(Untitled)

[signia]

I was incredibly nervous. I paced around the dressing room at the back of this club I was supposed to perform in, hoping to God my hair looked alright, having been styled without a reflection. It's a hard thing to do

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[lornegreen]

I was so completely moved by that performance that I absolutely had to meet this girl.

One of my waitresses came by with another Seabreeze, meekly putting it on the table infront of me. I grabbed her arm.

"Fetch me the singer," I told her. "Tell her the boss wants to see her."

I took a sip of my drink and waited.

[signia]

The boss wanted to see me? What the hell for?

I gave the waitress a cocked eyebrow, but reluctantly followed her halfway through the club, where she pointed to a booth in the back. "The boss is over there," she told me. "His name is Lorne, and he's in a really bad mood tonight. So be careful."

"Thanks for the tip," I told her, dryly.

I walked through the club, and approached the booth where the boss was sitting.

He looked up at me with his blazing red eyes.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked.

[lornegreen]

I motioned for her to sit down. "Please," I told her. "Join me for a drink."

I could feel the reluctance in her as she sat down across the booth from me, and I studied her even closer as she did so. She was flawless.

I fiddled with the coaster that was supposed to be underneathe my glass, protecting the surface of these beautiful oak tables.

"My name is Lorne," I told her finally. "I'm the co-owner of this establishment."

I smiled at her.

"Your performance was terrific, Kitten," I said, taking a sip of my drink. "You must've been a real spitfire in your day."

[signia]

The second the demon opened his mouth and words came out, I could tell from the sound of his voice that he was far from evil. My demeanor immediately calmed, and I made myself comfortable in the booth.

I ordered a simple martini, and returned the piercing gaze of his red eyes with one of my own.

"I could hold my own," I told him in response, a cocky lilt in my voice.

I suddenly wondered what his deal was. I mean, i've been in many a nightclubs in my time, and most of them were run by sleazy disgusting demons, or humans so vile they could be considered their own class of demon.

But not this one. He was a type of demon i'd never seen before. He also looked fairly young, and his face (though showing signs of great weariness and strife) reflected more of a quality of innocence and humility.

My gaze softened. "It's been awhile since i've been on stage," I added.

[lornegreen]

I rubbed my clefted chin and looked at her.

"Considering your past," I told her, "I can understand why."

A vampire out to seek atonement. Gee, where've I seen this before? What is it with vampires these days?

But this one was attempting to do it without a soul, which was probably going to be a great undertaking. I found it admirable. Especially since she was seeking atonement through the love of song.

[signia]

Okay, that suddenly creeped me out. How did he know anything about me? I certainly hadn't said anything to anyone around here about my past except what I did in the 30's, which granted, was what got me this gig tonight.

My expression changed to one of confusion, and I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you know about my past?" I asked him. "What exactly do you understand?"

I wanted to know what he was going on about.

[lornegreen]

I finished off my drink and put the empty glass aside. I gave Nia a knowing smile.

"Kitten," I said, leaning forward. "I find what you're doing commendable. And the song is a good choice for a way that one can fight their inner demons."

Boy, I was vague, wasn't I?

Actually, scratch that. Boy, I was a hypocrite.

Here I was, trying to tell this girl that using song was a great way to help fight the battles inside. Yet, come to think of it, have I sung a note since I came here? No sir. And let me tell you, I had plenty of battles going on inside. Sometimes I should take my own advice.

[signia]

This was starting to get on my nerves. I don't know what this demon with the boyish face was trying to get at, but he certainly liked to beat around the bush.

I shook my head at him slowly, a confused expression on my face. "Where are you getting this from?" I asked him. "I don't know where you think you're going with all this."

Weren't we talking about my performance? Why were we suddenly talking about my past, and what did it have to do with me being here? Better yet, I ask again, how the hell does he know this? About my ... inner demons?

