A night out..., Tags: Open to vampires, please. <3

~ Earlier

"Nick... come on, man, you've been dodging us all week." His friend, Anthony, was doing his best to try and get them all together, to go out and have a good time. It was just unfortunate that the last thing Nick wanted to do was... well, anything that involved leaving his house. Nick was busy drying his hair with one towel, while he watched Anthony watch him.

"Ever think there might be a reason?" Nick replied, though his voice was a bit more harsh than he'd meant to make it. He cringed. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant... I don't know, I can't handle being around--"

"Wrong answer, bud." Anthony sat up, digging for something in his phone. "We're going out - you, me, Liza, Kat, and Jon. Whitney's boy is sick so she's staying behind. But trust me, man. You need this. If for no other reason than you've obviously got something on your mind."

It took some cajoling, and a group phone call, but eventually, Nick was dressed and out of the house.

~ Present.

"There's no way we're going to get in." Nick said, adamantly, looking sharply at the other guys. Jon and Anthony had decided the night should not end before they got drunk, though Kat and Liza had wanted to see a movie instead. "Not only is this not a good idea, but this is worse..."

"But think about the hot vampires in there. I hear it's crazier in a vamp bar." Jon said, and Nick couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Besides, if you do a little..." He waved his hand a bit. "You can get us in no problem."

He socked Jon in the arm, shaking his head. "Yeah, but..."

"No buts. We're going, witchery or no witchery." It had been a mistake, clearly, to tell Jon about the magic. But Nick didn't like lying. After a second, he shrugged. "I'll get us through the door, but that's it. You get thrown out, it's on you." He smirked, looking to the bouncer at the door.

He sighed, and got out of the backseat. He was not getting drunk - but it would be nice to get something to make him do a little forgetting. The night so far had been fun, so for now he'd play along. It was a quick spell, that made the boys look just old enough to pass the cuff. He'd heard somewhere that vampire bouncers had a hard time telling human ages - which made it all the easier.

Once inside, the spell would fade and they'd be able to muck about.

Almost immediately, Jon and Anthony slipped away from him, with fistbumps all around. They'd probably get thrown out when they made a stupid move on a vampire lady, but who was he to judge? For now, Nick was just interested in the people - both human and vampire. It was an interesting feeling, here, acceptance all around.

Nick scooted towards a table near a roped off area, tugging a chair out to drop in to. Nick could ignore the pole dancers pretty easily, but he spotted Anthony and Jon positively riveted. Nick would not be buying the drinks tonight. The fae boy chuckled and leaned back in the chair, just content to sit and watch.

All vampire bars were alike; dark, gloomy and way too much leather. It was all so depressing, but even so, Dani just couldn't resist poking in to view the menu. It was the only thing she really liked about vamp-clubs. They pulsated with desperate humans looking for intamacy with the dead, which lead to a great opertunity for a snack. So, with a bouce in her step, Danika approached the club, flashing the boucer a fanged grin as she entered.

She was obviously going to stick out like a sore thumb in this crowd, but Danika could care less. Her bright pink fishnets and lime shorts, with an adorable 'My Little Pony' tee that fit snugly to her form is what she would call a good vacation from all the black and red. Not to mention the white-fur leg warmers and panda backpack that she had gotten from a meal last week. She walked through the crowd to the bar and promptly ordered a Tru-Blood from the tender, not specifying what type. It wasn't like she was going to drink it, like the glass of water resturants give while you browse the menu.

Her eyes trolled the crowd, filtering out the painfully obvious vamps from the delicate humans, searching for someone she could possibly slip away with. It wasn't long before they fell upon a boy sitting alone. Something was different about him. Perhaps it was the fact that he wasn't groveling for the attention of a vamp, or that he was too young to be in the club at all. Whatever it was, Danika had to investigate.

"O-Neg," the bartender announced, placing an open bottle of synthetic blood on the bar, freshly nuked in the microwave to give it the warmth of real blood.

