The room was dark and vibrated with the music. The opening band knew its way around a minor chord, that was for sure. The floor was packed with thriving bodies, thankfully packed tightly so as to leave the lounge areas free for those who needed to drink, rest, or socialize. It was too loud, for most, disorienting to most of the room, but among them, there were few who made no note of the intensity. The bartender was handing out drinks at an unnatural speed, not that those at the bar were minding. There were a few lingering in the lounge areas that attracted anyone they looked at. All of this combined to create the perfect atmosphere of darkness that attracted a staggering crowd, but deterred the cops from entering.



One man had made his place in one of the stuffed leather couches that hung off to the side of the dance floor, practically oozing everything that this scene was, having so long ago moved on, adapted, from what he had been. Every period had to be adjusted to and he embraced it with a deep, innate need to survive. He had one leg laid on the other cushions, the other hanging loosely toward the floor, enjoying the comfortable torn jeans he wore. Exposed arms rested on the arm of the couch and the back as he watched, smiling, the crowd enjoy themselves. A few more songs and it'd be time to go, but for now, he was simply deterring girls with nothing other than awesomeness. He was glad they were too in awe to approach him. As much as he liked the scene, under his shirt lay a few bruises courtesy of the police. He had been accused once again, not that they found anything. It made him want to laugh. Instead, the young man, Benny as they called him, rested here, eager to be in the spotlight again. He and his partner were the epitome of 'hidden in plain sight'. Speaking of, where was that girl?

As the band came to a finish with there song, a beautiful woman stepped on stage to talk to the lead singer. Most considered her a goddess. Her beauty was unbelievable, almost impossible. But to some, that was a threat, even a red light to stay away. There was no way a woman that gorgeous could be nice also. Well, damn if they were right. Fox could be a bitch when needed. "Krys, after another song, go ahead and take a break. We may play a song, or we may just turn on the DJ. I haven't decided yet, I'll have to talk to the boys." The singer nodded as Fox turned and walked away. She loved being the only girl in her band, problem was, she grew to overprotective of her boys. Benny especially. Benny and her grew up together, almost from birth. Hell would freeze over before she let some horny as human get close to him. Glancing around she spotted Benny in all his glory and her eyes softened slightly. Heading over to him, she plopped down in his lap and purr. "Hey stud, how's about takin' a young girl for a spin on this nice body of yours?" Rain, Adder, and Lynx, the other boys in the band had to hold back there laughter so as not to attract attention to the scene.

Without seeming to care about the dancers and people that were practically moshing on the dance floor, a solitary figure made her way across the room to the bar. Though she looked much too young to be in this sort of crowd and had a guitar strapped to her back and a messenger bag hanging on her left hip, she spun slightly to the music. Aleia had her way blocked by a few people still, and she stopped for a moment. One winked at her and approached, taking her hand and twirling her into a dance despite the objects she was protecting. A mischievious grin flashed across her face and she spun, her long hair twisting about her body. Hips moving seductively, she started dancing with the male. Dip, spin, twist, arms moving in the air, wrapping around him one moment, then in the air the next. She stopped dancing once she was close enough to the bar and set her things down, turning a fluid circle back to the dance floor. Aleia laughed, a silvery sound that slipped out. "Sorry, guys, but I have other things to do." She picked up her stuff in one hand and went over to the lounge. Seeing the woman in a man's lap and other's nearby, she couldn't really decide if she wanted to approach. Instead she set her things down, her guitar case hitting the floor, and looked at the group, one hand on her hip, the other casually at her side. "I'm looking for the band that plays here."

The woman of the group met the eyes of the stranger. The look she gave Aleia was not friendly in the least. "Your looking at them. What do you need?" Fox looked at her with boredom. Rolling her eyes she glanced over at Adder who was eying some chicks ass. Grabbing one of the pillows that lay on the couch she threw it at Adder's head.
He snapped around and blushed brightly. "Thanks, baby, I was lost in my own little...um...fantasy."
Lynx sighed gently and got more comfy in his chair. "Shut up man, I was sleeping."

