[center][h1][i]A Brief Reprimand[/i][/h1]
A Collab between [@Rajinslayer] and [@May], featuring Masha and Damian[/center]

Masha gave up trying to find Darius in the crowd and made her way off of the stage from the side. If he was there she was sure that he would find her. Even professionally it wouldn’t be strange for him to seek her out on a night like this. So she'd either see him here, or see him later. Either way she couldn't worry about that right now. She needed to focus on the club now. Even if the stress of that might just drive her even crazier than she already was.

She winded through the crowd that was starting to really enjoy the musical show that Lily and the band were putting on. As much as Masha might class with her husband, she had to admit that she liked Lily. And especially liked her singing. It brought in a lot of people and that brought in a lot of money. And what wasn't to like about bringing in money? 

As she was making her way towards the bar, she spotted the semi slinking form of one of her employee's. “Damian,” she called, adjusting her course the slightest bit and headed towards him. “Don't run. It isn't worth it.”

[color=8493ca]Damian flinched slightly at the tone of Masha’s voice, knowing that she was likely more than a little disappointed with his lack of punctuality. For a moment, he considered making use of his Incubus aura to perhaps soften her mood a little, but after a moment’s thought, dismissed the notion. Even if his tardiness wasn’t completely his own fault, that wasn’t reason enough to mess with someone’s head just because it might help him out of the jam. Ashamed at himself for the momentary impulse, he quickly turned around to face Masha as she approached, eyes cast downward as he tried to find his voice.[/color]

[color=Thistle]”I was actually, um, l-l-looking for you, M-Ma’am.”[/color] [color=8493ca]His voice could just barely be heard over the rumble of the crowd and rhythmic beat of the club music. He quickly fell into a deep bow, raising his voice up a bit more so it could be heard above the noise.[/color] [color=Thistle]”I’m sorry for my lateness, there is no excuse for it and I will accept any reprimand you deem fit.”[/color]

She raised a dark eyebrow up at him, snorting softly and rolling her eyes. “of course you were,” she sighed, gesturing him along with her as she walked away. She could still never understand with it was that someone as powerful as him, just naturally so by what he was, was so subservient and afraid of someone like her from time to time. She of course enjoyed knowing that he was, it swelled her pride nicely. But it confused her too. 

“I'm in a good mood right now,” she went on, heading towards the quieter part of the club, her preferred part, of seats and more closed quarters. Something classier than just grinding bodies. “So you can get by with just my disappointment.” She didn't head inside, but stopped near the wall, waiting for Damian to join her. “So what was it you were looking for me for?”

[color=8493ca]Damian nodded somewhat disheartedly at Masha’s response, grateful that she hadn’t fired him right then and there, but the quiet tone of her voice doing more than enough to convey her disappointment in him. Shaking his head to rid himself of his doubts for the moment, Damian rose up from his bow and followed Masha through the crowd. For Damian, pushing his way through the mass of bodies was nothing short of a nightmare, his meek words of apology for making his way through the throbbing mass of humanity(and non-humanity) going mostly unheeded.

When he managed to escape the dance floor, he’d take a quick moment to recuperate before speaking, deciding to get right to the point of the matter.[/color]

[Color=Thistle]”Aside from letting you know I was here and apologizing, I also wanted to inform you about a licentia I sensed in the club a little bit ago that we might wanna keep an eye on. Her name is Corinna, and sometime ago, she attacked me at my other job.[/color][color=8493ca] As he mentioned the incident, Damian could help but shudder at both his own actions that day,(what he could remember of them through the haze of the potion he’d been forced to drink) and those of Corinna.[/color] [Color=Thistle]"I don’t think she’s here to hurt anyone, but it never hurts to make sure, right?"[/color]

This time, when she quirked an eyebrow up at him it was in amusement. “Attacked you say? At Nabri’s place?” she hummed, trying so very hard not to laugh at the absurdity of that. While she was sure that he would allow something awkward to happen to those in his employ, she doubted that he would let something of a serious nature go so easily. “What did she do? Flutter her eyelashes a little too provocatively?” 

Chuckling some and shaking her head she did still scan the crowd for the Licentia that he spoke of. She couldn't afford to look over anything, even if she thought it was silly. “Well you keep an out for this...Corinna and you come to me when you find her.” Her quest to find the woman was halted when she set eyes upon one of her bouncers. “Or handsome muscles over there,” she said with a nod towards Marcus as he was trying, and failing, to flirt with a girl near the bar. 