Dani crinkled her nose at the steaming bottle, but accepted it anyways, paying the man with some loose cash she found in the panda. With the bottle in hand, she left the bar. Her eyes set on the lone boy. She tapped him gently on the shoulder, greeting him with a friendly smile as she spoke. "Hey, lonely! Mind if I join you?"

The tapping on his shoulder was a bit startling, which was completely fair, considering the atmosphere. Still, ( after he jumped a little ) he turned to face her, uncertainly. Whatever he'd been expecting, she had not been it. Everything about her was electric and bright, which more or less threw him for a loop. After all, this was a vampire bar. If he was going to be approached by someone, he expected dark, dangerous, and potentially grumbly. He got bright, bouncy, and excited. Not that the potential for danger wasn't there - he noted the trueblood in her hand. While she could absolutely be a fangbanger pretending she was more interesting than she already was, he doubted it. Who would voluntarily put themselves through that crap?

"Uh, no. I mean, no, I don't mind." He gestured gently at the chair, though his gaze kept slipping back to his friends. They were having a good time, and he was glad for them. Who knew when a vampire would figure out they weren't supposed to be here, and the night would be over? So long as no one got hurt, it'd be a really amusing ending to a really weird night.

He slid back in his chair, so that he wasn't slouching. Least he could do was be polite. "But I'm not lonely. I'm Nick - and I'm here with friends." He snickered a bit, as he watched one of them get knocked back in his chair. Jon was laughing at Anthony, and neither of them seemed bothered by the awkwardness of their gawking, though others were clearly starting to take notice of their weirdness.

"You know, you're the last person I'd expect to be in a place like this. I mean, you're definitely much..." What was the right word? "brighter. Waaay brighter." Pink and green and my little pony? At least she wasn't a dull vampire.

The boy jumped slightly when she tapped his shoulder, which amuzed her, then he turned slowly to her. "Uh, no. I mean, no, I don't mind." he told her awkwardly. Danika sat in the chair he offered, following his eyes to a small group of guys who were making fools of themselves. "But I'm not lonely. I'm Nick - and I'm here with friends. You know, you're the last person I'd expect to be in a place like this. I mean, you're definitely much... brighter. Waaay brighter."

Her smile widened. "Life is too long to be dark all the time. Plus, I've never been a fan of black," her eyes followed a vamp and a fangbanger stroll by, clad all in leather. "or that." Her hand extended toward him quickly as she then introduced herself. "I'm Danika, but you can call me Dani."

Her attention turned back to Nick's friends, who also appeared too young to be in the bar, but she didn't question. Slowly, she placed the Tru-Blood on the table before them, not wanting to hold onto the nasty stuff any longer.Dani turned herself to the boy next to her, to direct her attention on him. "SO! What brings you to Fangtasia, Nick? It's not exactly the place you see on the side of the road and just decide to stop in."

Nick couldn’t help but laugh – a laugh he had to turn in to a cough to not look like an ass, when she pointed out the leather-clad pair. Yeah, it didn’t leave much to the imagination… nor did it make him any more comfortable. That much leather? It had to chafe, and in places that chafing… blegh. Shaking his head, he smirked back at her, and accepted her hand in a light handshake. None of that overmasculine teenager-isms here, Nick had nothing to prove. Besides, any vampire could out-manly him, regardless of how tone or buff he thought he was. He wasn’t concerned about that, though – why would he be? Everyone was friendly, here, with eyes roaming over him and making him feel welcomed.