Angel had been sitting up at the bar on one of the tall, leather covered stools, leaning over on her elbows on the counter, ringing her finger around her glass of gin. She looked out the corner of her eye to the girl with the guitar that just sidled up to the band. She laughed and looked up to the ceiling, staring at the old mirror above the bar, "Wow, what nerve some people have," she said as she laughed and stood up from her chair, sliding her right hand into her right pocket and walking up to the band and leaned up aainst the couch next to Adder, looking down at him with a death glance in her crystal blue eyes, as her simple way of attempting a "Stare and die" communication to him. She leaned back on the couch, folding her arms across her chest, she remained quiet, wanting to listen to the conversation.

Benny chuckled at Fox's attack on their band mate and shook his head a little at their antics before turning his head to address Aleia. He was just as relaxed as ever, though his arm had moved to lay around Fox's back, but he otherwise seemed unconcerned to have a lap full of woman. "Yeah hun, what do you need?" he asked the girl with the guitar case. He had a much friendlier tone than Fox had used. How could such opposites sit so close together? You'd think they'd hate each other.

With a smile at Benny, Aleia shifted to her other leg. "I'm looking to play for someone around here. I'm not sure who I should be talking to here." Her tone was one of innocence and confusion, though she was far from confused. Her smile was all for the men of the band, but her eyes rested on Fox, who she tagged as the one in charge. "My name's Aleia, but my friends call me Al. Or at least they would if I had any." Her hand went to her hip and her other picked up her guitar case. "I can audition, if you need me to."

Getting comfy on her boys, Fox laid her legs along Rain's lap and absentmindedly he began to massage her caves.
Adder looked over at Angel with a blank stare. "Excuse me, may I help you, ma'am?"
Lynx snorted and covered his mouth. Not being able to sleep any longer he reached over and grabbed his drink. Taking a big chug of it he sighed with relief. "Mmmhmm."
From a few tables away a couple men were staring over at the band. But when someone took a double take they were staring at the Goddess of the band herself, Fox. Lynx looked over at the table and snarled. "Avert your eyes, pricks!" The men snapped out of there trance and went back to there drinks.

Noticing their dear leader Fox wasn't going to answer, Benny addressed Aleia again. "I'm sorry, but we have everyone we need here. Good luck on your search for work though." He smiled at her, not noticing how charming he was, but to the rest of the world, all the members of the band each had a little quirk that made them equally very hot, but very different from one another. Normally, they might have just been regular people, but with their fame, they stuck out as spectacular. Ridiculous really. Benny's particular 'charm' suited his position, or came from it, he wasn't sure. He was the sweet guy, always in the background, always the best man, never the groom type, but happy go lucky anyway. Fox's charm was her near-dominatrix attitude toward the band, mostly Benny, not that the guys ever seemed down. Rain was artsy, Adder was the bad boy, and Lynx was the absent minded, easily pliable kind (well, not really, but the fans didn't need to know that). "We have an open mic night, once a month or so, our manager sometimes brings friends. You should try that if you like," he offered, not wanting to leave the girl with nothing.

Aleia sat her guitar back down, not seeming down at all. She shrugged and smiled. "I just might have to. Got enough money to stay around here for awhile. In the meantime..." She looked over at the dance floor. "Any of you guys know how to dance? The ones I met on the floor didn't know what they were doing at all." She winked over her shoulder at the guys.

Fox stood and frowned down at the girl. "Actually, we have to start setting up. These guys are going to take a break so we can play." Grabbing Benny's hand she winked at him and smiled. "Let's go big boy!" Adder jumped to his feet and hooted. "Let's go!" Lynx and Rain climbed to there feet and all three headed off towards the stage.

Angel shrugged and turned to Aleia, reaching her hand out, "Name's Angelique, but you can just call me Angel. Play a bit of keyboard myself. The guys around here don't dance much either."

Al grinned over at Angel and took her hand. "So I noticed. Do you dance? I don't like to dance alone." Her head was tilted ever so slightly, so she was looking at Angel through her lashes. Aleia let loose a small smile.

