Indulgence. [Open]

[christian]

Christian wasn't supposed to be here and he knew it. He knew that if he were discovered there would be horrific repercussions, most likely leading to his enslavement, yet Christian found himself in this very place time and time again. Maybe it was the blaring music or the half-naked women? The dancing? The food? No, he didn't care for any of that. Sadly, the booze was this man's siren, beckoning him to come partake in the forbidden fruit. Yeah, he could get drunk back in Haven, but a person can only take so much moonshine before he wants something a little less... exotic. Lucky for him New Vegas was just a hop, skip, and a jump away.

Slinking back into the plush lounge chair, Christian's brown eyes followed along with the movements of the clubs many occupants. It was an easy place to get lost and overlooked, seeing as it was so damn popular. It seemed like everyone and their mother wanted an escape from reality, and he couldn't blame them. Noticing he was near the bottom of his glass, Christian slowly stood up and began to make his way through the bustling crowd, doing his best to avoid getting grinded on by god knows what. He could only imagine the number of vampires and demons that were stalking around in the room, and the thought made his skin crawl. He never could last very long in this place before he felt like shoving the barrel of his gun into nearly every mouth he saw. So he would get a few drinks in him then slip out the back, hopefully unnoticed.

As he reached the bar, he quietly set his glass down on the counter and motioned toward the bartender, who in turn nodded and went to fixing up another drink. As he waited, a slender woman slinked up beside him, too close for comfort. Christian ignored her, instead choosing to eye his drink, counting down the seconds until it was ready. He could feel her breath on his neck as she spoke to him quietly, her words nothing more than gibberish in his ear. He could almost smell the vampire blood coursing through her veins. Twitching slightly as he felt her cold touch on his arm, he finally turned his head only slightly, acknowledging her presence. "What?" His tone was cold and his eyes uninviting as they met her intense stare. She merely smiled and asked if he wanted to dance. But before he could reply, his drink was set on the counter in front of him. He quickly grabbed it up and raised it slightly in the woman's direction, shrugging as though to say 'Sorry, I've got other plans'.

Without a word, he brushed past her and made his way back to the lounge chair, sitting down casually as he took a long drink from his glass, all too content to keep to himself as the night continued. He wasn't usually approached when he found himself in places like this and he didn't mind that at all. But he did welcome the chance to observe the creatures he hunted whenever he could. It was fascinating how alike and yet how incredibly different they were from humans. Though no amount of observation would ever change his view on the abominations, and being around them would nearly always get Christian's blood boiling. Especially seeing the poor pathetic humans walking around with them as their pets; their food... It was disgusting. Taking another drink, Christian let his mind wander, more than aware that there would be no relaxation for him, not in this place.

[Margaret Rosier]

It came to no surprise that Maggie found herself in Hades once again. She adored the place beyond recognition. With so many layers, so many people crowded all together indulging in their various vices it was always the best place to find her marks, or even do other forms of business that were more for her own personal pleasure than that of others- which was her legal profession in New Vegas. Being the woman on other’s arm to show case as some trophy they had won, making them feel like the most desirable man, woman, or creature in their world, giving them every satisfaction that was to be had was dirty work but also very beneficial. When you were the fantasy of others they felt comfortable around you and tended to talk an awful lot. It was part of the reason Margaret was as good an asset to Haven as she was. Decent inside men, or women in her case, were hard to come by in the city usually because of fear- but this was what Maggie had been raised to do.

Her gaze settled over the dancers, both male and female alike, moving their bodies seductively to the music like flames dancing in a fire. It had a very alluring aspect to it that could so easily draw people in and captivate, hypnotize. They intrigued Maggie, anyone would be, but it was about self-control and she liked to think that she had an abundance of it. Licking her lips as she approached the bar a drink was offered to her compliments of a gentleman down the way, which she happily accepted giving him a grateful smile and tipped her glass in toast to his generosity before taking a sip and quenching her thirst. For a moment she held the man’s gaze sharing that supposed intimate connection that allowed him to think that he would be justly rewarded for his kindness later, and for the right price, he would be.

Instead however, from the corner of her eye, she saw something that interested her more. Most men would have been tripping over their own feet to have the chance to spend an evening with a vampiric mistress and yet it seemed that one individual nonchalantly sent her on her way to find new prey. Maggie loathed vampires, he parents had always taught her that one day their reign would end and it would only be done by force, by people like her, by the good citizens of Haven that she had left behind fourteen years ago to live here undercover since the age of seven- such a hefty responsibility for someone so young.