[color=8493ca]Damian couldn’t help but pout at Masha’s taunting, but didn’t respond to it besides some anxious shuffling and shifting his gaze away from her. The less he had to think about how his and Corinna’s first meeting ended, the better. When she spoke again, he’d returned his attention to his employer, following her gaze to the man known as Marcus as he seemed to talk with a woman at that bar, one that looked very unenthused about the conversation. [/color][color=Thistle]“Keeping an eye on her shouldn’t be an issue. Even now, I can pick her up on the feel of her Vis from within the center of the crowd. . . and even if my description of our encounter is a bit. . . exaggerated, I’m not as naive as people think I am.” [/color][color=8493ca]As Damian spoke, a bit of frustration, perhaps even anger, seeped out of him for a moment, his aura shifting momentarily in response. Creeping whispers fluttered through the air, along with a chill that would cause Masha’s hair to stand on end.[/color]

[color=8493ca]However, near as soon as it appeared, the moment faded as his expression shifted from one of exasperation to fearful panic, instantly shrinking away from Masha, his arms lifted up slightly as he ducked down, almost as if he was expecting a strike to come his way. His body was literally shaking, his form losing it’s very stability in his current state of fearful anticipation. However, as the strike failed to come, Damian looked up, remembering with a flush of shame where he was and who he was with. As much as he respected Masha and as much as he feared the weight of her words, even he was aware that there was little she could due to truly harm him in a physical manner. After he’d taken a moment to collect himself, he attempted continued speaking as if the lapse hadn’t occurred.
[/color]

[color=Thistle]“A-anyway, I’ll keep m-my eye on her as I m-m-make my r-rounds.”[/color][color=8493ca] Internally, Damian cursed his stutter, along with a whole list of other things about himself that he wished now more than ever to be rid of.[/color]

She watched him closely, stepping back away from him slightly. She teased him often, and the most he normally did was flush and stutter a little. But this...this was something else altogether. She shivered a little at the charge of magic that went through the air around them, wrapping an arm protectively around herself without thinking about it. Maybe what had happened has been a little worse than just some flirting.

But then, for all that show of power he shifted to being afraid of [i]her[/i] again. Little old her. Who could next to nothing against him. And as much as she hated to admit it, he could very easily make her cease to exist she was sure, and there would be little she could do to stop him.  “Damian…” she said after he’d at least visually regained his composure. “What the hell was that?” And it was clear that she wasn’t asking about his anger and slip of the darkness inside of him, but about the way he’d grovalled at her as if she was going to literally rip him apart. She didn’t want to admit that she liked the boy, man...whatever he was. He was valuable to her, but even still, she liked him. 

[Color=Thistle]“I-I-It was n-nothing, Ma’am. I j-just forgot . . . where I was for a moment.”[/color] [color=8493ca]Damian spoke, hands anxious pulling at the hem of his shirt while his gaze seemed to dart around the club. Even though he knew that they weren’t here, the nightwalker could almost feel the overbearing presence of his uncle emanating from every shadow in the place. Especially with the strong underlying scent of alcohol that hungover many of the club’s occupants.[/color] [Color=Thistle]“I just . . . forgot myself for a moment, along with who I was talking to. B-b-but like i said, it’s nothing to worry about.”[/color] 

[color=8493ca]He shifted in place slightly, wishing Masha would let well enough be alone. His uncle was his own problem, and he didn’t want others to get involved if he could help it, didn’t even want people to know if he could help it. This reluctance was as much for the safety of others as it was for himself. For all of his indulgences in vice and sin, the man was a terrifyingly strong Nightwalker still, and often had a dangerously short fuze.[/color]

“It is definitely not nothing,” she said with a huff, letting the shiver run through her body for a moment before she gathered herself back up again. “But you can keep your secrets to yourself. For now. But you’re gonna have to answer to me sooner or later.” She hummed thoughtfully, trying to remember what it was that she had stopped him for in the first place now. Her mind was all over the place and she had way too much going on now to focus easily. 

“Ah yes,” she said with a brightening smile. “I’m gonna need to use those lovely skills of yours this evening. I need someone to keep a very good eye on Cortes and his lot. Make sure they aren’t going to do something very stupid. Existing for them is stupid, so they’re already are at a disadvantage.” 

[color=Thistle]“O-Of course. . . ”[/color][color=8493ca]Damian muttered in response to Masha’s promise, hoping against hope that she’d forget about it in time. Despite her word of warning, the matter had been dropped for the moment at least, allowing Damian a moment of respite from the tension he’d felt curling in his stomach since his slip-up. As Masha mentioned that he was to keep an eye on Cortes and his associates, the boy responded with a blank look for a few moments before he finally remembered who exactly the man was. Cortes hadn’t really left much an impression on Damian during their first meeting, and he’d had yet to even really talk to the man that was essentially his other boss. 

