Graveyard Upper Level
It was the first time that Cadee had been to the upper level of the Graveyard, and she was pleasantly surprised. Everything, from the aspect and size of the place, to the patrons, the music, lightning and general atmosphere, was much more subdued than in the other level, but at the same time, it was much more classier. While the lower Graveyard reminded you of a Gothic castle, this upper Graveyard reminded you of a Victorian gentleman’s club, without losing its nightclub identity.
She looked at Anne, and smiled. “I like this, why haven’t you brought me here before?”
“’Cause you like hunks, and hunks don’t come up here,” Anne answered casually while she scanned the crowd looking for any sign of Jasmin.
“I so don’t… well, not always.” Cadee answered, looking around as well. She spotted a couple of guys looking at them from the dance floor, they weren’t your usual beefcake, but neither were they ‘regular’. She elbowed Anne and signaled them with her head. “And what do you call those, Mr.Ugly?”
Anne smiled sweetly. “No. Gay. They’re looking at you because they think you’re a man. Told you to wear a skirt.” She then spotted Jasmin near the bar. “Come on, I see Jasmin over there.”
“Funny, very funny.” She laughed. “So, explain me again why you so object to suck up the lady for a part, but you would for a pair of party passes?”
The brunette looked sternly at her, “if you have to ask, you don’t know me at all, missy. It’s not at all the same. Besides, it’s Lucinda Graves.”
“Of course.” Cadee rolled her eyes, but followed Anne.
Jasmin was near the back, looking every more frustrated at the evening. Her phone was out, in one of her long dresses and corsets. The catch-up of the past two days had been hell, and now on the time she was supposed to be out there, she was, once again, in an argument. “Yes, for Halloween,” she was in the middle of saying. “Yes, I know. That's only five months away. All the more reason to prepare now... yes, you heard me right. Shoggoth on the Roof.”
A pause. “Shoggoth, not saw goth.... S – H – O – G – G – O – T – H!” She listened to the other person for a few more seconds, as he recorded the idea for the pitch. Last time she decided to even try to anything charity-related. The frustrated vampire hung up, growling lowly to herself at the phone and getting an odd look from people around her. As she turned back and saw the pair of women approaching her, though, she forced her look to soften.
“Anne, what a pleasant surprise,” she spoke up to be heard over the crowd and the music as she approached. Her eyes turned to the young blonde woman with her, and back. The smile was as much a product of the old acting training as it was genuine interest. “Is this your partner, or just a friend?” Her voice remained lighter, and teasing. The better to put her at ease.
“Hello, Jasmin,” Anne answered the other woman, smiling herself. It had not been the first time that she had witnessed this… mutation from ruthless businesswoman to the old Hollywood charm Jasmin cultivated. *You gotta thank the servant’s invisibility thing* she said to herself. Even if she wasn’t Jasmin ‘servant’ herself, she had been around while waiting for orders enough to catch Jasmin doing business a time or two. She actually admired the duality involved, it was essential around the circles she moved in.
She looked at Cadee and back to Jasmin, blushing a little when she got the woman’s meaning. “Cadee here is my friend, Jasmin, sorry to tell you.” Then she turned to her friend. “Cadee, let me introduce you to Jasmin Taylor. Jasmin, this is my roommate, Cadence Cloud. Cadee.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Madam.” Cadee said, smiling as well as she extended her hand in greeting. “Let me tell you that your club is great, I so much enjoy it.”
It took her a moment to extend and take her hand so briefly in greeting. The delicate dance of contact: she knew that most people wouldn't notice the temperature. Not without an extended period. So after only a few seconds, she ended the handshake. “Please, don't call me madam,” she said a touch forcefully. “It makes me sound like I'm running a whorehouse.”
As the moment of bitch passed, she clasped her hands back together in front of her, turning attention back to Anne. “When I get this charity production approved, make sure you audition for the role of Asenath.”
“Shall do. ‘Shoggoth’ is one of my all time favorites, not easy to find Howard Phillips in a musical…” She then bit her lip and forced herself to continue speaking. It was easier to tell Cadee that she would ask for those darn passes, and another thing to actually do it. “See, Jasmin, I just learnt that next Saturday the club is going to hold a party for Lucinda Graves, and I so love her books… damn, this is difficult.”
She chuckled, amusedly; Jasmin could guess what was coming, after sixty years in the business. The unmistakable approach of someone asking for a favor but too afraid to ask. “Yes, we are,” she spoke softly at that. “Never hosted something quite like this before, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up.” Which was true: the event meant free publicity, and exposure to more people who might be inclined to come back another night.
“Yeah, well. The fact is that I love Lucinda Graves’ books, and I’d love to attend that party.” She smiled tentatively. “But I know those events are pretty exclusive, so… I was wondering if you could give me and my friend a couple of passes?”
There, she had said it.
Jasmin paused for a moment purely for effect. It was always good to do that; she looked between the two women. “Let me go see if I have any left; I will be back in a minute.” With the same fake look, she turned from them, heading back towards her office. Naturally, she already knew she had a few. But it was all part of the game.
Anne turned around and started the bouncing dance again. “We’re in, Cadee. Oh my god, we’re coming to Lucinda’s party!!” Then she noticed her friend’s serious expression. “What?”
But Cadee was too focused on the blonde’s retreating figure to actually hear her. She had been from the moment her fingers had touched Jasmin’s, that briefest contact had shocked her like white lighting. Cold. She’d been too damn cold.
And then there was a sum of other tiny bits of information that all but jumped to her. Her smell for one; she smelled off. It had taken Cadee a couple of minutes to get what the exact problem was. The club was crowded and not hot, but not cold either… yet, she couldn’t smell any sweat – not foul smelling sweat, but any kind of sweat, or any body odors, actually. Usually people smelled to… people. Jasmin just smelled of perfume. Her skin was too pale, translucent, and it wasn’t your usual goth make up, her chest movements didn’t indicate actual breathing, but moved only enough for her to actually ‘speak’…
It all screamed Vampire to her.
“Cadee!”
Anne’s shaking her finally woke her up. She looked at her friend and thought about what she had learnt, did Anne know? *Of course she doesn’t know, silly. * She opened her mouth to speak, when she changed her mind. It wasn’t the time or the place. She had heard enough of this Jasmin woman to know she didn’t pose an immediate threat to any of them. *Hell, you don’t build and maintain a place like this killing couriers and customers!*
She forced herself to regain her carefree ways and answer to Anne. “Yeah! It seems we have a party next Saturday!”