The vampire wasn’t pleased with her reception hissing after the man as he walked away, drink in hand, to sit in a lounge chair. Once the other woman’s attention was diverted by a new prospect, Margaret abandoned her seat at the bar, taking her gifted drink with her, to find a seat next to the mystery man. He didn’t look too happy to be where he was, surrounded by creatures and slaves alike all cosseting to their dirty deeds and she couldn’t blame him- if not for having been accustom to the lifestyle she too would have been visibly disgusted by the displays. Taking a seat next to him, nursing gingerly on her drink, Maggie turned her icy blue gaze on him looking him up and down carefully, trying to get a read on him. The man didn’t seem to belong here and to her it could only mean one thing, obviously of course, that he didn’t. ”It’s risky you know? Turning down a vampire when their interest is set on you?” He looked as though he could more than handle himself but it wouldn’t be smart to make scenes in the lion’s den, especially when it was filled with predators.

[Belphegor]

Belphegor scowled. It was not an expression he wore often which was a good thing given that it generally meant that someone was about to become very dead, or if they were unlucky to wish that they were. A frown was survivable, but scowls he generally reserved for muses and other such beatific entities as offended his vanity. But tonight there was a vampire in Hades. WHY was there a vampire in Hades? Vampires knew better than to provoke something with the New Vegas Demons.

There was not much that happened in the Demon run club that escaped Bel's attention. Of all the Princes of Hell it was Bel who was the more calculating one. He smirked, an expression that was far more flattering on his sculpted Latino features than the scowl had been. Levi he mused would probably have walked over there and snapped the bitch's skinny neck, but Bel was more subtle, and patient as a spider when he played his intricate games. When he struck it was rarely seen.

The vampire approached a man at the bar... and he turned her down. Curiouser and curiouser. Not that the humans came to Hades to be bothered by vampires but still.... He split his attention between the two, the vampire sliding away, seemingly to try her crude charms on another customer, but not entirely having given up on the first man, and the man taking a seat where he was promptly joined by what was unmistakably a call girl. Bel waited only a moment longer and then in a dark blur he was seated at the table with them.

Belphegor sprawled lazily across his seat, his languid poise accentuating the way his tight jeans and skimpy muscle shirt hugged his perfectly muscled body like a second skin. Midnight eyes glinted wickedly in his darkly handsome face and the scent of his intoxicatingly exotic aftershave drifted in the air. “Congratulations,” he purred to the two humans, the word rolling from his tongue with a rich Spanish accent, “...you have caught my attention... and now we are going to play a game.”

[Margaret Rosier]

Demons had always been a gray area for Margaret. Some of them she didn’t loathe and other made her skin crawl just as much, if not more so than vampires. It all depended on the context of the situation and the demon themselves. If Hades hadn’t been such a lucrative place for her then Maggie might have avoided it all together but she made a killing here, both in gambling and in booking clients. It was a gold mine that she wouldn’t soon let slip through her grasp. Though the man that she had joined wasn’t intended as a target that didn’t mean that he couldn’t turn into one with time. Margaret wanted to get a good feel for him first. He seemed very burly and self-righteous which could be dangerous for a human in places like this, but that intrigued her- somewhat of a weakness for Margaret that she liked to act as a voice of subtle reason to the less tactful.

She felt the presence of the new comer before she had the chance to see him, even with her own enhanced abilities he was quicker. Maggie turned her icy gaze on the man taking in the length of him. Everything about the demon screamed sex appeal and had quite the swooning affect, especially on women she imagined. Observing the details of him, from the way that the smile sat so casually and handsomely on his lips to the alluring scent that came off of him and that accent- it was a temptation if Margaret ever had seen one. She was no stranger to this, used similar tactics herself, though no aid from any supernatural assets to speak of. It was in high body language, the softness of her touch and the way that she could look you over with just the right measure of lust to make you think that she wanted you, desirability honed and executed on the targets that she chose, or that chose her.

A game? As much as a gambler as Margaret might have been she was thoughtful in doing so, never wagered on a fighter without observing his pros and cons, counted cards, whatever it took to make the bet favorable to her. A game with a demon though, jumping into that, no matter how much her womanly desires tugged her toward it, was a bad idea. However, blowing him off was even worse. A small smile came onto Margaret’s lips letting her hand glide over the back of the seat and toward the demon. ”Lucky us,” It wasn’t all that lucky though, being noticed by demons, catching their attention was a spotlight that Maggie could have done without, even when she was doing her job humans were always safer.

”What game might that be?” She inquired, curiously, but internally cautious. Margaret couldn’t agree or disagree at the moment back dragging it out at least long enough to figure out what angle she would play here was definitely in the cards. Play coy, get the information that she required, perhaps intrigue the demon further so that he would humor her, it was a likely scenario that Margaret would play into- though how long that would last was questionable. Her companion was silent so far but then she hadn’t given him much of a chance to speak up either. Perhaps that was best considering the last interaction that he had. Blowing off this demon wouldn’t be as easy as the vampire.