“Nice to meet you, Dani. I’m Nicholas – but you can call me Nick.” He replied, in the same way. “Aaaand, they did.” He said, gesturing to the boys he’d come with. None of them looked of age, and to be honest, Nick was surprised they hadn’t already been tossed out. “They wanted to bring me here because it was so far outside the realm of something I wanted to do, they thought it would be awesome.” Of course, it had been him wanting to spend time with them that eventually got him to agree… but hey! Who cared? It was all innocent fun. “It is pretty nice, though. A bit on the… you know, ‘grrr’ side.” Noise accompanied with fingers curled in to mock-claws. “But hey, there’s ‘fang’ in the name.” He grinned, pretending he was clever. He wasn’t, when it came to spinning words in to jokes, but that didn’t mean he didn’t try. What was life without a little risk?

“But I haven’t regretted it yet. I haven’t been hit on by any vampires, and I’m not going to get liquored up, so it’s nice to just… you know, observe and enjoy the atmosphere.” He nodded softly, leaning back in his chair, head sort-of bobbing to the music. He continued to alternate his attention between his friends and his new tablemate, glancing at the true blood. “I heard that stuff is terrible.” He added, half grinning. “So what about you? Decide to come in and show the place what they’re missing, in the whole my little pony side of the world?” A slight tease, but nothing harsh. He wasn’t a butthead, all the time, especially not to a vampire. To him, vampires, fairies, all the supernatural creatures just had to stick together. Right?

Dani smiled widely when Nick laugh/coughed, thinking it was quite adorable. She was sure it was for go reason. He shook her hand gently, telling her that it his friends' idea to come to the bar. The pair that had brought Nick were wild, almost like they didn't care that they were too young. Normally, the bar would over look young adults, if they acted like they were older, but they were headed to a one way ticket to the alley... Or worse.

“I heard that stuff is terrible.”

She looked at the untouched tru-blood on the table, then at him. "It tastes like cardboard," she explained bluntly. He made a comment about her attire, changing the subject quickly, playfully teasing about her polarity among the others. "Oh, no. I could care less what the other vamps do with their eternity. That's on them. I was just stopping by for a drink on my way through town." She winked.

On the opposite side of the bar, Danika could spot the security talking and gesturing to Nick's rowdy friends. It didn't look like they were going to upgrade them to VIP either. "Seems like your friends are attracting some unwanted attention," she warned, gesturing with a quick nod of her head at the security.

His smile didn't flicker or fade, and he just nodded gently at her description of the true blood. Not so 'true,' if you listened to the vampires... but hey, he did't have to drink the stuff! He glanced at the other vampires, none of which held the same demeanor as her. Everything about her was just... different. Against what anyone would expect from a vampire, but it was nice, too. Showed a difference in the way vampires functioned. There were all sorts of different people, why not vampires?

However, she drew his attention to his friends. His smile quickly shifted in to a small frown. They didn't even realize that there was a problem. Nick rolled his eyes.

"I warned them." He shrugged. To be perfectly honest, it was probably going to be hilarious to see them get tossed on their ass. Nick shifted, antsy in his chair. "So, where are you heading, if you're just passing through?" He asked, though his eyes no longer shifted to her. He knew it was kind of disrespectful, but his friends had no one watching their back but him.

He eased forward as the security started to move towards his friends. "Ugh. They're going to be so mad when I don't get thrown out with them, but it's totally their fault." But there was a twinge of concern in him. Vampires outclassed humans by a whole lot, and though it would be funny as hell, he wouldn't want his friends to get hurt because he got them inside. "I should probably warn them off or something." He dug his cell phone from his pocket, and began typing out a text message to get Anthony to pay attention to the security and stop acting like a goof.

Anthony didn't even notice. Great.

He sighed, and looked at her. "They're gonna get in trouble, huh?"

Danika watched him carefully, noting that he was fidgiting in his seat. Even though she too was human not that long ago, they were begining to seem strange to her. If had warned him, why would he show that he was worried? She shook her head slightly to herself, knowing the answer to her question. She eyed the security who inched their way closer to the group.

"Here, there, everywhere," she replied to his question that was an obvious attempt at a change of subject. "I'm looking for someone, so I'm never in one place too long..."

