War of the Ruins: Chapter Two

After the interesting start to the night, Mydra now sits in her office, looking over paperwork. The club is filled with dancers, and the music is good. With the new bartender doing his job, most everyone seems in high spirits.



Cici took his hand and allowed him to help her up. She glanced up at Lucian and nodded at him before looking back at Celtul. He seemed friendly enough. And he was sitting in her favorite spot. Without invitation, she sat at the bar and looked at the new bartender. "Where's Mickey?" she asked to no one in particular.

As the girl talked Celtul again held out his five, "I don't know who Mickey is, but I'm not quite sure you'll get an answer out of this guy. I haven't seen him speak since I've been here."

"The bartender," Cici said quietly. She pulled out her artkit and set it up on the bar. As she picked out her pencil, she turned and smiled at Celtul, holding out her other hand. "I'm Celedona. Though my brother just calls me Cici. I'm sure it's easier."

Lucian eyed Celtul and Cici. The girl was too trusting. He continued to play and turned his eyes on Khrystal, keeping time with her singing.

Celtul took her hand and gave it a formal shake. "Both are nice names. Nice to meet you Cici." After releasing her hand he set the five down after giving the "new" tender a look saying he wanted another drink. "So you're an artist?" He asked, eying all her notebooks and utensils. "What do you usually draw?"

Cici pulled out her folder of drawings and laid them out on the bar. She slowly flipped through them, showing him the carefully done portraits of Lucian, Mydra, Khrystal, Mickey, and others who were without names. She grinned at him. "Everyone in my family is an artist of some sort. I don't believe I got your name," she said with a smile.

"Oh! I'm sorry. Forgive my manners." Celtul shook his head at his own carelessness. "My name's Celtul. And those are very good. I try to draw something and it looks like cave drawings." He noticed that a couple of the people she had portraits of were in the bar and wondered if they were her friends, like the man on stage playing the guitar.

Mydra had spent the last twenty minutes on the phone, trying to find someone to bartender for her. Very few people were willing, until she came to Rafe. Rafe was a girl she's known, almost forever. But, girl isn't exactly what you'd call her. The girl was, part demon and at times it showed through. She informed Mydra she'd be there in three minutes. Standing, now done with her paperwork she headed back downstairs. Working her way over to the bar she eyed Aure. It was his fault she had to call in a replacement anyway. "You can leave as soon as Rafe gets here, but I want you back up here tomorrow, 4:00 sharp. That's 30 minutes before the bar opens. We need to talk about your having to leave, your pay, and I'd like to get to know you more before I give you an official job." Mydra glanced around and saw Cici talking to a customer. The young girl had talent in her arts, but she didn't seem head strong. Which is something a girl needs to get through in the world these days. The girls half demon, she should be more sure of herself.

Cici laughed. "Cave drawings? I'm sure they're better than that." When she spotted Mydra, she waved. "Where's Mickey?" she asked Mydra, eying Aure with a sense of uncertainty and distrust.

Aure raised an eyebrow at Cici's look, but nodded, somehow directing that at Mydra. His hand shot out next to Cici's head and carefully snatched one of her pencils from the hand of a drunken man who had picked it up with the intent to stab the drunken man he was slurring obscenities at. As the two drunkards were dragged away by a bouncer, Aure leaned on the bar, laying her pencil back with the others, and pointed at the floor just behind the bark, where a lifeless Mickey sat. No one had removed him, so, Aure had picked him up and leaned him back against the bar, mostly out of sight. Once he was sure Cici got it, he stood again and went back to work. "I don't need pay," he said suddenly to Mydra. "Or an official job."

Reading Aure's face Mydra shook her head. "He's a rare breed of drow. I couldn't just dispose of him the normal way. I had to call in a friend who lives down in Branson. It's a four hour drive. They should be here shortly." Just then there was a ruckus outside. "Rafe must be here." Since the war she stopped hiding her horns and tail so most people freaked. At that moment a beautiful blond walked in through the doors, tail swigging behind her. Spotting Mydra easily Rafe hurried over and kissed her on the cheek. "Ello, love. I'll be off to tend to the ba' now." Her English accent practically dripped from her tongue.

Aure barely managed not to keep his surprise from his face. He was used to humans, but demons always managed to distract him a bit. He grabbed his things and left from behind the bar, coming over to address Mydra before he left. "I'll be back though," he assured her stoically. "If you need me to."

"Yes, please." Pulling a business card from her back pocket she handed it over to him. "You have any questions, the club's number, my house number, and my cell number are on there. If you can't get in touch with me through phone, just drop by, I live on the third floor of this building." Mydra's head turned at the screeching noise that started the next song. She alway got a headache from this one.

Cici watched Aure go, her eyes following him. She looked at the lifeless form of Mickey, then turned to Mydra, a sad look in her eyes. "Not again," she said. Picking up her art kit carefully, she stowed most of it away, only keeping out that which she was using.

Celtul waited patiently as Cici talked to the other people. Then his eyes showed a bit of shock when the tenders hand shot out to take her pencil back. He was very quick. Once it seemed that their conversations were done he began talking to Cici again. "Ok, so maybe not cave drawings, but not much better."