[Belphegor]

The woman's reaction to him was acceptable; he could see her attraction and curiosity even as she clamped down on it. Of course one in her profession had to have some degree of control. He would let her keep it for now unless she did something foolish; lust was not the game he had in mind at this moment. She was an attractive creature with an unusual degree of poise and grace for a human, though being merely human there was always considerable room for improvement. Vanity was not sated by being fed. Perhaps that game too could be played tonight?

The smile he returned her was positively smouldering and the glance of his obsidian eyes to where her arm crept across the seat was a blatant invitation for her to move closer to him. He liked the sharp intelligence that tried to hide behind her pale blue eyes. It was a pleasant change and perhaps he would keep her on his arm for tonight. Flattery was flattery, whatever the deeper motives, and Belphegor craved it, needed it like humans needed air. He was a demon of many aspects and that made for many hungers. He had no reason to exert any more restraint than absolutely necessary for his plans.

He studied both the humans carefully. Sin was a benchmark of the human soul, and sins told their stories more clearly than words ever could. Where they failed at deception humans had mastered self-deception, but sins could not be hidden. By the accounting of sin neither of these two were remotely innocent, not by a long way, but what was most interesting was the woman and the endless web of lies she had spun around herself that pervaded every aspect of her existence. Bel was canny enough to know what that meant.

Tinker, tailor... soldier, spy.

Bel laughed softly at her guarded inquiry, his laughter dark and seductive. She was a gambler for sure and intent on playing his game, whatever it was, to win or at least to break even. That made her interesting to him. The vampire aside he was in a good mood tonight; she was playing coy but he would indulge her in the polite little fiction that he was in fact offering her and her surly companion a choice in playing this game. The man had not yet spoken, merely sitting tense and uncomfortable, seeming willing to allow the woman to do the talking. It was undoubtedly the best decision he had made all night.

A waitress hurried over and handed Bel a fresh drink which he took without acknowledging her. “Order a drink...” he purred at his captive audience, “...and we shall discuss the rules.” He held his own glass up to the light, studying it carefully. The new bartender was getting better... good for him. Bel would not tolerate shoddy offerings. That which did not compliment him served no purpose and would be replaced without a second thought.

Turning his attention back to the humans he spoke again. “I am Belphegor.” The name rolled from his tongue like distant thunder sending a ripple of pressure through the booth as if the word were too heavy for mere sound to carry it. Languidly Bel took a sip of his drink. “Are you enjoying my club?”

[Margaret Rosier]

That smile of his seemed to heat her skin, licking at her like flames, it tickled made her shiver. His invitation was received allowing Maggie to scoot in closer to the demon. People were so often drawn to the things that were bad for them. Dangers that lurked in plain sight mesmerized making it difficult to be of sound body and mind- and what was more was that you rarely wanted to have the clarity to turn temptations down. Human beings were the most vulnerable of creatures, flawed and imperfect. Their emotions and desires were easy to prey on and the strength to resist could hardly be considered a challenge to someone like him. Human being were putty to be molded into whatever form of entertainment that he saw fit.

Helplessness wasn’t a feeling that Margaret liked having and yet in New Vegas the majority of creatures she was around always held that advantage over her. She was a plaything to the lot of them. The only comfort that Maggie could claim was that she even though she may have rolled over into that submission to their faces, she often walked away with something useful that had the potential of being used against them at a later time. Margaret felt degraded at the end of the day, as though she weren’t reaching her full potential in being what she was here in the city, but there were necessary evils and abuses that she dealt with for the greater good- or so she had been taught.

It was alarming how cozy she could legitimately get with a demon. She seemed to tuck beside him like that missing puzzle piece, cut perfectly to fit. Her companion, whose conviction had been so resolute with the vampire very well might have been looking on at here now as nothing more than an obedient pet to whatever powerful creature came along, and that was just as well because creating visible waves for authorities in the city wasn’t something that she was prone to doing, there was always another angle that she could play in to. The demon had captivated her attention; his commands were effortless for Margaret to follow so far and promptly ordered a white wine for herself. The way he said rules was telling in its own right, she imagined that it would be more likely guidelines, optional guidelines.

”Margaret.” She responded, in awe. Maggie used aliases in her work all the time, but she wasn’t at work and certain creatures you just didn’t lie to, especially not when they had a hold on you the way that Belphegor did. Her eyes lit up at the subject. Hades was her absolute favorite haunt. It had everything that a woman like her could possible want for or need all in one place and the fact that vampire authority wasn’t the same within the club as it would be on the streets added to the appeal. ”I adore your club. I’ve always been a fan of guilty pleasures.” As well someone in her profession would need to be. As to which was her favorite of those pleasures most might have pegged her for lust, but wrath held her heart seconded by pride.

[Christian hasn’t been on in ages. Should we skip over him for the rest of the thread or what?]

