(no subject)

[sinful_minx]

Pepper had the night off, and she was enjoying the hustle and bustle of being on the streets without any place to go. Strolling along, she wasn't really paying much attention to anyone or anything for a change.

Before she knew it she was in the entertainment district, the clubs stretching for miles along both sides of the dark streets. She was stopped by a group of pale faced, leather clad goth wanna-be's in front of an old warehouse style dance club. Amused at first by the compliments and playful banter she flirted for a while. But the jokes soon got old, and the innuendos more and more obvious - and vulger. After a few minutes, however she was sick of the attitude, sick of their thinly disguised comments about her body and what they'd do with it. Leaning in to tell them she had to leave, she got a close look at one of the guys by street lamp light. Red eyes, pale flesh. Shit, a vamp. Or a poser with a really expensive pair of contacts. But she was betting on the vamp. And not one of Deacon's either. This was not a good thing. After all, none of Deacon's clubs were around here, and she was still blocks away from familiar territory. Making excuses, and pointing over her shoulder she backed up, and crossed the street and ducked into one of the small side bars.

A few minutes later she stood in the corner sipping her rum and coke, and listening to the music on the juke box. Turning her head, Pepper lifted her cellphone to call for a ride back to the penthouse. She never saw them follow in behind her.

Comments

[hail-king.livejournal.com]

Striking the que ball with the stick the pool balls scattered, not really going in, but King was not good at this game. Peering up from the table he spotted a familiar face walk in the door. Setting the pool stick down he decided to go say hello. Picking up his beer he noted the odd looking guys, he raised an eyebrow, not guys...vampires follow her in. Here he thought tonight was his night off.

Sliding into the chair next to her, King slipped his arm around her shoulder. Giving her a wink he raised his voice enough to make sure he was heard. "Hey beautiful, miss me?"

[sinful-minx.livejournal.com]

Closing the cell phone with a snap, she turned her head and blinked in surprise. "Talk about a sight for sore eyes" she bantered back, with a wink that matched his own. "Of all the places in the world and I just had to walk into yours. Must be fate and.. oh no." Her voice faltered as she noticed the three figures standing at the other end of the bar watching them.

They may not have recognised her, but she'd bet her last paycheck that they were familiar with the man sitting next to her. Hmm, this was turning out to be a very interesting situation. But how to turn it to her advantage?

"Oh no" she said, more quietly this time. "We gotta get out of here King, those guys over there, they're.. they're.." She gave a gulp, and looked at him, wide eyed.

[hail-king.livejournal.com]

King looked over his shoulder and wiggled his fingers at them. "Oh sugar I know what they are. Trust me, those aren't anything to be scared of."

Taking a drink from his glass, he grinned as he set it back down. "Been hit by bigger, meaner girls then that."

"What you doing in a place like this? Doesn't really seem your style

[sinful-minx.livejournal.com]

Her thoughts raced as he taunted the vampires, and she grinned at his audacity and his sense of humour. Damn it, if they weren't on the opposite sides, she might just get to like him. He sure was ballsy enough.

"What am I doing here?" She dropped her eyes. "I'm waiting for.. for a friend!" She said in a rush. "My friend Lily, Lily Eastman. That is, Lily Eastman Whistler. We just wanted a vacation, came to see the city to see the bright lights and plays and stuff. Plus she said she had family she wanted to look up while we were here." Pepper took a sip of her own drink, licking her lips after. She kept her eyes low, her voice quiet.

"We got seperated when she walked off with some guys that looked like them. Said they wanted to show us something special. They wanted me to come too, but I got the willies and said no." Slowly she spun her tale out, her voice getting softer, more scared sounding as she went.

"But I followed them, and she went in to their house but I never saw if she came out again".

[hail-king.livejournal.com]

He raised his brow "I know a couple Whistlers." King looked back at the three of them every now and then, just to keep track. "Guys like them? I know what they are how do you know?"

[sinful-minx.livejournal.com]

Her eyes met his, and she quirked a smile. "Nexus, hello. Met all kinds of people when I was there, bunch of different types. Good guys, bad guys, living and dead guys. Vamps and smart-assed vampire hunters for instance." She chuckled a bit and winked at him again.

"At first I thought that the guys who took off with Lily were just perverts. But their red eyes and the cold hands gave me a clue something was wierd, just put two and two together with what I knew the nexus."

[hail-king.livejournal.com]

"I like the sound of this smart ass vampire hunter...my kinda friend." He winked.

"So you think your friend got nabbed by vampires?" he glanced again at the trio "Vampires in really bad halloween makeup, or just vampires?"

[sinful-minx.livejournal.com]

"My kinda friend too, go figure." She gave the three vamps at the other end of the bar a dirty look before turning back to King.

"Um, what kind of vampires? Lemme think." Pepper stopped for a moment, closed her eyes. "Mostly just vamps I guess. Like they didn't care if people knew what they were or not. There were a couple really big guys, and a bleach blonde bitch, called herself Rachel, or.. Rach.. Raquel maybe? They were all out partying, said they had the night off from the club they worked at."

"A place called After Dark."

[hail-king.livejournal.com]

Nearly spitting his beer across the table he looked at her "Ex-fucking-cuse me? At the After Dark?" He gave her a concerned look "You don't hang out at that shit hole do you?"

It was a one way ticket to becoming lifetime member of the fang gang.

[sinful-minx.livejournal.com]

This time the shudder was real, and the look she gave him spoke volumes. "No way, not me. Don't go there, don't wanna go there. You wouldn't catch me dead in that place."