As soon as Al gripped her hand, Angel's hand felt as if it were burning. Grinning to hide the pain, she nodded, realizing Al was most definatly a demon. "Yeah, I dance. Sounds like you have an idea on your mind?"

"What's up my fellow night owls?!" Benny called out from the center might on stage. He was giving the crowd a rather mischievous grin, his eyes only sparkling more at the roar of a cheer he received. "That's what I like to hear! Who missed us? Yes you missed us! We are happy to be here again and I see you're happy we're here too. So let's get this party started right. Fox, please come take center stage!" The crowd roared again and Benny left the mic, grinning at Fox as he walked back to his drum set and took up his sticks, ready to beat out some frustration.

Fox walked onto stage. Walking by Lynx and Adder she high fived them and approached the mic. Smiling out at the crowd she began singing. Moments later the band kicked in and began playing along with her. Her voice was smooth and loud. Most of the men in the crowd were staring up at her, luckily none of them were drooling. Sometimes it amazed her that the humans didn't realize she was a Fae creature.

Al looked over at Angel, a smile on her face. "You wanna dance? I can dance to that." She pulled Angel out to the dance floor, nearly to the middle, and started dancing, throwing her arms up in the air, letting go of Angel's hand. The guys around them stared at Al for a moment, and she flashed them flirtatious grins.

Angel smiled daintily as she was pulled out onto the dance floor, letting the music come to her and to take her away as she started in with Al in dancing.

Fox and the band had sung two more songs. Once the last one finished the owner of the club climbed up onto the stage and whispered something into her ear. Fox smiled devilishly and patted him on the cheek. "No worries." Turning back to the mic she cleared her throat. "Mmm, excuse me. If there is a bartender by the name of Angel still on the dance floor, your needed back behind the bar where you belong. And of course your boss would like you to get your ass back to work. Thank you. And to all you fans out there, we're going to take a quick break and grab a bit to eat. Enjoy." Rain came over to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Such a nice person, you are." Kissing her temple he smiled and walked them off the stage. "Yeah, well bitch needs to do her job instead of fornicating with the customers." Lynx came up and smacked her ass and grinned. "Well if she can't fornicate, then can I?" Rain rolled his eyes as Adder smacked Lynx in the back of the head.

Benny chuckled at them both and stepped up, putting a companionable arm around Lynx's shoulders. He waved at the others as he led Lynx backstage, pretending to want to show him something, but he knew his friend would know something was wrong. Once out of sight of the club, Benny grabbed his shirt and hauled the man up against the wall, a few inches off the ground. It helped that Lynx was light for his size, due to his species, but Benny could lift him even if he was normal. "You never touch Fox in such a disrespectful way again. Do I make myself clear?" he said, glaring at Lynx, his voice low and dangerous. They may be friends, but nobody touched Fox without her permission, and Benny took up being her personal body guard long ago.

Pausing in her dance, Aleia looked at Angel. "That isn't you, is it?" She giggled and continued dancing, a smile on her face and her hips moving enticingly. She glanced over at the band members and winked once at the guys before turning to Angel. "Do you want a drink or something?"

Angel, a small petite little halfelf walked up to the bar and grumbled slightly. Just then the boys and Fox walked over to the bar and ordered there usual drinks, Hypnotic for Fox, Jack for Rain, and Brandy for Adder. Fox sat down quietly and watched Lynx stumble from behind the stage. He looked pale and jumpy. God, not again...Lynx was only playful, but he seemed to take it over board a bit.

Angel laughed lightly and smiled, "Nah, though it is funny how many bartenders around here are named Angel. I mean, I work for a joint just a little bit down the road. But yeah, I could go for something to drink."

Making her way over to the bar, Al leaned on it with her elbows so her butt was sticking out slightly. She looked at the bartender and pulled a twenty out of her pocket. "Two white russians!" she said quickly to the bartender. Aleia really hoped that the bartender believed she was old enough. Despite looking like a teenager, Al was actually much older.