[Belphegor]

[Christian has been sent to CLAIMS and will get deleted soon so treat him as an NPC from now on.]

The surly human male whom Bel was now entirely convinced was some sort of Rebel scout or courier, didn't seem to have much sense when it came to dealing with the subtleties of interaction. Had Bel not intervened he very much doubted that the human would have lived to see another dawn. Of course, now he had Bel's attention he still might not... Fortunately, perhaps, for him Bel was feeling particularly territorial at the moment, and that made the vampire the first target of his ire tonight.

The male muttered somewhat unintelligibly as he attempted to decline Bel's drinks offer but somehow his still barely touched drink managed to spill into his lap as he attempted to place it down on the table. Although he did not actually order another drink a replacement quickly arrived along with Margaret's white wine. The man was cursing and swearing as he mopped at his pants with napkins but it was quite clear from Bel's smirk that he wasn't about to let the man leave to deal with it just yet.

“Margaret.” Bel rolled her name out with the same rich sensual accent, then flickered his tongue over his full lips as if he were tasting it. He took her hand and raised it to his lips brushing them lightly across the back; they were very soft and hot. “Truly a Pearl before swine...” he chuckled as his eyes moved back and forth between the two humans and when he lowered her hand it was to place it on his thigh.

“Now where were we?” Bel purred, feigning a momentary distraction. “Ah...yes... Rules...” and he winked one midnight eye at Margaret as he laughed softly. “Your little dance with the vampire has intrigued me...” and his smile became a little more wicked as he spoke of the vampire, “...and given it has not taken its eyes off you since it arrived...” the human male who had not yet offered up his name looked startled at that but Bel continued, “...I have decided that three is a number I don't like tonight.” He took another sip of his drink and let his observations and comments sink in.

“So these are the Rules for the three of you:
The first one to leave Hades I will allow to depart unconditionally.
If one of you dies I will allow both the others to leave.
If a second tries to leave whilst the third lives I will kill them both.
At dawn I will kill all of you who have not left Hades.”

Bel pursed his lips. “Any questions?” he asked in a tone that might have been regarded as playful if he had not just used it to pronounce a death sentence.

[Margaret Rosier]

As he spoke her name it was like velvet blanketing over her. Maggie’s heart raced at his touch, the light shivering sensation of his lips grazing against her hand causing a quiet sigh to pass through her lips. Her smile clearly displayed that she enjoyed Belphegor’s affections but she was cautious still, especially when one took into consideration what he was. For all the sweetness he might have shown she was just waiting for the other foot to drop, in anticipation of the catch. As blissful as Belphegor’s attention it was a dangerous thing to have. Margaret didn’t know what the man’s story was but just looking at him, the way that he held himself with the superiority of righteousness and that gruff exterior he showed traits of being a hunter of some sort, or perhaps a soldier in the resistance. It wasn’t a good mix.

She left her hand where the demon had placed it, if anything it only inched up further. Distracting him from his little game would have been a welcome thing, but Maggie wasn’t that lucky. Every time she found herself dealing with the churlish man’s type it got her into a bad situation. One would think that after so many times of that being the case she would avoid them, but Margaret always approached even with that voice in the back of her mind warning her that it was a mistake. What was it about them that had her being reckless with her choices? Any other time she was cunning and careful and managed to stay out of the limelight in the wrong ways.

The dominoes had been set up to take the fall and the man had been the one that had been the deciding factor to knock them over. Hearing the rules of Belphegor’s game that sinking feeling came quickly to the pit of Margaret’s stomach. Her choices weren’t that great. If she did nothing, she would die. If she killed the man she would be committing murder and would be punished with custody to the blood bank or lab and if she displayed her skills and they proved worthy she would be making it better known that she wasn’t just some common call girl. There was the option that she be the first to leave but something about that fighting look in the man’s eyes suggested that he wouldn’t allow it. Maggie was at a stalemate as to what she should do. Which was the lesser evil here? Being killed wasn’t even up for consideration so that left her the choice between killing the man or killing the vampire.

Margaret looked to Belphegor beseechingly, though doubted it would do her any good. He was in this for the pure entertainment of it, something that would sate his boredom. That being the case Maggie didn’t suspect that anything she could say or do would make much of a difference. Unless… going off with him to satisfy in other ways would take her out of the running while the man and vampire pent after one another one trying to kill the other and then Maggie wouldn’t have to face any of the consequences. But then what if either one decided to leave and then Maggie would be toe to toe with the one left. Trying to figure out the best route to take she had a feeling that she knew how this was going to have to play out. Rising to her feet she took a deep breath only to have her actions mirrored by the man who still hadn’t introduced himself. He was watching her carefully to see what move she was about to make. She only had one question for Belphegor, ”Anything goes?”