I was getting a bit annoyed with all this, yet I was somehow compelled to know what else he thought he knew about me.

[lornegreen]

I sensed flickers of annoyance in her aura, and I decided that playing the esoteric game with her was only going to make her dislike me. It wasn't something I wanted.

"I got it from you, Peach-Pie," I told her. "You told me when you sang."

Her look was even more perplexed.

"I-I'm an empath demon," I explained. "I can read people's destinies when they sing to me. It's a gift I used to use all the time, but not so much anymore."

I nervously glanced around the club, hoping no one had heard what I told her. "Infact no one here knows I can do it. So I would appreciate it if you didn't say anything."

[signia]

An empath demon. I've met a few of those in my time, but not one whose power was specificially geared around singing. How curious.

But did that also mean I unknowingly opened myself up to him? I suddenly felt slightly violated. Then again I didn't care.

I casually took a sip of my martini and gave him a half-assed smile.

"So tell me then, Lorne," I told him. "What else did you see? Did you see my big evil deeds, the people i've killed, the lives I stole, the families I tore apart?"

[lornegreen]

I met the challenging look in her eyes with a gentle smile.

"I saw all that, yes," I admitted to her. "But I also saw a greater need to do good than you ever had to do bad."

The waitress had brought me another drink and I took a sip of it, looking at her overtop the rim of the glass.

"What you're taking on now, might seem like a mountain," I went on. "But i've seen atonement that makes your couple of rough decades look like an anthill, Sweetheart."

Certain atonments, that belong to say, Angel, for example?

[signia]

I think my eyebrow remained locked in the upright position throughout the entire course of this conversation. It struck me as incredibly bizarre and completely random that I would be sitting in a club talking about my penance with an empath demon.

All I came here to do was sing a tune or two. I really didn't expect this.

But he spoke of this as if he knew a thing or two. I could sense there was something about him he wasn't about to let up; the core reason he pulled me back here to talk to him maybe didn't so much as have to do with my past, or really anything about me.

He said he's seen atonement that makes mine look infantile, and maybe he's trying to either tell me I shouldn't bother, or I have a fleeting chance to make things right again.

"When you talk about these mountains," I started to ask, cautiously, "You seem to speak from experience. Exactly what other forms of reparations have you seen?"

I was suddenly curious to know who else was in my situation.

[lornegreen]

I began to think I was getting in over my head. I really didn't want to rehash the past with someone I barely knew, because I could sense that walking on this thin ice could end up with me reliving all the bullshit I just managed to get myself out of

[signia]

Perhaps this is why he had brought me over here. He must've needed some sort of good reason to try to convince me to come back to this place

[lornegreen]

"Excellent," I told her. "I'll talk to my co-owner about it and see when we can book you in. I'm thinking Friday nights."

I reached inside my blazer and took out out a small notepad, pulled the pencil out of the spiral binding, and jotted down a note or two.

When I looked back up at her, I noticed her aura was pulsating with a warm colour, which was rare for a vampire. Well, those without souls anyway.

She was smiling at me.

I flushed slightly, and looked back down at my notepad, trying to look casual.

"Does that sounds good to you?" I asked her.

[signia]

Friday nights were probably going to be the busiest night, and here I was, being asked to headline. I was pretty stoked about the whole idea, to be honest.

I was smiling at Lorne as he jotted down his notes, and when he looked up at me, I don't think he expected to see such a warm smile.

You know, it's funny. At this point in my life, I really didn't feel any hate in my heart. Which is weird being a souless vampire who is supposed to be hellbent on death and bloodlust. So I just couldn't help but smile, especially at this demon wearing a violet paisley shirt with a blue suit.

"Sounds fantastic," I said enthusiastically. I took another sip of my martini and smiled at him again.

My expression changed to a thoughtful one. "I don't necesarily have to sing oldtime songs, do I?" I asked him. "I mean, I can sing other stuff too. Unless of course you're keen on it, then that's cool."