth, in his way. The science might have been a bit over her head to fully understand just what he was and he didn’t want her to think he was some sort of chimera; and least not the one of fable. Again it was need to know with this group.

He continued to expound, even as goose bumps ran up his arm at her touch. It had been a while since he’d been this sociable with the gentler sex, and the contact was neigh-enthralling. It took a bit of an effort to keep himself in check. “I’ve handled a few wild things. Big lizards, though I don’t think you got crocs this far north. A bit nippy fer ‘em, I think. I’m also a bit of a horseman, so if you’ve got a stable I can tend to them as well. Just consider me yer all-round handy man.”

He tried not to sound like that creepy caretaker from Rocky Horror, but he feared that he failed to suppress his own burgeoning sexual overtures. Heck he might well be talked into a set of fishnet stockings if “Janice” here were so inclined to give him a pair, provided she properly entertained him afterwards…

[themascura]

Sandra, smiled at Tim, idly watching the man's face. He looked relaxed, outwardly. There was something playing in his eyes, though, some emotion she couldn't quite name. Perhaps a mix of many. She led him away from Lucien's disturbing laughter, mentally noting to have a talk with the man later. She knew he didn't mean any harm, but he couldn't just go around terrifying the guests! He needed to tone it down a notch or twelve. That was later, though, for now, she focused on ushering Tim down the narrow hallway and up the cramped set of stairs, past the bare-board walls. She slipped up the steps and pressed carefully on the plane panel of the wall, shoving it open just enough to peek around inside, and then pushing it open the rest of the way.

"This way, please. I hope you aren't claustrophobic. It's an old passage way, I'm afraid." She stepped inside and smiled at Tim, glancing at the floor-to-ceiling she had just opened from the inside, "The boss will definitely have use for your veterinarian skills, I am certain. We don't really have too many lizards, I'm afraid, but he has quite the menagerie of exotic cats." She murmured, waiting until he stepped through and then carefully easing the mirror shut.

"The amber room is just upstairs." She promised, stepping away and smiling at him. He had a charming smile, she thought, listening to the sound of her own footsteps on the soft carpet and the quiet echo of Tim's heart around the library they had entered. It was ironic, she thought. Anyone looking for a secret passage in this room would likely immediately go for the hundred of bookcases, never thinking of the two or three large mirrors. Ingenious, but then, that was Maximus.

"Did you practice much, in your old life? Being a veterinarian, I mean. I know you told Lucien that you were in mergers and acquisitions before you came here. Were you a vet before that?" Sandra's blue eyes peeked at him over her shoulder and through her hair as she headed out into the grand hallway with it's beautiful walnut floors and satiny wallpaper. The wooden wainscoting gleamed all the way up to the second floor, glittering like the curly-que of a bannister.

[cptdragon9]

(also posted on the new site...)


"This way, please. I hope you aren't claustrophobic. It's an old passage way, I'm afraid."


The Rex wouldn't have minded at all being confined in a tight space with her, even though she was one of them. Dead, that is. This close to her it was pretty clear to his keen hearing that she had no heartbeat. Still it didn't dissuade him from being charming, and a little hopeful that she’d dump Lucien and sample life. He was game. He probably wouldn't mind giving a bit of his except he had no idea what his blood would do to these vamps. And he liked Sandra. A lot. Too much to risk vaporizing her or something else just as distasteful.

Maybe I should offer Lucien a mutant cocktail. He mused to himself.

For now he merely enjoyed squeezing along the passageway, drifting behind Sandra, picking up every feminine nuance she wafted in her wake. The whole secret passage thing piqued his curiosity further. Of course these older Victorian buildings were filled with little tidbits like this; the larger mansions riddled with double paneling and tricky architecture. Still it was nice to note the skill it took to mask the switches and paneling. Of course the hallway into the new section was just as impressive and filled with that wondrous earthy smell of wood.

He picked up the conversation as to his previous occupations, remembering that his “veterinary” skills had been honed in the field tending to his relatives and kinfolk injured on the battlefield. “In a manner of speaking. Not so much in an official capacity, but more often than not my skills were needed in stitching up a wound or administering medications. Most of the poor creatures were injured while in service. I did my best to soothe what ailed them at the time.” And to take vengeance on those that dared to harm them, he added to himself. His countenance drew solemn for a second or two as he briefly remember those years enmeshed in bloody warfare; the ire still bubbling at the atrocities wrought upon his people. Not that he wasn't exactly innocent when it came to war crimes himself, but he always held the position of ‘they started it first’. Perhaps childish now, but it still rubbed him the wrong way.

He shook his head to chase away those worries of long ago and bring his attention back around to the present, and after focusing his eyes on Sandra those horrid memories easily slipped back into obscurity. There was one thing that did give him pause as to the current arraignment, more as a curiosity. “So why does Maximus keep the big cats? Surely he’s not of the Romanesque vein of Ceasardom and feeds offending peons to the lions, does he?” He was pretty sure not, that said fearless leader kept them more as a curiosity or for aesthetic value; but then again this was virgin territory, or so he hoped in at least one case as he watched Sandra sashay her way up the staircase.