[Belphegor]

Bel was enjoying himself now. Margaret was an interesting creature who he would have to check in on again, always assuming she survived the little game tonight. He found himself hoping that she did. Already his tireless mind was planning new amusements involving the clever little thing. He could see her mind racing weighing up her options and calculating the odds. Intelligence and beauty went together more often than humans gave credit to. Of course Belphegor himself had done more than most to disseminate the opposite misinformation.

The delicate way Margaret's hand crept along his thigh was making this game infinitely more enjoyable than he had at first anticipated. Oh, she was good, very good. He was almost tempted to kill the other two himself and just enjoy her. Almost... The man was nothing so interesting, neither pretty enough nor clever enough to have drawn Bel's attention without the vampire's insane intrusion into a Demon-nest. The way she was stalking the man he would have to guess that she somehow believed she would be forgiven her transgression if she apprehended the Havenite. Some beauty really was just that stupid...

He didn't need to look back over at the vampire, having already taken in every detail of her appearance with his first inspection. Slim, pale and young looking with pale hazel eyes; she couldn't be more than a century or two old, practically an infant, and she wouldn't be getting any older. She was as good as dead even if she did walk out first. Drake Legend did not take well to his offspring disregarding his edicts of non-interference with the gathering of Hell's Princes in New Vegas. She was the first and likely the last who would ever cross Hades' threshold. It was not an occurrence that Bel could let pass without a memorable finale.

Watching Margaret rise to her feet with a set expression Bel knew she had come to a decision of sorts. The other human followed suit but there was uncertainty in his eyes. Just following her lead? Interesting. This was going to be entertaining to watch. His laughter was rich and beautiful as Margaret asked her question. “My Club, my Rules chica. Anything else goes.” He brushed his hand down her back and over her shapely behind, incidentally smoothing out the line of her dress, “...and for you chica, hospitality is complimentary tonight. Enjoy!”

As suddenly as he had appeared, Belphegor was gone, leaving only his lingering scent hanging in the air to show he had ever been there. The human male glowered suspiciously at Margaret. Clearly he wasn't the sharpest knife in the rack and her familiarity with the demon had confused and disturbed him. His untouched drink still stood on the table and after glancing furtively around in a fruitless attempt to spot where the demon had gone he returned his glare to Margaret. “What the hell are you playing at?” he practically hissed at her. “Do you have any idea what you just did?”

[Margaret Rosier]

She was raised never to trust vampires and though rules might have stated that the vampire being in a demon’s club and interfering with the goings on inside was prohibited Maggie still saw fit to weigh the odds. Would it be the same if a human exacted punishment on a vampire or was it a loophole that would have Maggie in a stranglehold situation? She was very wary about rules as they were so often broken and bent to suit those in authority’s needs or desires. What was she really to Drake Legend? In a word, nothing. Margaret probably wasn’t even so much as a blip on his radar and that was the way that she liked it. Working under the table, so to speak, got you further in life. Being a person of interest was rarely a good thing as her current circumstances were spelling out for her now.

In no way did Maggie like what she was about to have to do, not when it involved a person kin to her cause. She had been taught though that there were always causalities, sacrifices that needed to be made for the greater good and that was something that she could trust in- and undeniable proof that had been shown through the course of history. The man might have been a good person, perhaps had a family that was waiting for him to come back to their loving arms but that wasn’t something that Maggie could think about. Distancing herself from the emotional aspects of things had always been her way and would be now too. If she did too much thinking, thought of others as anything more than pawn being moved across the game board, Margaret would have been racked with crippling guilt from the things that she had done in her life under the protection of a cause.

Belphegor left her with a chill down her spine and the confirmation that she had wanted to have. Even though he had gone from her sight she could still feel his presence there, linger. Belphegor would be out there watching how the game of his progressed and Margaret would give him one hell of a show, award winning performance of her part, a plot twist that could leave an audience with their jaws dropped to the floor and perhaps even a standing ovation if things went according to plan. If a person was smart the only thing that they would expect from her was unpredictability. Even with distancing herself she could feel the context of her thoughts eating away at her in the pit of her stomach.

Her companion wasn’t pleased with her in the least but she wasn’t too worried about that. Turning from her, partially, it was an invitation for him to make the first move but he hadn’t. She brought her drink to her lips gulping down the remainder of her wine. A clear mind would probably be needed for this but one glass would hardly disorient her to the point of handicapping her abilities. The man didn’t know that though. ”Yes, I have every idea.” She responded coolly. ”There isn’t a choice in the matter we have to play his game so you might as well accept it. We have the advantage now. The vampire doesn’t know any game is being played and she took a liking to you. Use it.”Maggie didn’t want to say too much. For all the man knew she was coming up with this as she went, winging it as one under pressure and without prior experience might do. Seeing the look of disgust on his face she shook her head at him. ”Grit your teeth and go for it. You need to get her alone…” What would she be contributing to this though, what risk would Maggie be taken? It was written all over his face and in his unmoving frame so firmly planted to the spot rather than going off to do as was suggested. ”I’ll come in after you and take care of things.” She was vague on purpose. Stepping up to the man Margaret shooed him off. "Go, now. Sunrise will come all too soon."

