Pain is a Demon Magnet

[rhiannon_lee]

Tragedies left fingerprints on people and places. Death, pain, and sorrow all built up a psychic energy that outlasted any attempts at therapeutic intervention, any renovations made to physical structures. You could paint over smoke damage, tear up bloodied carpet, knock down an entire building and the atmosphere wouldn’t change. The ground itself pulsated with what came before. Such was definitely the case with the MGM Grand. No matter how many millions developers channeled into the hotel or what its new owners called it, the building remained the home of the worst disaster in Nevada history. Fire, smoke, and heights had pooled their resources to kill 85 people. The psychic juice was enough to bait the dead into spending quality time on the premises.

As Rhiannon sipped a drink in the lounge on the ground floor, she contemplated what she felt: A buzz in the top of her spine, a knowledge of otherness in the room, maybe a remnant of hell flexing its muscles, five years later.

And if the fuzzy police reports were to be believed, it was vampire central.

Just like them, she thought, to clamor over the echoes of tortured screams.

The outfit was a new purchase. Nothing in her duffel bag was up to the task. If you were going to hang out in a prime piece of Las Vegas real estate, you needed the right gear. She compromised on a tight pair of black trousers with a wide belt, a black top with lace overlay, a flared jacket, and heeled boots. An assortment of silver necklaces jangled when she stretched her neck.

Whistler thought he had whiplash?

You’re damn right, you’re paying the bill, she had grumbled upon finding the hospital costs covered.

Her elbow still felt like murder. Rhiannon hissed when she forgot and rested her weight on the bar.

[Thread: Open to Valerie]

Comments

[valerie_vause]

Either the Council was slipping and didn’t keep track of the whereabouts of the chosen girls, or they didn’t bother to pass on their information to the Watcher nearest to them. Valerie wasn’t sure how that made her feel. On one hand, she liked the way she could attend UNLV without being bothered. On the other, she’d been there for weeks, and apparently so had a Watcher. Maybe they just collected information from the sidelines. Though, she hadn’t bumped into anyone of that description yet. Either that was good or very bad.

“Yeah.” Valerie agreed, though she had no ambition to take on anyone. The rift between the two women was theirs. She shrugged lightly and pushed open the doors. One drink wouldn’t hurt.

[rhiannon_lee]

Rhiannon followed Valerie into the pub. There was a lot to catch up on if they were going to cohabitate in the city: biographies to swap, war stories to tell. It was nerve-wracking and an entirely new experience, but as the brunette took a seat beside the other slayer, she found herself in a surprising position.

She was hopeful.