The Dive – Thread 1 (Near the Bar)

[rhiannon_lee]

Rhiannon ordered a domestic beer because it was cheap and leaned against a pillar by the bar, her plastic cup full to spilling. She sipped at the foam. The place was a cave. It had dark ceilings with wooden rafters, a polished concrete floor, a few tables scattered in the vicinity of the bar, and an open space by the stage where a punk band played through the third song in a short set. The walls were covered in stapled flyers advertising everything from upcoming concerts to eyebrow waxing. On one side of the venue, there was an exit leading to a fenced patio where many of the smokers congregated.

Despite its grubby appearance and smell of old beer, Rhiannon liked the Dive because it wasn’t pretentious. It was a true hole in the wall for locals.

She watched a couple of people jumping around and dancing.

[Thread: Open to anyone]

Comments

[tiny_dancer81]

"Heh. Ha ha."

The vampire offered a slightly foolish smile when she said it, tucked some hair behind her left ear. The cup made another trip to her mouth, left a smaller amount of foam behind. Theresa wiped it away absently. Blondie was nowhere in sight. That was an improvement from last time. She could do without two Slayers in her face.

"I didn't know you girls went anywhere unarmed," she said, taking the words at face value. Thank Christ she'd fed before coming here tonight. "I guess this is my lucky night."

[rhiannon_lee]

"Well. Technically," She made a claw-like shape of her left hand, as if demonstrating that it was a weapon all by itself. "But if I twist your head off with my bare hands, people might notice." The cold beer washed down her throat. She looked behind the brunette, as if expecting to see the redhead from the elevator. But no, this wasn't the type of place you wore silk blouses.

[tiny_dancer81]

The diminutive vampire looked over her shoulder when the Slayer did, saw no one familiar, faced forward again. Conversation was difficult when the taller woman made her want to crawl over the bar and hide behind it until she was gone. The itch was that bad.

"Waiting on someone?" she asked semi-facetiously. Did Slayers date? That was weird to think about. Theresa tried to imagine Blondie with a boyfriend. On second thought, ew. She forced her expression to flatten out to hide the distaste.

"This must be your regular place to hang out. You seem to, uh, fit in."

[rhiannon_lee]

"Never been here in my life," said Rhiannon dryly. She briefly contemplated what it meant to 'fit in' someplace that smelled and looked like this. More blue collar humor at her expense, she supposed.

"This girl told me about it. Apparently it's one of the only places to hear live music around here that isn't saturated with Elvis impersonators."

She could literally think of nothing less appealing, and she had a creative imagination.

"And no, I'm not waiting on anybody. You?"

[tiny_dancer81]

"Nope, I'm stag tonight. I just read about the place, so I figured it'd be a nice hole in the wall to spend some time in."

The mention of Elvis impersonators made Theresa think of Holly, which made her expression threaten to sour, but she controlled the urge lest the Slayer think it was her. It was not her fault that Holly had problems. The vampire would rather have open hostility than fake nice bullshit.

"I don't guess you'd want to introduce yourself, would you?" she asked. "I know we're kind of on opposite sides, but fangs aside I'm basically harmless."

[rhiannon_lee]

"Stakes aside, I'm basically harmless, too," she said. "But fangs and stakes are a big deal."

Rhiannon watched the lead guitarist attempt a knee slide, only to get caught in his amp cord. Genius.

"Anyway, I remember from the elevator," she said, pushing off the pillar. "You're Theresa. I'm Rhiannon." She finished off her beer and leaned aside to toss the cup in a trash bin. "And you should avoid that redhead at all costs. I saw you checking her out. She'll get you dusted."

[tiny_dancer81]

"She was a fox. I've always had a thing for red hair."

Theresa said it without rancor, watched the guitarist untangle himself from his instrument's cord. She wondered idly if all Slayers had a wait-and-see policy, or if there were those who killed randomly, even humans. Maybe that one girl had been the exception and not the rule.