Nick had grabbed his cell from his pocket, his fingers gliding over the keypad as he created his message to his friend, which went unnoticed. A scent of anxiety rose from the young boys skin and she inhailed deeply, taking it in. "They're gonna get in trouble, huh?"

Trouble wouldn't even begin to describe it. "From a past experience," she began. "They'll probably get taken to the sheriff, where he will decide his fate. Most will be taken away, sometimes for weeks, to teach them a 'lesson' about crossing vampires... Others just... Disappear." Dani knew that wasn't going to be the answer he was looking for, but the truth was always better than a lie. Besides, she could tell that he cared for his friends and he would feel accountable for anything that would happen to him. "It's a harsh punishment, if you ask me, so I'm going to offer my help." A moment of silence. "For a price."

Nomadic vampires wasn't really that far of a stretch, so he was less than surprised that she was doing that, rather than hanging out in one specific spot - even a spot as neat as New York. The fairy shifted uncomfortably though, visibly turning to her, his friends temporarily ignored as she gave him the worst-case scenario. Vanishing? Taken away for weeks? Was she out of her mind? His brows furrowed as he tried to decide if she was just messing with him ( because, to be fair, she was doing a really good job of freaking him out. ) or if she was being serious. He eased to the edge of his seat.

"That's illegal." He said, sharply. "Vampires can't do that - it's against the law. Human law still applies, if vampires want to be treated like equals..." But a cursory glance showed the fairy boy that the vampire security was directly behind them. Hands reached out to turn the two around.

Okay, this was less than funny, now.

"A price?" He asked, clearly not impressed by the charity or generosity this bright-looking girl was showing. Nick was starting to consider the possibility that maaaaybe vampires were a bit more on the crazy side. Not all of them, but clearly the club-going ones weren't playing with a full deck. "You want to haggle?" He shook his head. "I don't have any money or anything to pay with. But I do have a nasty temper, and vampires aren't really at the top of my 'list of scary shit' right now." Nick didn't exercise it often, because of the damage it could do, but he was more than capable enough in his power to tear this place apart. He wouldn't, out of respect, but he wasn't going to let his friends get hurt.

Pushing himself from his chair, he gave her a soft shake of his head. "I may not be old enough to drink, but I am fully capable of taking care of myself. My friends, too." Hubris, perhaps? Or maybe it was something more ridiculous, like a stark belief in his abilities. He'd been preparing to take on a demon. Vampires? Not so scary. "You can help, if you want, or you can sit back and decide against it. It's all what you want to do with your eternity, right?" A gentle shrug. "Thanks for the conversation, though. It was enlightening."

He made his way around people - living and dead - until he arrived next to his friends. "Hey, guys. We're leaving." He said, glancing at the vampire. Their eyes locked, and Nick quirked a brow. "I'm their ride. We're going to walk out of here, all on our own. Sorry for insulting you or whatever, they're spazzes. But you don't want to play this game, and there is no need for it." Not much compared to Samael, and one vampire bouncer wasn't going to cow him.

"You can step aside, though, and we'll get out of here. Fair enough?" ... Fairy 'nuff. Oh, that was funny.

Danika blinked silently to herself as Nick blatantly told her off. She didn't quiet understand why he would blow up like that since she simply was telling the truth. She followed him with her eyes as he got up and went to assist his friends. He had a lot of guts for a human, but now she began to wonder if he was entirely human. Lately, she was begining to discover more secrets of the world, leaving her unsure of everything.

She didn't quite catch what Nick told the security, but she could tell by their expressions that they didn't like it. Aparently, not all of his dogs were barking if he was trying to pick a fight in a bar full of vampires. Dani sighed. Her price was going to have to wait for he prize was heading toward the worst situation possible. It wasn't like she doubted his ability to take care of himself, but she felt like she had to help somehow. She eyed the Tru-Blood on the table and had an idea.

