[b]Nicolaus & Elizabeth[/b] Liz looked on in pure bliss as her exquisitely handsome companion pressed the rim of the wine glass against his lips, tipping it back to swallow the last of her vitae mixed in with his drink. And all the while with a wry grin across his face, gazing at the stunning beauty to his side, Nicolaus playfully flicked the tip of his blood-stained tongue along the glass edge to soak up the remaining few drops that attempted to escape down the side of the goblet. She arched an eyebrow, intrigued by just how clever the man could be, and yet [i]not[/i] so surprised at how hot he made her feel by doing the simplest of gestures. She knew the Ventrue had his little mind tricks that he’d employ every so often to enhance the emotional responses of his guest, altering their perceptions and thoughts, but it had always been different with Liz, as he never quite enjoyed it as equally if fairplay wasn’t involved, and manipulating the woman he loved -and who loved him in return- through dark supernatural means didn’t make much sense to him. He enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, so to speak, catching his lady off guard at times and places that may even seem inappropriate, and feeling the exhilaration as her heart pumped faster, blood heated and rose to the surface of her smooth olive skin, and the tiny hair follicles along her arm and back of neck stood on end. “You know they watch me with hungry eyes?” She whispered into Nico’s ear while doing her best to maintain some semblance of composure as a few Lounge guests -both vampires and their coterie- passed by, nodding in reverence to their Ventrue brethren and his gorgeous human companion. Many knew of the couple’s long-standing relationship, and in as many who did not approve with Nicolaus’ lifestyle and choice of company, they respected the vampire enough not to push the subject or cause strife within the ranks. The Elders, most set in their ways reaching back countless centuries, were more concerned of a conscientious mortal who had not yet gone through the blood ritual bonding process of a [i]ghoul[/i], allowing her master to keep his retainer in line. However, the young lady had given little reason for them to suspect anything that would otherwise be a breach of the Traditions, and have forgone any further probing. “As they should, m’love.” Nico said, placing his empty glass onto the table. “But I’ve also found that many kindred are envious of mortals and their humanity more so than they’ll admit. To gaze upon a woman like yourself is, for many of us, a mirror into a world we’ve forgotten. So perhaps in that sense, you’re a reminder of what we can never obtain.” An abrupt noise from the main bar caught their attention as well as much of the ground floor’s guests, as it seemed one of the frequent visitors - a [b]Lasombra[/b] if Nico recalled - decided to take it upon himself to allow ego to overrule better judgement, which never ended well for anyone in a place like the Sunset. He knew their kind all too well, once being a Sabbat member himself, and having little respect for their audacity to assume they can do whatever the hell they please with little regard to the consequences. Nicolaus smirked, watching as the vampire was pulled away from the bar and escorted out by way of Eva’s inevitable intervention. “What the hell was that all about?” Liz asked, a sour expression on her face considering she’d had her earlier [i]moment[/i] with Nicolaus wholly interrupted by petty vampire disputes. “That, fraulein, was a good example of how not to conduct yourself in the company of a Lupine?” “Lupine?” She said, furrowing her brow at the foreign term. “It's...what we call the Garou, the wolves, of this world.” Nico sat back as he spoke, putting an arm around the other's waist. “I scarcely remember where the term originated, but it stuck. However it’s also considered derogatory to their kind regardless.” “So which one is the ‘wolf’?” Liz asked, resting her head on her companion’s broad shoulder. “As far as I'm concerned, they all are.” Nico grinned. “Eva and her pack of friends, vampire or otherwise, consider themselves the ‘wolves of hollywood’ in an unofficial way. But more to the point, the actual Garou is the young lady with the shaved head.” “Shit.” The other perked up gazing toward the group at the bar, paying particular focus on the female with the tattoos, buzz cut, and pissy disposition.”That's a girl?” She exclaimed, not realize her voice may have carried further than she wanted, especially after a few glasses of wine. “[i]Elizabeth.[/i] Manners.” He nudged her, his tone as though a guardian were reprimanding a child, pausing for a moment before continuing. “That she is, and perhaps one of the few Garou allies we Kindred have in our war against the Sabbat.” Nicolaus drifted for a moment in thought while keeping his attention on the Lupine known as [b]“Michelle”[/b], doing his best to penetrate the thick walls of her psyche in order to plant a thought in her head that would possibly grab her attention and lead her innate senses to the source of the one calling her. A slight frustrated expression began forming across his face, sa the difficulty of such a feat against the erratic mind of a werewolf, trying to push against their inner Rage and a lifetime of chaos for the sake of a single thought. “Dammit” He mumbled. “What?” The other responded with concern. “I just tried to leave a message and was kicked off the line.” He said in a somewhat jovial tone. There was a moment of silence between the two, with the ambience of the Lounge in the background, until Elizabeth snorted in laughter, covering her mouth and smile while a little embarrassed at the outburst. “You were trying to get into her head, weren’t you Nico?” “Yes, and I’ll be damned if they weren’t the most impenetrable puzzles I’ve encountered.” “But why?” The other said, slowly coming down from the humor fallen just short of her companion’s mood. “Because she needs to be aware of what the Sabbat are doing to her kind…” Liz sat up straight, composing herself as she looked at her lover. “What the hell are you talking about?” She said with confusion. “And what does it matter to you? How do you eve-” “It’s not about me!” He said in a sharp hushed tone that caused the other to recoil slightly. “It’s about our future. Immortal and mortal alike. And something tells me that a Garou who would rather sit in a bar chatting it up instead of out helping her own kind from Sabbat shitheads is most likely an ill-informed Garou.” “Okay then…” Elizabeth quickly slid out from the booth. “Where are you going?” He said plainly. “For starters, I’m going to let you sit for a few minutes and cool the fuck off.” She said, leaning on the table wagging her finger at the vampire across from her. “And second, I’m taking my drunk ass down to the bar, ordering a shot for me and the [i]wolf[/i], and perhaps even making us a new friend in the process. Is that okay?” At this point, Nicolaus could have seriously lost his nearly four centuries of cool in a single moment of his companion’s defiance, yet he did not. Even when she immediately turned around and headed down the stairs without waiting for a response from him, his lips simply curled into a smile as he watched one of the most alluring and strongest-willed mortal women he’d ever had the pleasure of knowing, strut her lean, well-formed figure down to the lower section. -------------------------------------------------------------- “Hey there. A double shot of Cuervo...” Liz said boldly to the man on the other side of the bar, as though she were some kind of connoisseur of alcoholic beverages. She moved closer to where Michelle was seated, although the girl’s back was to her as she was in conversation with another. “Eh, and get her another round of whatever it is she was drinking…” She said to the barkeep, motioning to the girl with the shaved head and tattoos.