The First Age

Life had been lonely.  Elyse was still with Ricky and Marta, and she felt grateful that she and Stinging Nose had a place to stay.  Still, Elyse wasn't sure that she had found her place.  Being wolfkin by itself was difficult, but since then, her family had abandoned her.  She had been hurt.  Sierra was gone and Elyse didn't know where she was.

With thought of Sierra came guilt.  Elyse was sure that if she tried, she would be able to find Sierra.  At the very least there was the dream world.  She found herself scared to go though and avoided it.  Stinging Nose had stated his concern for Elyse.  She was a pack animal that was isolating, and that was never good.

Elyse sighed and took a drink of the scotch in front of her.  Elyse wasn't sure what it was about Kallisti, but she found the place comforting.  It wasn't the place that she would usually find herself, yet the staff was very good at taking care of her.  She knew it was their jobs, but it still helped.

Today, Elyse had found a corner by herself.  A dancer was doing a routine on the stage, but Elyse wasn't paying attention.  She stared at the amber liquid that would match her eyes had she not been wearing colored lenses.  Elyse reached out and was able to find Stinging Nose.  She sent a brief message that she was okay.  There was incredulity in Sting's response back.  Deep down, Elyse knew she wasn't okay, but she didn't know what to do about it.

Mae had regulars they all did. And Mist watched as she one walked into the lounge sadder than usual. It wasn't apparent to strangers, but when a person comes into Kallisti regularly they usually came for the tantalizing show, but when Elyse didn't watch the show it said many things to her, and when her rounds allowed Mist brought Elyse a favored drink and walked around behind the woman with a smile and a playful tease of her fingers along the woman's arm and neck before she settled her arms around Elyse with a smile and purred into her ear. "What has my darling in such a sullen mood? Can I do anything to perk those lips into a pretty smile?"

Elyse smelled and heard Mist’s approach before she arrived, but still the touch on her shoulder and neck gave her a pleasurable shiver. They were good at that at Kallisti just as they were good at reading emotions. Maybe that’s why Elyse felt so attracted to this place.

Elyse turned her head to look at Mist. Mae was a pretty woman and had always treated Elyse with kindness. ”Hey Mist,” she said, genuinely happy to see the woman.

Elyse sighed before continuing. ”I don’t know. Have you ever… she paused thinking of the right way to express her emotions. ”Like you don’t belong anywhere?”

Mae sat down next to Elyse and waived over one of the trays. "Two more of whatever she's having." One for Elyse and the other for her. It would be Mae's allotted one drink tonight -- one she'd nurse however long she needed to, her show was done, she was just working the floor.

Mae put her arm around Elyse's shoulder and nodded. "Most of the time. Kallisti is the only home I've really had in a long time. Before Nox left on his uber secret under the world type mission, he went back to that big ole' mansion. You used to live there too, yeah?" Mae smiled and nodded knowing her assessment was right. "The toxic is gone from the place. Your friends would probably welcome you back with open arms."

Mae stood up and wrapped the blue feather boa around her shoulders with a flourish. "How can I distract you?" she said in her most Mist filled seductive voice.

[[ ooc: Mist is her stage name, Elyse doesn't likely know her real name. ]]

Elyse put her head on Mist’s shoulder as the other woman put her arm around her. The use of Nox’s name drew Elyse out of her thoughts. Nos had hurt her, but she no longer held a grudge against her. Elyse smirked at the thought of Dorian’s mansion.

”Going back there wouldn’t be a good idea,” Elyse said with a sign. Despite not holding a grudge, she knew that the environment held too many touchy memories.

Elyse raised her head. ”You know, I keep hearing Nox works here, yet I’ve never seen him here?”

Mist giggled at Nox's noticeable absence whenever Elyse showed up. "He has a lot going on. Working for the Ascendancy and the CCDPD pulls him away. He never leaves us without our guards though. What happened to Raffe won't happen again here, not with a man who can stop someone with out ever leaving his spot."

Mist sat down in Elsye's lap and smiled brightly. She leaned in a whispered. "See the man by the bar. His name is Bruno. He came in one night after one of Nox's friends 'helped with a situation'. He wanted to learn, so Nox had him hired and has been teaching him how to restrain people. Among other things, but job first, fun later." Mist giggled and caressed the tip of Elsy's ear with her finger. "And then there is the whole lost arm thing."

Mist sat back with a grin. "He's working on a new piece. He lacks confidence in his dancing and fight skills with the lost arm. Other than balance, he's still got it. Do tell me, my darling that you are getting out there. He's so not worth losing anything to. No man -- or woman is." Mist smiled. "Here is only an illusion. You do go elsewhere, my darling?"

Nox rubbed at the socket connection where the new arm met the old and sighed. He'd have left it upstairs, but there was a certain about of disability he wasn't willing to show to the low lives that made trouble in Kallisti -- they were few and far between. Ori ran a clean house but sometimes shit happened. And Nox was here to make sure no one got hurt again. Bruno was taking up his position in the room that looked over the whole place -- best seat in the house so to speak.

The bigger man smiled at Nox and made his way to the other side of the room. Nox watched him and his gaze took in the patrons he passed. Most weren't regulars -- at least not ones that came during Nox's time here. Which to be fair hadn't been a long time.

His eyes swept over Mist entertaining a women and Nox growled. "Fuck!" Just what he needed his ex.

The place that held the hoard rolled with the new emotion and the next thing Nox felt was hot liquid running down the mechanical hand. He looked at the crumpled cup he'd crushed in his lost thought. "Fuck"

A few of the patrons looked at him, their eyes wide with shock and fear and quickly turned to their own business. That's right! the voice in his head said and Nox stamped it down. Jesus fucking Christ what was wrong with him?