Snatching up the disgusting drink, she made her way over to the security and stood behind them. "Excuse me!" she shouted, "What the hell is this?" The vampires turned around, coming face to face with the untouched synthetic blood. "This shit is expired! Are you seriously serving this to your customers? Gross."

The narrowing of the eyes gave the vampires away. Instinctively, Nick focused on them, and he held back his energy like a loaded gun. If they so much as twitched towards them, he was going to put them through the wall – and while that might not be impressive in its own, it would be enough to cause a distraction. He was showing restraint, lately – the option was there to just set the vampires on fire, but he really doubted he could control the collateral, and let everyone else get out of there safely. Granted, safety was the whole reason he’d started this, so fire was not the right answer. He gritted his teeth – both Anthony and Jon were silent behind him, apparently aware of the situation. Nick didn’t even falter, which apparently surprised the vampire that was watching him. He must have tried a glamour or whatever. Nick was never phased by that sort of thing – perk of being a fairy.

“It’—“ He was cut off, though, by the sound of a woman behind the vampire. He didn’t catch the approach of Dani from behind the bouncer vampire, and when she started to make a scene, they turned almost immediately, forgetting the teenagers. Nick spun to his friends, pressing his finger to his lips in a call for silence. The vampires wouldn’t be distracted for long – and Nick just tilted his head at the exit. They moved quickly, though not as quietly as he’d like. He handed Anthony his keys, and slipped out the door. Once it was closed behind him, he nodded at the two. He wasn’t going to duck out on Dani like that. He wasn’t really wanting to do anything along the lines of ‘paying,’ especially since all she’d done was prevent lots of property damage…

But still, she’d helped, and she hadn’t had to do that. He leaned against the wall outside the door, confident that the she-vamp had seen the way the boys had exited. Anthony looked concerned from the car window, but Nick just shook his head a bit, and made a faint gesture. After another nod, Anthony took off, the two humans getting well out of the line of fire. There was always the possibility that the vampire bouncers would make their way out here, and Nick didn’t know if he could keep all three of them safe. Flicking his wrists absently, he considered the next couple of minutes. This could certainly turn from a really good night to one that he’d pray to forget.

Danika spotted the boys leaving as she continued to patronize the security. They insisted that she take up her issue with the bartender since they weren't the ones in charge of Tru-Blood and whether it was good or not. With that, they dismissed the young vampire and turned to take care of their problem, only to find that Nick and his rowdy friends were no longer there. The security turned to speak with Danika again, but she, too, was no where to be found.

She had taken the same route that the boys had, leaving the bar. Nick stood against the wall by the door and Dani gave him a quizzical look. "I figured you would have left with your friends," she stated. She hadn't stopped for long since the bouncers were probably going to start looking for them. Danika motioned for him to follow, walking at a quick pace, but not so quick that the human couldn't keep up.

It wasn't long until she realized that she was still holding on to the bottle of synthetic blood and she instinctively made a face and tossed it into the bushes. She was no longer amungst other vampires where she had to pretend to be mainstream. She had done that a long time ago and swore when she left the Queendom that she would never drink that nasty shit ever again. Dani then turned her attention back to Nick, "Why did you wait?"

He considered his response very carefully, as he walked with her. After all, he didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that he owed her, because in his eyes, he did not. She had wanted a price for her help, but he had not been in any position to give her one. Nor did he feel he needed to. “I wanted you to know I was thankful for your help – though I had the situation under control.” He shrugged, finally, as he glanced her direction. His senses were focused on her – not that that would matter if she decided to jump him. She would have the element of surprise, even if he was watching her, but he figured it would be the smartest thing to do. “I try to be as polite as possible at all times.” He grinned, absently.

He watched her toss the bottle away, and he shook his head.