Lucian stood up and walked over to the mic, suddenly shifting songs. He played the first few chords of a slower song as Khrystal moved aside. With his voice, he could sing this song perfectly. "I don't mind where you come from / as long as you come to me. / But I don't like illusion / I can't see them clearly." Quite a few pairs of dancers stayed on the floor.

Cici grinned again. "I've never met anyone who couldn't at least draw a stick figure." As the song changed, she looked up at the stage, seeing her brother at the mic. "I love this song," she said quietly. Her eyes then traveled to the pairs of slow moving dancers and she sighed, then went back to her drawing.

Celtul caught her look made a quick decision. "Would you like to dance? That is if you can stand to dance with someone covered in jack." He grinned impishly. It looked as if he may get a dance or two still, even though he smelled like a brewery.

Looking at him with a grin, Cici nodded. "Yes. And don't worry. My brother comes home smelling like worse sometimes." She gestured at Lucian, who was watching them from where he was.

Celtul nodded to her brother then took Cici's hand and led her to the dance floor. Once there, he took her right hand with his left, put his right half way between her hip and her armpit and began dancing, taking the lead. "Forgive me if I mess up, but it has been ages since I danced." It was in fact, entirely possible for him to mess up a slow dance, most likely by stepping on her feet.

A small smile came to Lucian's face as he saw Cici dancing. She was too shy to ask anyone, which meant someone asked her. "Go ahead tell me you'll leave again / You'll just come back running / holding your scarred heart in hand / it's all the same."

Cici grinned up at him as he led. She glanced down at her feet once, then concentrated, shifting them into her more graceful and natural demon form. The blue marble faded midway up her calf. Cici followed Celtul's lead, keeping her feet out of his way.

The dance was going well, Celtul slowly getting his feet back after a hundred years without a dance. "Thank you for the dance by the way." He grinned down at her as they slowly circled on the dance floor.

Mydra looked at Khrystal and shook her head. With that Khrystal stopped and shut off the mic. They'd been playing for almost 2 hours straight. It was time Khrystal got a break. Waving her over Mydra turned to Rafe and sighed. "Get her a nice tall glass of ice water, and my a rum and coke." Rafe nodded and watched Mydra for a moment. "Lucian still buggin' ya about playin' her'?" When all Mydra did was look at her, Rafe let out a beautiful laugh. "Girl, we're gonna have a problem with 'im." Rafe shook her head and set the two drinks down in front of Mydra and got back to work. Khrystal sat down beside Mydra just then and took a long gulp of her water. "Thanks, Mya." Khrystal was one of the very few that still used her pet name, Mickey was the other. Her face saddened only slightly at the thought of Mickey, then she put back on her "poker" face.

Lucian finished the song, then started up another song with a heavier beat. He sang as well as played, letting Khrystal have her break.

Once the slower song finished, Cici smiled at Celtul. "Thank you for asking me. No one's ever done that before."

Celtul stood back from her a step or two. "Really? Then I am honored to be the first." He gave her a formal bow, bending at the waist. "I think I am going to go sit down for a bit now, however. I don't think I can dance to this beat." He motioned to the stool he had been sitting at before, which was somehow still vacant. "That, and I'm a bit thirsty."

With a grin, Cici headed back to the bar. "Me too," she said quietly. Once she reached the bar, Cici practically stood on her chair to reach over the bar and fill a glass of water.

As she reached over the bar, Celtul leaned over and attempted to get the tenders attention.

Lucian paused in his singing for a moment, continuing to play. He stepped back and looked at one of the bouncers. "Can you ask Mydra to make sure Cici isn't drinking?" The bouncer nodded and hurried off to tell the owner.

Cici grinned at Celtul. "I don't think she's paying attention, Celt." She sat down in her chair, taking a drink of her water.

"I'm not her mother. She's old enough to do what she wants." Mydra massaged her temples. Rafe went around collecting money and giving out people orders. Once Celtul caught her attention she walked and smiled. "Can I gitcha somethin?"

"Jack and coke, half and half please." After ordering, Celtul looked at Cici. "Celt, huh? Already giving me a nickname?" He grinned impishly, obviously teasing her. "Not many are that brave."

Lucian looked at Mydra, then gave up, continuing to play until Khrystal rejoined him on the stage. She moved to the mic and took up singing.

Cici paused for a moment until she realized he was joking. "Not many are brave enough to continue to talk to me after they find out I'm friends with the people who work here. And no one has been brave enough to ask me to dance." She picked up her art book and sat back in the stool, tilting slightly with her knees up so she could look at Celtul. Her pencil started moving quickly.

Celtul, seeing her pencil start moving, figured she was drawing him and instantly thought of striking a "dashing" pose. He quickly thought better of it however, and simply stood there. "Are you drawing me now?"

With a small nod, Cici continued drawing. "Hope you don't mind." Her hands moved quickly, getting the outline first, so she could fill in the other details later. Once the outline was done, the hard part was over. She penciled in the outline of his eyes and paused, looking up at him. For a moment, her face flashed blue, then settled down again.