"Especially not with people like them working there. The whole thing sounds freaky in a really bad way."

[hail-king.livejournal.com]

"Well if I caught you in that place you might end up dead. Sometimes my aims off." He winked "So, tell me Pepper...you know everyone that works at the vampire club?"

[sinful-minx.livejournal.com]

"Not a problem." She takes a sip and starts drawing circles on the bar with a finger. "Just another reason not to go in there."

She looks at him funny. "I remember the people I met, not sure who all works at the club, or if it's all of them. But I remember where they live.. or.. exist? Sleep? Whatever it's called."

"I can find my way there again if I had to"

[hail-king.livejournal.com]

"Pretty girl like you shouldn't go looking for trouble like that." Leaning forward he rested his elbows on his knees. "Guys like me should do it for you."

[sinful-minx.livejournal.com]

She touched his arm lightly, just for a moment before pulling her hand back. "There were a bunch of them King. I'd hate to see you get hurt, or worse." She nods her head towards the three goth vamps at the end of the bar. "Those guys look tough, but believe me - this other crowd? Looked a whole lot worse. And they.."

Three goth vamps? There were only two standing there. The third was no where to be seen. Pepper swivveled her head left and right to try to find him and finally spotted the last one leaning against a table near the front door.

"They've split up. What the hell are they up to?" She asked, talking more to herself than actually asking King.

[hail-king.livejournal.com]

"Wounds heal sugar. Trust me, I have seen worse....probably theeeee worst." He stands up and glances down at her. "Hang back here kitten, I'll be right back."

Taking wide steps King heads towrds the one at the door. Reaching in his back pocket he pulls the stake out. Walking up to him with a big grin he chuckles. "You fuckers are creeping me the fuck out." Moving fast he stabbed the stake into the middle of his chest, retracting it as he fell into a pile. Flipping the stake in his hand he waved at the remaining two.

With a cocky raise of his brow King approached the two at the bar. He hears a hiss and falls to the floor as they knock him down running for the door. Getting up he grins and puts the stake away. Sitting back down at the table he takes a drink and smiles. "Fucking kids."

[sinful-minx.livejournal.com]

"Oh my god." She replied, admiration evident in her voice. "That was amazing." Pepper had never seen a staking, and was surprised by the ease in which he'd done it, and the speed in which King had moved.

"I would never have been able to do that. You.. wow." She waves over the bartender, who'd been mysteriously absent during the staking. "This calls for a drink. No really, I owe you one, it's the least I can do." She orders up another rum for her and another one of whatever he is drinking.

"And you're so casual about it, like it's no big deal that you've - in all likelyhood - saved my life."

Paying the bartender, she looks down into her drink then meets his eyes with her own. "Tell me, vampire hunter. Do you, well in your experience - you think Lily is still a-alive? I mean, should I try to get the police in on this and rescue her?"

[hail-king.livejournal.com]

"It's what I do, the manager here gets sick of them biting the regulars so he doesn't make a fuss if I stake a few."

Picking up the drink he grins "Thanks for the drink, but really it's not a big deal. I was a vampire and if I can stop it from happening to anyone else then it's what I am going to do."

With a shrug of his shoulders he leans back in his chair. "I don't know what to tell you about your friend. I can poke around a bit see what I can find out. But generally vamps do one of two things, eat people or turn them"

[sinful-minx.livejournal.com]

Interesting. Very interesting. "You were a vampire? Didn't know that, I mean you aren't one now though, right? I had no clue someone could come back from the dead like that. Or whatever it is."

She nodded, fingers tracing the rim of her glass. "If it's not too much trouble. I'd really appreciate it, you don't know how much. Want her back, safe and sound."

"And if she's dead, I'm gonna go to their house and kill them myself. I can do it, really! I think I can at least. I - I mean, someone's gotta pay if they've hurt her, you know?"

[hail-king.livejournal.com]

"For a certain breed of vampires there is a cure, very hard to come by. Lucky me someone saw something in me worth saving."

With a nod and a grin "Yeah, I'll check it out. Always got time to kill vampires."

He didn't mean to chuckle, but he did. Her courage was cute. Really cute. "No, you can't. I am sure you would put up a good fight, but you won't stand a chance. Just tell me where to find them and consider it done."

[sinful-minx.livejournal.com]

"Lucky me someone saw something in you worth saving." Pepper gave a quick grin, then sombered up again. Taking a napkin off the back of the bar, she started writing directions. "It's in Greenwich Village. One of the old brownstone houses near the corner of Hudson and Houston" (http://www.nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagePkey=439) streets. On the left hand side, looking towards a parking lot. You can recognise it by the windows that are blacked out on the forth and fifth floors. That plus the stairs to the front of the building are red, and all the other ones in that side of the street are grey or natural stone. It was strange, stood out for me. Don't remember much else worth saying though. I just went around the block a few times until I could recognise the place easily - those are the things that stood out."

Her shoulders slumped and she stared down into her nearly empty glass of alcohol. "Wish I could go and help too, you know? But I don't even know how to shoot a gun, not really. But you know, it can't be much harder than 'point and shoot' right?" Pepper looked up, deep blue eyes searching Hannibal's. "Fine, I'll stay away and let you do it. I promise." She crossed her heart. "Please stay safe King. I'd feel so bad if anything happened to you. And - and maybe you can let me know if you find Lily?"

"I can come back down here some night, or maybe if I had your cell phone number? It'd keep me from being worried about you too."

[sinful-minx.livejournal.com]

((ps, have been working evenings for nearly the whole week; haven't been able to get home until nearly midnight est. Sorry about the lateness of the replies))