"The music must be better than the setting suggests," the vampire told Rhiannon, noting the bare-bones decor. Then again, all bands had to get their start somewhere. At least it wasn't over-run with tourists. "I didn't know there were places in Vegas that didn't use a million watts of electricity to show that the place is open."

[rhiannon_lee]

Rhiannon acknowledged that with a quirked mouth. The Dive seemed like a place that thrived on word-of-mouth. Even the sign out front was understated. You could drive past the bar and the only clue you'd have about it was the gaggle of mohawked patrons on the sidewalk. "The best shows I've been to were in places like this," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I think it's a good sign if management dumps all its money into booking bands. Although I gotta say, the bathroom could use an upgrade. I'd avoid the stall on the left, unless you're into cracked toilet seats and broken latches."

She thought about the 'fox' comment. There were times when Rhiannon wished she was temporarily blind so she wouldn't drool over every tattooed, long-haired troublemaker she saw. She definitely had a type. Cian wasn't it, and yet... As she thought about it, heat rushed onto her collarbone.

"Maybe it's time to experiment outside your type," she said, returning to the topic of sex. "Find a blonde cheerleader or something."

[tiny_dancer81]

Theresa made a noncommittal noise, sipped at her beer. She wasn't sure she had a 'type'. Men's bodies were okay in that they weren't repulsive to her, but she did prefer the softness of bellies and breasts if she wanted to feel good. If she was going to give up hooking, maybe she'd give up guys altogether. No one had to know she identified as straight.

"I am trying to turn over a new leaf," she told Rhiannon obliquely. She wasn't going to tell a Slayer what she did for money, if only because the other brunette would think it was typical. "But cheerleaders are too perky for my taste. Maybe, like, a poet or a musician. I can appreciate an artistic soul."

[rhiannon_lee]

Rhiannon was lighting a cigarette but she did a quick-take on that revelation, the slayer's cupped hand glowing orange in the low light of the venue. "Jesus," she mumbled. "Do we have the same taste in lays? I mean, genitals aside?"

She pulled the cigarette from her lips and rubbed at her eyebrow.

"Because I can speak from experience, they're rarely so artistic in bed as they are with a pen in their hand."

[tiny_dancer81]

Wow. That was even weirder to think about than the thought of a Slayer having a sex life at all. Theresa futzed with her hair with her free hand.

"I never know unless I try it, right?" she said, assuming a cheeky expression. "Girls usually know where to touch better than guys, anyway. It's a home court advantage thing."

The band currently on stage was wrapping up their set, and the crowd shifted and muttered as instruments were carried into the wings. A hole opened up, and Theresa used it to toss her empty cup into a trash can. Feedback whined through the microphone that remained, and someone with tattoos all over both arms and a braid of hair down to his leather-clad ass stepped up to it to adjust the height and blow into it.

"Next set's in ten minutes."

"Want another beer?" the vampire asked. Fuck it, why not? If they were going to discuss whether or not they had the same sexual tastes, she might as well buy Rhiannon a brew.

[rhiannon_lee]

Rhiannon took a contemplative breath. Share a beer with a vampire. Okay. It wouldn’t be the first time. She’d shared a hell of a lot more and walked away unscathed. It was always easier for her to hang around the enemy than an ally. What was with that? Well, screw it. This was no time to get reflective. “Alright.”

A DJ took over where the band left off, which kept the venue from plunging into ear-confusing silence. A track by New Order blared through the sound system. One band hauled equipment off and the next on. Local bands often didn’t have the cash to hire a bunch of roadies, so they moved their own equipment with a little assist from friends. A guy with dark, floppy hair began to set up a synth, while a lanky girl in overalls crouched next to an amp and fiddled with it.

Rhiannon headed into a gap at the bar before a restless crowd could fill it. She held their place with her body. “I would’ve jumped the fence a while ago, if I wasn’t so fascinated by men,” she said, picking up where they left off. Fascinated by her reactions to them, too. She always felt like being around them made her into a whole other person.