The scent of blood emanating from the Rusty Steak Knife was intoxicating. Consuming. To say she craved it was an understatement. What blood was to a vampire could only be explained in the most passionately extreme of terms. It was sensual, moving, more alluring than power, coffee, or other addictive substances. More than smell it, a vampire could taste the faint copper on her tongue, feel the heat of it in the air. It was this way each time Kaori approached the Rusty Steak Knife, where blood was stocked in human form and otherwise. For this reason, she didn't care much to do business here. She was too close to snapping, like a starving tiger let out of its cage. Delicate matters required a clear mind.

As she took a lungful of the air - so thick - her veins ignited within her, burning her from the inside. She heard the low growl pulling from her throat before she realized she was making the sound. Abruptly, she cut off her own air, emptying her lungs and leaving them that way. She didn't need oxygen, it was only another form of observing and interacting with the world. 

With a steady [i]click, click, click,[/i] of her heeled boots, she began to make her way through the dross surrounding the building. Distractions, all of it. She was significantly dressed down from what the people around her wore, but she had intended to be. There was no use attracting attention right now, and a short dress wouldn't do her any favors if things got...unpredictable. Her quiet, low-key presence didn't stop a pale female with curled, blonde locks from cutting her off before she'd made it halfway through the outer crowd. Her hair fell just above her shoulders, highlighted and primped to match a clingy tube dress that looked like it had been sized to be a shirt. Her glossed lips spread into a smile, "I see you must have gotten our letter. To be honest, I'm pleasantly surprised. We were beginning to think you'd left town."

Kaori's eyes rolled to the side in annoyance. Vampire women were usually unearthly and hypnotic, but at times they were nothing more than passive aggressive bitches. 

"The hell do you want, Kel?" she impatiently demanded. She didn't want to be here any longer than necessary. 

The blonde vampires features hardened at Kaori's tone, "Don't be so rude, not when we're trying to help you." 

Kaori's arms folded as her face tightened in a snide smirk, "[i]Help[/i] me? [i]You[/i] don't have the power to help yourself."

The crowd was beginning to thin around them as people began to migrate indoors. A low growl rumbled from Kel's chest, "Quill is gracious to allow you to-"

"Quill is your elder, and you should know better than to speak for him," she hissed the words menacingly down at her, "My business is with your leader alone." Her features had lost all sign of amusement, instead, her delicate china-doll face had twisted into a mask of hostility. It was similar to what you might witness when a wolf defends it's territory. Threatening, for your own sake. 

The petite blonde knew she had pushed too far. She wore a stubborn pout on her face, but nevertheless her eyes reluctantly shifted to the ground in submission. She stepped back slowly and wordlessly gave an acknowledging nod of her head before skittering away. Kaori watched each movement until the girl had disappeared through the doors of the building. Once she was gone, Kaori took another breath of copper-tainted air, and released it slowly, letting the fury escape her. There were a few stragglers left outside, but the majority of the clubs population were now indoors, partaking in whatever unsavory activity that had developed here tonight. 

The tall vampire leaned against the rough brick of the building. Her head was spinning from the residual taste of blood in her lungs and throat. She squeezed her wine-colored eyes shut to steady herself and regain control of the animalistic instincts that threatened to overwhelm her. Her mind was a powerful tool that she prided herself in wielding, unlike so many of her kind. It was what separated leaders from the followers, and a large part of the reason she hadn't already been killed. She would need it's advantage tonight, and so she waited in the cool darkness for her senses to clear.