With a nod, he began to search for Cortez’s Vis signature, a slightly more difficult scenario considering the mass of humanity that was currently present in the bar. Find a Vis signature he wasn’t quite familiar with in such a packed building would prove a tad challenging, but he felt he was up to the task. That being said, he couldn’t help but wonder what Masha expected from Cortez. Considering that Darius was now the one who owned this place, anyone with knowledge and common sense wouldn’t be willing to cause a ruckus on opening night. . . right? Somewhat worriedly, he would bring up this concern with Masha, though he kept his wits about him enough to not directly say Darius’ name, not quite sure who could be listening to their conversation in a building such as this.[/color]

“No one has ever said that he was a smart man,” Masha said with a sigh, starting her walking again and gesturing him along with her again. Cortes had done a lot of stupid things before she got there, which was partly why she was there to begin with and not in some other club that had ties to Darius. So she wouldn't put it past him to do something tonight. She expected it. She just was hopeful it wasn't going to be too crazy.

She sighed, feeling the itch for something to calm her nerves down again. The high that Marci had gifted her was already gone and the leftovers of it were fading away. So she needed a smoke or a drink. Or both. And she needed them now. But her cigarettes were in her office and it would be quicker to stop at the bar and get something there both liquid and smoke.

When she got to the bar she waved down Rich, the young man sliding over easily, already with a bottle of vodka in his hands. Like he knew his boss well. When she simply nodded at him, he poured a shot for her that he slid to her and returned to his work.

“Perhaps,” she said thoughtfully after taking the shot, “it might be best if you stuck near me tonight. Maybe...I don't know.” She groaned, letting out a string of curses in Russian before she collected herself again and put on a smile that was only partly fake. 

[color=8493ca]Damian sat down next to Masha, listening to her for a moment while his gaze shifted through the gyrating throngs of people dancing in the mosh pit. For a moment, he allowed his eyes to unfocus, green irises giving way to a soft pinkish-violet glow as he looked past flesh and bone to view the flow and surge of Vis. Thinking back to Corinna despite himself, he couldn’t help but think she found herself quite a perfect hunting ground, if that was indeed her purpose here. The heightened emotions that was being created by the atmosphere, the frenetic beat of the music, even just the sheer amount of people in the room, it all lead to a heightened potency to the Vis present here. 

Even a licentia as adverse to predation as himself couldn’t help the nagging temptation, especially given that last night’s . . . altercation with his uncle had left him feeling somewhat drained. That being said, with the help of a few steady breaths, Damian managed to reign in his impulses, at least for the moment, instead focusing his attention on Masha. Even he could tell that his employer was feeling rather stressed and ill at ease at them moment, no doubt due to her worries over this Cortes guy. Gnawing at the inside of his cheek, Damian did another once over of the crowd to see if he could identify the man, but the hunger in his core was making it difficult to focus. 

Letting out a sigh, the Licentia began mulling over other ways he could comfort Masha. He considered going out to search for Cortes more thoroughly but. .. he didn’t trust himself to be alone in the club at the moment. After that, he was coming up with nothing. . . well. . . almost nothing. There was one thing he always did for his mother whenever she was facing a great deal of stress, and while he wasn’t quite sure if it would have them safe effect in this context, it was worth a try at least. Taking a breath, he allowed the shape of his form to disperse into an amorphous black mist, which quickly reconstituted itself into a much smaller form. Where Damian had been now sat a rather fluffy cat, with black that was as soft as sin and a familiar pair of violet pink eyes that shone in the dim light of the club.

With a bound, he’d leap up on top of the counter and proceed to nudge and rub his face against Masha’s arm, letting out a deep contented purr as he did so. After that, if she did not object to the sudden display of affection, he would leap into her lap and curl himself into a ball, tail flicking too and fro ever so slightly. He wasn’t sure if this would be of much assistance to improving Masha’s mood, but given that Damian had all the speaking skills of a floundering fish, this was the best he could do.[/color]

She only caught was he was doing near the end of his shifting. But when he sat there, looking at her from the slitted eyes of a cat she was surprised. She knew he could. He had before, just not in front of her like that. And then he was up against her arms, rubbing and purring. And then he was in her lap. She blinked a little bit before reaching a hand down and running thin fingers along his spine, feeling the little rumbles of his purring though her lap and hand. 

This was certainly an unexpected change. One in which she was not going to complain about. Cats had always been and would always be her weakness in animals. And while she didn’t mind her little kitten at home, sometimes, it was nice to pet one that wasn’t a little rotty. “You do know I will abuse this,” she said with a little chuckle as she scratched at his ears gently. “I will abuse this oh so very much.”