“As bad as it tastes, you shouldn’t waste food.” He chided, absently shrugging his shoulders again. “But yeah. I didn’t wait because I felt I owed you anything. Why’d you decide to help me out after I turned down your offer the first time?” Nick asked, glancing at Dani sidelong. It was only fair – her question got answered, so she should answer, too. Besides that, he really did feel like he could have handled the vampire bouncers. Vampires didn’t really have a response to magic – they just had to hope their first shot took a spellcaster out of the game before they could get warmed up. To be perfectly honest, he was surprised the vampires hadn’t smelled him out sooner – vampires could usually smell his fairy blood before he realized he was in any danger.

It was the big reason he’d hesitated, but he hadn’t wanted to tell his friends that he was potentially bait.

“What was your price?”

“As bad as it tastes, you shouldn’t waste food.”

Dani rolled her eyes at the statement, but was sure to not let him see. She wanted to tell him that humans waste food all the time. Besides, she would never drink that stuff again. Vampires fed on humans and shouldn't eat anything else. No matter how nutritious it was made out to be, it lacked the human element causing it to taste like cardboard. Literally. And only rats ate cardboard...

"Not sure," she answered honestly. At the moment, she was thinking about what she would get in return, but that was simply the underlaying issue. He may have had the situation under controll with the bouncers, but she had a feeling that he didn't realize that he was outnumbered 20 to 1 and that was including his friends. She shrugged, turning to him. "I guess I figured if I helped you, when the time came you'd help me."

The further they got from the bar, the fainter the pheromones of sweat and sex got, leaving the air tasting crispy fresh. But, it also reveiled something she hadn't noticed before. A smell that was familiar to her, but she couldn't put a finger on it. It was sweet and pungent and it was most definately coming from Nick. Danika turned to him, her brows raised slightly in surprise. Could this be the reason why he had said he had everything under control? she wondered.

“What was your price?”

The question made her focus snap back to him and less on his scent. She hadn't quite thought out her price fully when she had made the offer and she was complete unprepared to make one up at the moment. Dani rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled nervously. "I actually hadn't thought of anything yet," she admited. She thought quickly. There was no need for money; she had plenty of that from her victims and if that ever went scarce, there was always the 'Royal Visa Card' the queen had given her as a last resort. Nor did she need any material objects since she was constantly moving, so she liked to travel light. If he had been a vampire, she would have asked if he knew of her maker and any information concerning him and his where-abouts, but that wasn't the case.

She inhaled deeply, taking in more of his scent, then asked without thinking, "You're not exactly human, are you?"

Some part of him wasn't buying it. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, just... the mood for the night had been ruined. Vampires grabbing people that offended them, and taking making them 'vanish?' That wasn't right - hell, there was nothing less right. Vampires were all talking about how humans and vampires needed to coexist peacefully, and Nick was one of their most vocal supporters - but now? Hell, if vampires thought themselves above the law, was it really appropriate to grant them the same rights as humans?

He gritted his teeth, and shook his head. When he was less upset, he'd ponder those things. For now, he'd talk to her and figure out what she wanted.

"I can do that. I'm relatively good at helping people." He said, softly. He'd saved a vampire's life, once before. It had been when his powers first sprang up, so the danger there was great... but hey, it was only right that he be on their side. For now. Granted, the fact that he was their top snack? It made the idea of helping them even less appealing.

Glancing to her, he shook his head. "Got it in one." he replied. So now that they were outside where the smells were less booze-and-blood-y, she could pick him out for what he was. Fair enough.

"Hell, I don't know if I'm human at all. But I'm mostly fairy." he said, replying to her unspoken question as to his heritage. "It's how I knew I could handle myself in a vampire bar. I'm pretty sure I could have burned that place to the ground if I felt like killing everyone but me inside." He didn't, by the way - even vampires. He didn't like killing, at all. It was the one thing he'd done and regretted more than any other thing.

Yet, his body count seemed to pile up regardless of what he did. Taking a deep breath, he kept walking, though now his focus was not on Dani, but the sidewalk they traversed. He was starting to shiver in the cold, and he was more than a little ready to go home.