Nox made his way behind the bar and cleaned up himself and the mess he'd made on the floor. The bartender who worked opposite Raffe gave Nox a shy smile and handed him a fresh cup of coffee in a porcelan mug and placed it in Nox's good hand. "Thanks."

He smiled with a node. "We missed ya. But you sure you want to be out here?"

"Just waiting for Raffe to get back."

He nodded knowingly and Nox went back to his post careful not to break the glass with hot liquid in his hand.

((Ooc - sorry about the delay))

Mist knew how to distract Elyse, and Elyse welcomed the distraction as Mist moved to her lap and caressed her ear, eliciting a slight giggle.

Lost arm? Elyse knew nothing about that, but her ears picked up a commotion. Sure enough, Nox was there, and he certainly didn’t look happy. Elyse pretended not to notice and turned back to Mist, putting her arm around her waist.

”I haven’t really gotten back out there. There was one girl, but…probably not. And I know about the illusion, but the illusion is what I need. I’m not sure I’m ready for reality yet.” she said with a slight grimace. ”I know…it sounds stupid, right?”

Mist turned with Elyse and sighed. "He looks like shit. Guess the mission didn't go as well as planned." She said to her self before returning her gaze to the beautiful woman before here.

"Not stupid, darling." She leaned in again and whispered, "We all protect ourselves after we get hurt."

Mist stood up with the grace of a cat and twirled and danced for Elyse alone. A man to their left shouted. "I didn't come here for the girls to hog all the dancers."

Mist ignored him, but the edges of the club floor stirred, all of their bouncers shifted it was like a siren sounded and now they were hyper vigilante. The other girls steered clear of th man who was making a scene and Mist saw Juls go up to Nox and place her red gloved hand on his chest to stay him. He was in a foul mood. Mist took all that in while making a spin and returning her gaze on the woman before her with a smile. She leaned down and whispered "Don't worry the boys have it in hand, just ignore him."

---

Nox leaned against the wall and watched the room. His eyes avoiding the trigger that had crushed his coffee. He wasn't mad at Elyse -- more like pissed at himself. He wished he could take it all back. But now he had to wait on the man he needed to confess to before he could even consider sleep. Nox prayed Raffe would show soon, he wasn't sure how long he could keep his eyes open.

The man shouted and Nox's attention went straight to the perpetrator as did every black shirt in the place. Raw energy flowed through him, the essence left behind wanted a fight. Nox wanted a fight he could win. His fear of what was to happen next with Raffe fueled the fire. He was about to lose his home, his love, the only thing he got up in the mourning for and he wanted to win a fight he knew he couldn't when he saw him.

Juls was on the floor, her Pyro Moon outfit flamed with illusion and Nox was proud of her work. Her hand stayed him and Nox just watched the man shout. He got up and took Mist by the wrist. Every man in their security black shirts took a step forward but Nox left the wall first and the others relaxed. He wove his way through the crowd, most of the attention now on this man manhandling one of the girls. Nox had a pleasant smile on his lips but their was fire in his eyes. The hoard wanted blood but Nox was about to deny them any such thing. Not in Kallisti.

"I'm going to have to ask you to first let go of our lovely Mist. And then I'm going to have to ask you to leave the floor. You can come back tomorrow when your mood is slightly better." Chance number one.

The man let go of Mist's wrist and turned to face Nox. Step one complete. The man was taller than Nox, bigger in all aspects and he towered over the scrawny kid who lead Kallisti's security team. The man snickered. "You can't be serious."

He flung a fist and Nox reached into the black oil covered power inside and wove thin shield of air and inches from Nox's face the man's hand crashed into a wall with enough force there were several snapping sounds as his fingers broke. Other men next to this one stood up and Nox just looked at them as he lifted their friend from his feet by the nape of his neck high into above the tables and chairs and Nox smiled at his friends. "Anyone else want me to show them the way out?"

Nox floated their offender to the door. Set him down neatly on his tip toes still holding him just high enough he couldn't do anything but struggle against the single bond that held him. Nox dusted off his shoulders and smiled sweetly at the man. "You should get that hand looked at." Nox pressed a voucher into his hand. "The clinic down the road is still open. Tomorrow will be a better day." Nox set the man down and two big burly men took him by the arms and saw that he left the premisise.

Nox went back inside and checked on Mist. "You okay?"

She smiled. "Perfect. Thank you."

Nox patted her shoulder and glanced down at Elyse with a smile. "Hey Elsye. Sorry to interrupt your show."

Elyse smiled Mist as she whispered and turned to dance. The woman, like most here at Kalisti had a dancer’s grace. Elyse watched her subtle movements, the motions of her hips taking most of Elyse’s attention. Perhaps it was the drink, but Elyse began to imagine herself with Mist, wondering what it le be like to be held in her arms. She wondered what it would be like for their bodies to be close as their lips got closer to each other.

The illusion was broken by an irate customer who was mad that Mist was giving her attention instead of him.

Fucking incels… Elyse thought. Although it had been her imagination, Elyse had enjoyed her daydream.

Elyse wanted to respond, but Mist’s words stopped her. Getting into a fight would accomplish nothing but getting herself kicked out as well, and she was rather enjoying Mist’s company tonight. Elyse nodded her understanding.

When the man grabbed Mist, it was almost too much to keep out, but suddenly, Nox was there. It was only a few minutes before he was removed and things went back to normal.

Now with time to cool off, Elyse felt a little guilty as if she caused the situation. Nox soon returned to check in on them and Elyse was pulled out of her thoughts when he spoke to her.

Elyse looked at him, she could smell that his actual emotional stat didn’t match the smile masking his face, but she kept that to herself.

”im sorry that… her voice trailed off. She had done nothing to apologize for. ”I mean…thanks for your intervention.”