[Belphegor]

The man's opinion of Margaret was clearly low and getting lower by the moment if the incredulous look he gave her as she downed her drink was any measure. He muttered then under his breath something that might have been, “God damned lush!” Whilst he had been content to let her play eye-candy and schmooze the demon he was obviously considerably more sceptical of her ability to plan anything that didn't involve dropping her knickers.

A look of outrage flashed across his features at her suggestion though he quelled it and ground his teeth glaring at her. “I don't play games with demons.” he snarled. “I'm wondering if you shouldn't go cuddle up with your little hell-buddy again and I take him out instead.” He rummaged in the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a dog-eared journal which he leafed through muttering “B – Bel – Belphegor...” He read for only a moment before spewing a curse and snapping the book shut. “The vampire it is then.” he growled out reluctantly.

“You'll take care of it huh? I know how to kill a vampire little girl.” He looked her up and down disdainfully. “Can you do anything useful? Not every problem can be solved by dropping your pants...” he sneered. Quite clearly he had nothing but contempt for city humans and seemed incapable of keeping his feelings to himself. In fact he gave off the distinct vibe of believing that the whole situation was somehow Maggie's fault. “And 'get her alone'? In here? How exactly do you plan to pull off that miracle?” he bitched looking around the crowded club. “We're gonna need a private room...”

Despite his bravura the man was clearly coming around to her suggestion, it was just taking him a little time to convince himself it was in fact his plan.

Over at the bar Belphegor rested his hand on the arm of an extremely angry looking man who had just hurled his drink at the wall mirror behind sending it cascading down in shattered fragments and the bartender scurrying for cover. For those who were more intimate with the workings of Hades it would be more accurate to say Bel was distracting his Brother; Levi had just spotted the vampire. Bel's fingers continued to caress sensually along Levi's arm, “Just watch, nene...” Belphegor purred, a wicked humour glinting in his pitch eyes, “I promise you will not be disappointed....” and he turned to look directly back at Maggie and pouted a kiss at her.

No pressure... [/b]

Leviathan's head turned very slowly to follow his Brother's gaze and his midnight eyes locked with Margaret's. Whilst Belphegor's presence had been a honey-sweet trap of temptation and sensual allure, the raw hunger that radiated from Levi was all about possession; an all consuming, never ending, insatiable want... His eyes sucked in everything they lit upon, emptying it out and making it his. Then he blinked and the whole room seemed to take a breath... and the barstools were again empty with only the occasional tinkle of the last falling shards of mirror to tell who had passed by.

[Margaret Rosier]

Names like that had never bothered Maggie. She knew what her job entailed and had never turned her nose up at it because what she did had a greater purpose. Maybe he wasn’t one to do anything like that but the way that Margaret went about things typically was smoother sailing, she could get more information out of the people who would look at him and immediately block themselves off. Maggie was about tact; almost every move that she made had been thoughtfully planned out. He was entitled to his opinion. The only thing that got on her nerves was that they needed to work together if her plan was to work and he was letting personal feelings get in the way of completing a job.

She shook her head at him. There was no choice but to play the game. You didn’t say no to demons if you wanted to have even a sliver of a chance at coming out of the situation alive. Maggie might not have feared death but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t still fight for her own life. Neither of them stood a chance at killed Belphegor and when, whom she now had no doubt as being, the hunter took out his journal to reference, he saw that too. Slowly, the man seemed to be catching up to speed with what she had already known all along. There were some benefits to living in the city and learning what you could of those that inhabited it with you. Maggie knew her limitations.

Margaret had been non-specific intentionally. There was no appreciation in the way that he took her figure in. He was being judgmental without any clue of who she was. She wasn’t going to correct him though. For all Maggie cared he could see her in a negative light. She knew better than to let things like this drive her to prove herself or make him privy to who she was. For all outward appearances the hunter couldn’t have known any better and so she wouldn’t let any disdain that he had for her influence her actions. ’We’ll see.” All he would be getting out of her on that front was an unsatisfactory, cryptic reply.

Things were connecting with him as the idea she had proposed was being come around to. She needed him to feel like it was his idea, make him comfortable with the situation so that she would be mostly forgotten about. Already the hunter had displayed signs of under estimating her that was falling into place as well. ”Work your charms on her, appeal to the lust she already clearly has for you. It’ll be easy getting her to go with you.” At least if he shaped up and pushed his hatred to the back of his mind long enough for the deed to be done. ”I assume you have something on you.” Her gaze moved over the man’s body. A hunter wouldn’t have come in here without something for defense. She had something herself, a small silver dagger, but it wouldn’t decapitate a vampire. Of course that wasn’t what it was for anyway.