Angel slowly walked up to the bar behind Al, glancing her right hand off Al's hip before spinning around behind her and twirling right into the barstool directly to her left. She smiled and gave a soft laugh and she sat there, resting her hands on her knees, looking down at Al.

The bartender looked Al up and down before taking her money. Going over to the register he took out the change and handed it back to her. Most people thought his name was Angel, but it wasn't. Angel is what he is and what everyone calls him by. His real name is Raphael. He is the Angel of Healing. Finishing up Al's drinks he slid them back over to her and smiled. "Enjoy."

Al smiled at the bartender and took the drinks. "Thanks, love." She handed one to Angel. "Hope you like Kalua," she said innocently before taking a drink of the concoction.

Angel smiled and picked up her glass before taking a small drink of th alcohol. She wasn't the biggest fan of Kahlua, but she wasn't going to complain. It was her night off, and for once, instead of mixing the drinks, she got to drink them.

Weaving through the crowds, Benny followed Lynx to the bar with the others. He looked like nothing had happened as he leaned against the counter next to Fox. There was no free seat, but he didn't feel like sitting. He ordered straight vodka, ignoring the glass when it arrived in favor of talking to Fox. "Hey, can I go mingle with some fans without you slashing them apart with your tongue?" he asked. He always preferred to keep Fox in a good mood. Not only were her bad moods, understatedly, unpleasant, he just didn't like them. A happier Fox was better for everyone involved. He could stand her wrath, and would withstand it, but they could lose fans, and had, from her lashing out at them. Not that he cared if they lost fans. It meant nothing to him, but the whiney manager and simpering girls... well, they were just annoying, and he didn't like annoyances. Yes, it was better if Fox was happy. "I promise to keep it in my pants," he added with a slight grin. They both knew Benny had been more or less celibate since they had met, and completely so in the past hundred years or so. Still, Fox hated the other girls that would approach him, regardless how little he was interested in them. So, he always made the effort to comfort her.

Fox had ordered herself a Rum and Coke, but as she looked down she realized there were two glasses sitting in front of her. One was empty, and the other was half way there. Looking over at Benny as he spoke to her, she shrugged gently. "Sure, just don't bring any back over here." Rubbing her temples she leaned her head against Rain's shoulder. He looked down at her and patted her shoulder. "Poor little Fae. Maybe you shouldn't drink tonight." At the start of the night Fox had complained about her visions, now they were just blurry pictures, causing her a sever migraine. "I'll be fine. Why don't you guys go and enjoy yourselves." Rain instantly knew something was wrong when she didn't care if they went to hang around the girls. Rain met Adder's glance and sighed gently. "Foxy, maybe we should go home..." Adder's voice trembled slightly with his unease. "No!" Fox shot up straight and hopped down off her bar stool. "I'll be fine." With that she headed off into the crowd.

Benny gave a heavy sigh, watching her disappear before looking at the other members. "Just keep and eye on her," he said, his tone saying he wasn't just ordering them, he was ordering himself. He may be the closest to her, but they all protected their Fae. He gave them all a long suffering look as a simpering young woman, probably barely old enough to drink, came up to him and insisted that he should dance with her for she was really good and would be gentle. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he nodded and followed her, a smile trying to play with his lips, and it probably came out shy, but truthfully it was just tight with displeasure. He made sure to search the crowd and catch Fox with his eyes, never letting her leave his sight. No matter who dragged him into a dance or where he was, he found her.

Fox had found her way into the arms of one of her admirers. His name, she wasn't sure of but she wasn't sure of much in her state. Her new found friend was busy nibbling on her ear as one of his friends was busy telling her a joke. Once the joke was over she burst out laughing, even though his words had gone in one ear and out the other. Since her time joining them they had steadily continued to buy her drinks, so she was even more out of sorts then she would normally have allowed. Rain her walked over and tried pulling her away from them some time ago, but that hadn't gone over well. He didn't want to make a scene so he had left her be. Fed up with how she was being treated and acting he headed over to Benny and growled. "We need to get her away from them and get her home. That man is hanging all over her..."