Celtul stood still as Cici's pencil scrathced at the paper. "Do you normally draw people you've just met?" He laughed out loud for a second as he remembered the drink that had been spilled on him. "Are you going to include the stain from my drink in that?" Celtul pointed at the light brown spot on his chest, a grin spreading on his face. "Then again, it may add character."

Lucian signaled to Mydra quickly, making the sign of 'what time is it'. He glanced at Khrystal and the dancers, but he needed to get going soon. He had to be up early for the radio station and didn't want to be too late home.

Cici grinned. "No, I don't normally draw people I've just met. Yes, I'm including the stain." She laughed. "Just because you asked."

"Well, title it.... Stain en Repose?" Celtul chuckled and then looked around for the bar tender. His drink still hadn't arived, and he was getting thirsty. "So, do you put these up anywhere. In a gallery uptown maybe?" He quickly shuffled through his memory of the streets and realized that he really had no idea if a gallery even existed in this town.

Cici paused in her drawing, staring at Celtul as Rafe dropped his drink off. She blinked, then looked back at her paper. "No. They aren't put up anywhere." She didn't bother to tell him that she wasn't as sure of her art as everyone was. Her pencil started moving again, but more slowly now.

Mydra looked up at the clock and yawned. Five minutes to closing time. There were only a few people left, all the regulars knew then she closed her doors, so they normally cashed in early. Mydra signaled to a bouncer and he hurried over to her. "Start hailing the taxi's. Most of the people who are left are to drunk to drive. I don't want them out on the roads." The bouncer nodded and headed towards the exit. Khrystal noticed her signal and ended the song. Turning of the mic, she began to pack up the stage.

"Well, personally, I think they should be." He looked around as he noticed sudden drop in noise as people began filing out the doors. "And it looks like this bar is about to close out, so I suppose I'll have to get going now." With that said, Celtul again bowed from the waist, left a tip for the bartender and the smiled at Cici as he walked to the door. "Bye."

Cici waved at Celtul. "Bye, Celt." She packed up her things and walked over to the stage where LC was.

Lucian finished helping pack up the stage and gestured at Cici to follow him. He moved to Mydra and smiled. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. You guys go ahead. Hiro will be here any second to pick my up. I'll make sure one of the bouncers stays behind until he gets here." Not like she needed the protection, but Hiro insisted on it most days. Mydra Glanced over at Rafe and nodded as the girl strolled out the door.

"Oh excuse me madam," said a polite male voice near the door. Hiro stepped back against the door to let Rafe out, as he had opened the door just as she made it to the other side to leave. He nodded a very polite goodbye before he looked inside, letting the door close behind him. When he saw Mydra, he smiled and it was like his sharp but alluring eyes were for no one but her. "I'm sorry," he apologized, just to be polite. "Am I early?" He walked to the bar, each step smooth and nearly soundless. He had incredible poise and, when he did arrive early, most women went swooning for the young aristocrat. What he wanted with a club owner, they didn't know, and they were always mad about it. That never deterred Hiro, however, and he never strayed from Mydra. He really was the perfect boyfriend, both in standing and actions.

Mydra glanced up at the sound of a familiar voice. When her eyes met Hiro's a shiver ran up her spine. "Not at all. I was just going to wait outside for you." Glancing over at the remaining bouncers she smiled. "You guys can head home. Thanks for staying after!" Walking over to Hiro she gave him a once over. She still didn't understand why out of all the people in the world, he had chosen her.

Hiro just smiled at her charmingly and slipped an easy arm around her waist. "You know I don't like you waiting outside," he said to her gently, showing he wasn't angry. "No matter who you might have had wait with you," he added as if reading her mind. "So I endeavor to always be on time, so as to make sure you arrive home safely." He bought his free hand up to touch just under her chin lightly, his eyes locking on her with his naturally hypnotic stare for a moment. "I couldn't bare it if you were harmed in any way." He had an honest voice, one that made your hear ache to hear sadness in it, one that comforted you from the very first word, with a completely natural grace. He blinked, seeming to break that trance he almost induced with eye contact, and the gaze softened.
Lucian took Cici's hand once they were outside, leading her down the street, away from the club. They reached home in little time. LC went straight to bed. He had to be up early in the morning and though he was a half-demon, he still needed a little rest.

Cici sat on the couch in the small loft that was above the radio station. It was only a block from the club in one direction and the school in the other. She pulled out her art book and started the last few lines in Celtul's picture. She fell asleep on the couch, her notebook in hand, the pencil on the floor where it had slipped from her grasp.

Mydra had another shiver run down her spine. Shaking her head she glanced into his eyes and blushed. "So I take it, I'm staying with you tonight? Because the last few nights have been lonely."

The arm around her waist tightened into a small hug before he began leading them out of the now empty club. "That is why I had you move some of your things to my home, dear," he told her kindly as he let go only to hold the door open to the back seat of the black car. "So that you may stay there if you wished. You know you are always welcome, and it does set my mind at ease to know you are safe."