A shiver ran up her spine and she instinctively looked over to the bar where Belphegor and another demon were seated. The other captured her gaze making her feel overwhelmed by his emotions. It was staggering and her chest tightened with the waves that crashed into her. She felt the faint sensation of someone grabbing onto her shoulder and then being shook. Pulling from her daze Maggie refocused on the hunter. They had a job to do. She could see his annoyance with her plastered onto his features. ”Are you in this or what?” He demanded from her to which she nodded, curtly. The hunter was muttering something about how he was crazy for listening to a worthless whore as he stalked off to coax the vampire into a private room.

She waited a few moments before following, hanging back at a good pace it would be difficult to tell that she was paying any attention to the pair at all. The hunter was trying his best but even from afar Margaret could sense that he was tense over the situation. That didn’t seem to matter to the vampire though, probably thinking that there was nothing to fear from the human. She was an idiot though, evidence of that had been seen simply by her being there. A few minutes passed as the pair spoke, flirted and finally they were heading off to a private room. That was Margaret’s cue. She slithered through the crowd, silently, seeing which room they disappeared into and again waited a few moments.

What Maggie ventured into was the hunter seated on the edge of the bed indulging in a kiss with the vampire who stood in front of him, bent down, her hands resting on either of his knees. Her presence had the vampire whirling around with bloodlust a fury in her eyes for being interrupted. The vampire started to move in on Margaret every intention of hurting her and Maggie looked past the vampire to the hunter giving him a pleaded, helpless, damsel in distress look. Now was the time to make his move and he did. A wooden stake was pulled out from behind him, underneath his coat and thrust as hard as he could into the vampire’s chest.

Tears welled up into Margaret’s eyes playing into the role he had thought she was in all along and scurried away from the vampire and behind him, seemingly for protection. Instead Maggie slid her hand up her inner thigh retrieving the dagger that she had. A vicious laugh emitted from the vampire’s lips keeping the hunter’s attention on it rather than Margaret, the vampire having seen the knife. In a quick motion Maggie put the blade to his throat and slit it. His body buckled back into her and Margaret helped ease him to the ground. ”I’m sorry.” She whispered into his ear. There were always causalities and now he was one of them.

The female vampire sputtered, laughing in her amusement, though slipping. Margaret glared at her, stepped over the dying hunter’s body and knelt down next to the vampire. Her hands clasped over the end of the stake and shoved down as hard as she could applying her body weight into it as well. She wanted to spear the stake clear through the bitch. It was a sickening sound listening to the stake pierce through her muscles and skin but Maggie bared it like always. Before rising to her feet again she wiped the blood on her knife from the hunter off on the vampire’s clothing. It had to be this way in her mind. Letting the hunter go just wasn’t an option. Last man standing meant that she would be the first to leave Hades and the only and she had given the demon his show. It was unfortunate about the hunter but he had to have known on some level that coming here had been a bad idea. Moving back over to the now dead hunter Maggie stooped closing his eyes and took his journal out balancing it on her knee while she slipped her dagger back into its holder up her thigh.

[Leviathan]

Leviathan listened to Bel, turning his gaze on him, letting the hypnotic caress on his arm to distract him from his need to break things in his rageful fit to make sure everyone was aware of his misery and dischord at being separated from Lillith. Belphegor was good at providing him with distractions.

The vampire was not supposed to be in Hades. She would die for that. They had an agreement with their king. If the vampires stayed out of Hades, they would not kill any innocent outside of their club. Inside, it was enter at your own risk. It even said so on the door. Humans were discouraged from coming to Hades but there were always those who were either curious enough or stupid enough to come there. The remainder were just brave because they knew how to handle themselves to avoid the dangers therein.

Levi was, at the moment, the most dangerous creature in the place and pissing him off was just like jamming a hot pitchfork into an already agitated nest of Japanese Giant Hornets. He wanted to just jump up and rip that insolent vampire's head off, thinking she was so powerful that she could just waltz into the demons den unscathed. Only one vampire could kill a demon and thats the one who was not created on earth...the king.

Levi listened to the events as they occured and was satisfied that Bel's game was amusing. A slow smile crept across his lips as the events unfolded, the hunter was dead and the vampire incapacitated. There was, however one issue that needed to be dealt with, or two rather.

He stood and moved to the room where the human was cleaning her dagger and putting it away. He grinned at her evilly. He would have liked to have pushed her on the bed and had his way with her but he had other things to deal with at the moment. First, he strode over to her and snatched the hunters book from her hands, "I'll be keeping this." his cold black eyes met hers and his tattoo's glowed a deep red for a moment, letting her know what he was. Had she know whohe and Belphegor were, she may well have screamed and ran. "Now, take your vampire out the back door and dump her in the alley for the sun to finish off." he growled, "If you come back, I will fuck you till you are split in two, or begging to be." he hissed at her before tuning and walking back out to the bar, picking up his new drink that the bartender had left for him, downing it and flinging the empty glass against the wall with explosive force.