Benny didn't need any more go-ahead. He had barely needed that. He had been staring at Fox the whole time and as he set off toward her, it was almost like he never even heard Rain. He certainly hadn't acknowledged the man. He stepped up to the men and his o-so-drunk friend and smiled cordially. "Hey, how's it going? Just came to get Fox. Friends don't let friends who wear real fur, associate with polyester." He grinned at them and it was cruel for a moment as he grabbed Fox and hauled her up into his arms, ignoring any protest.

"Oh, hi Benny. Meet my new friends..." Suddenly she was swooped up into his arms and went a little blurry eyed. "Ow...be gentle." Her stomach began to quake. "Benny...I need to use the restroom." Laying her head against his shoulder, she closed her eyes and tried to drown out all the peoples thoughts that were running through her head.

They were at the bathroom sooner than they should of been, as if Benny had anticipated her need and headed that way even before she said she needed it. He ignore the women who panicked then, seeing who it was, began to primp themselves and try to gain his attention, regardless of the drunk band-mate in his arms. He carried her to an empty stall and carefully set her down before making sure all her hair was out of the way, which he held back himself.

Fox began to do her business. The sickness didn't last long but her head and stomach hurt even worse after she had emptied it. Sighing, she leaned back against Benny's legs and looked up at him. "I'm sorry. Are you mad at me?"

Benny shook his head as he let go of her hair, stroking it gently now. "No," he said softly. "No, I suppose I'm not." It was true, too. Bernard had been a demon of war, a monster, they had called him, but since he saw this angel, this Fox, he had been hooked. No matter how much she proved she wasn't innocent, he still saw her as such, and he was always devoted to her, her own person guard dog, even if she was the one with the bark. He gave her a little smile. "Ready to head home?"

"How's about taking one of us home, eh, Benny?" a simpering voice cooed behind him. Benny didn't look back. "We could show you are real good time..-"

Fox launched to her feet and was out of the stall in seconds. "I may be intoxicated, but I can still beat the shit out of your scrawny, loose body!" Rage flared in her eyes as she heard the disgusting things the little sluts were thinking. "I swear to god if you don't get your mind off my drummer I'll rip your fucking throats out."

There were some high pitched squeals of fear as some girls hurried from the bathroom, while the rest gave half-assed looks of challenge, but they wavered, faded, and disappeared quickly and they hurried out as well. Arms encircled Fox's waist and Benny rested his chin on her shoulder. "There there now... No need to scare the ducklings love-" His hand moved up and a finger touched under her chin to turn her face to his grinning one, his eyes mischievous but kind. "They'll never grow up, unlike you, pretty swan."

Fox flinched slightly at being compared to something so elegant a beautiful. Looking into his eyes she smiled softly and shrugged. "Sorry. Let's go home. We need to let the guys know I'm okay." Sighing gently she leaned against Benny, feeling tired and drained. Inhaling deeply she walked out of the bathroom and looked around.

---

Al had watched the scene from the bar until Benny had disappeared into the ladies room. She almost managed to not smile at the sight. "I'm starting to think that these people around here have real problems," she said to no one in particular. Turning and setting her glass on the counter, she glanced at her guitar and frowned. She wouldn't have a chance to play here, that much was clear, but at least she could attempt to get completely hammered, which never worked but was worth a try.

Angel meagerly set down her glass, looking to Al, who she recognized as being sad. There wasn't much Angel could do, so she sat there, looking down at her glass for half a minute or so before pushing the glass away. She was a keyboard player herself, though she didn't get much chance to play.

Standing suddenly from the bar, Aleia walked over to one of the guys at the bar. She wasn't sure which band member this was, but he was attractive enough. "Hey, do any of you guys dance besides the one who disappeared?" she asked playfully.

Lynx looked over at the girl and winked. "I dance." Hopping off his stool he strode over to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Adder growled slightly but kept quiet, Rain was the one who protested. "You should be worried about Fox, not dancing with some strange woman." Just then Rain's eye caught a moment coming from the bathroom, "Ah, there she is..." He hurried over to her and placed a hand on her cheek, gently rubbing her cheek. "How are you?"