[Margaret Rosier]

As the door flung open Margaret glanced over her shoulder to see who it was. Eyes landing on the man that had been so emotionally powerful at the bar next to Belphegor she didn’t make any move. It was very much like a deer caught in headlights. Wide eyed and frozen in place despite knowing of the danger that was coming right for her. Keeping that book would have been at least somewhat of a payoff for what she had just done but the demon had other plans. Maggie should have known better than to think that anything more than her life would be the reward for this little game of Belphegor’s but seeing as how she had just been alone with two bodies on her hands there had been a slim chance of keeping it. She knew better than to protest about the book. Knowing that he was a demon was more than enough for Maggie even if it would have been more beneficial to her to know exactly which one and how she might deal with them. For all she knew that book of the hunter’s held the answer. It would make sense given the demon taking it from her and by that point it had been made obvious to the pair that Maggie wasn’t exactly the helpless woman she had played up being to the hunter or vampire.

Rising to her feet Margaret gave him a nod of acknowledgment. Certain orders weren’t too much of a hardship for her to obey. One less vampire in the world was more than okay with her and considering the different set of rules inside of Hades the consequences that normally would have come to her, wouldn’t. For a moment Maggie wondered if it would be a good enough move to try her charms on the demon but the comment about what he would do to her pushed that notion back quickly. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he would do exactly what he said if she didn’t just take out the trash and go on about her merry little way. One thing that Maggie took a slight bit of solace from was that there were certainly worse ways to go than that.

She waited until the demon was out the door before her smile slipped onto her lips. To get one last look at the hunter would have only succeeded in bringing her down and so wasn’t a useful move on her part. Instead Margaret focused on the positive of the events that had played out. The vampire had slipped into her sleep, making her dead weight but still incapacitated to the point that she wouldn’t make it harder for Maggie by struggling. She grabbed the vampire from underneath her arms raising her upper body off the ground slightly and tugged managing to get a good enough grip on her so that as Maggie stepped back, the vampire inched forward. Margaret might have been stronger than a normal human but it wasn’t like she was strong enough to lift the vampire up all the way and tote her out, even if she had been it wasn’t something that she would want to reveal. Taking the vampire through the back halls Maggie paused long enough to open the door letting in a stream of sunlight that was just beginning to peak around the buildings of the city, then dragged her out the rest of the way. Watching her burn made Maggie’s smile grow.

[Belphegor]

Belphegor was laughing softly and wickedly to himself. Tonight had been quite entertaining. The human female, Margaret, had been every bit as amusing as he had hoped and as he had anticipated was the winner of the game. Her unexpected move with the hunter had piqued his interest even further in just what else she might be capable of. He found himself eager to test her limits; just how far could she stretch herself beyond the 'normal' mold before she broke? She would be back to Hades soon enough he was sure, though not tonight or tomorrow after Levi's delightful promise to her.

Levi needed Lilith. The demoness was way too high maintenance for Bel to have ever pursued her himself but she was just what Levi needed to keep him entertained and it wasn't like Levi was adverse to sharing with him on occasion; what were best friends for after all? Bel could keep his brother distracted with games but eventually for Levi everything came back to Lilith. Mammon still had a lot to answer for having been the cause of Lilith's absence and thusly Levi's thunderous mood. He was mildly disappointed that he had not managed to tempt Levi with the human female, they would have enjoyed her he was certain but there would be other nights and other entertainments.

He left his brother to his glass shattering, the night was almost over dawn was creeping towards the horizon. Bel slipped out to the back of the club, not that he doubted for a moment that Margaret would not have done as she was told, she was a killer for certain, but he wanted to watch the vampire burn. He stood in the doorway and watched as the first direct rays of the sun caught on the vampire's face causing it to smoke and blister before the flames erupted from it. Margaret was still stood watching her handiwork and he moved towards her noting the tiny signs that betrayed she knew he was there.

When he reached her side Bel inhaled deeply, as if the rank stench of burning flesh were a sweet perfume to his nostrils. “A beautiful morning to still be alive is it not?” he purred darkly to her. In the light of day Bel's eyes seemed now not eyes but bottomless pits of night. He cupped her chin in one hand and bent his head to kiss her deeply and passionately. His hot thick tongue filled her mouth as invasive and erotic as any sexual contact and when he released her he left a lingering after-taste.. “Until next time chica.” Bel smirked, then pouting a kiss at her he disappeared back into Hades.

((Unless anyone has anything else to add I think this thread is finished.))