Fox cleared her throat and smiled gently. "Tired...but better. Don't ever let me do that again." Adder came up to her side just then and kissed her head. "Oh don't worry, we wont."

Al grinned at Lynx. "Name's Aleia. There, now we ain't strangers." She spun in his arms once they reached the dance floor, wrapping her arms around his neck as she danced seductively around him. Her hips swayed in time with the music and she grinned, finally happy enough to let loose an actual smile.

"Fox, we never let you do anything," Benny told her kindly as he kept an eye on Lynx. Elves could be a real pain in the ass, as everyone found them sooooooo attractive. It made him want to roll his eyes. The only people ever attracted to his natural charm were either really stupid or really scary. Except for Fox of course. Thinking of her, he addressed her again. "You just kind of... do it, even if we try to stop you. Anyway, let's get you home before your admirers want some alone time with you." He grinned slightly but was already leading her to the door.

Fox gagged slightly and shook her head. "Admirers my butt. Those men were pigs, I was just to stupid to realize it." Glancing over at Lynx she sighed slightly. "Let him go. I take away enough of his fun as it is." He could either call a cab or walk home. Looking over at Adder and Rain following them, she smiled softly. "You guys can go on home. Benny's got it under control."

"Yeah, I'll get her home," Benny assured them before helping her into the cab. He closed the door and told the driver where to go before he turned to her with a concerned expression. "You sure you're alright, Fox? That was a rough time you just had..."

Still dancing, Aleia smiled at Lynx. "I hope I didn't anger your friends," she said quietly to him. Spinning slightly so she could see where they were headed, Al frowned when she saw them bee-lining for the door. She turned back to Lynx in the same motion, making it fluid and part of the dance.

Lynx sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "No...I upset them. We're the only family any of us has and I pretty much just blew them off to dance with some stranger. She got sick and normally when she gets sick she gets embarrassed and shuts herself off from everyone else. I just made it easier."
Fox glanced out the window and nodded her head. "I'm fine. I just want to go home and go to bed."

Angel spun in her chair, turning towards the dance floor, watching Al dance with the unfamiliar band member. She set her hands on her knees, slumping over a bit as she realized that she had just lost her dance partner. She was really starting to like Al, even if she was a demon.

Al stopped moving completely, looking at Lynx. "If you want to go after them, then go. I will not come between family." She glanced over at Angel, then looked back at Lynx. "I should go as well. Have to find a place to stay tonight. The ever annoying curse of the drifter...I never know where I'm going to sleep." Aleia smiled, hiding any bad mood she was in.

Lynx watched the girl carefully and then smiled. "Sure. Thanks." Reaching into his back pocket he pulled out a black business card. "Call me some time." Sliding the card into the back pocket of her pants he leaned forward and kissed her cheek before moving away. Benny, and possibly even Adder, was going to kick his ass.

The cab stopped in front of there building. Fox hurriedly gave the driver some cash and climbed out of the car. Swiping her badge at the entrance gate she nodded to the bell boy just inside the door. "Morning, Miss Damei." Fox looked over at the young kid and smiled softly. "Hello, Travis." There friendly exchange was interrupted by the opening of the elevator. Fox stepped in and waved goodbye to the kid as the doors closed. Leaning against the wall she closed her eyes and held her breath. Elevators always made her nausea's but being slightly tipsy as it was, it made it all the more worse. 

Benny watched his uneased friend from the middle of the elevator, obviously immune to the human habit of facing the door and staying close to the sides. "Fox..." he said softly before he stepped forward and held out his hand, ready to lift her up into his arms to carry her to her room inside their flat. "Will you be wanting me to remove the alcohol tonight, or just have the coffee ready tomorrow morning?" He smiled slightly, wanting to calm her. He had always felt like the wolverine to her rabbit. He could kill her, sure, but it was more.. He was dangerous, and he wanted to protect and care for this precious creature. "It's not good for you to be heaving as much as you do..."

---

Conflict Continuum