05-25-2015, 12:08 PM
Bas looked up at the camera next to the back entrance and then looked down. He hated being exposed out here in the open like this. The longer this took, the less he wanted to wait. He looked back out to the street, the foot traffic towards the front entrance catching is attention. He saw flashes as people posed for pictures with friends for their night of partying. That's all he needed. To be caught in one of those and posted on somebody's personal social site for facial recognition software to spot and geo-locate.
He shoved his hands in his pocket and looked down, shifting his feet. "You got a problem guy? I won't let you see Tatyana if you're tweakin' or whatever. I don't care what she says." Bas looked up and gave him a grin, though he imagined it probably wasn't gonna win him any favors the way his face looked and felt. He tried to make his voice calm and relaxed.
"Nah, man. I'm good."
Anymore and he might raise this guy's suspicions higher. The guy had to see the news some times, if nothing else at the moron bar this guy probably hung out at. Thankfully his radio squawked and the back door opened. Tatyana stuck her head out seemed to look around before looking at him and nodding him in.
The man put his hand on Bas' shoulder- clearly not willing to let him pass yet- and then said, "He cool, Tatyana? Karmen won't like it if there's trouble." His words made clear that bringing Karmen down on him would be a bad idea.
Tatyana leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek even as she put her hand on Bas shoulder to draw him in. She whispered something that Bas didn't catch and then the man let go and he was inside. He started to speak but she silenced him with a word and led him to a back room. The slow sultry thrum of the bass seemed to reverberate in the walls though it did no seem to stifle sound.
Finally, the door closed and she turned to him. "What the hell are you doing here? You're all over the news!" Bas gave her a weak grin and shrugged.
"Hey, I always wanted to be famous...."
She punched him in the shoulder. "Owww!!!"
he only partly mock whined. It did hurt. She was strong and he'd taken a good couple hits there.
"Famous? Are you kidding me?" She wasn't smiling.
He tried to smile at her like he had it under control, like it was no big deal. "The guy attacked me. It'll blow over."
He looked at the door when he heard voices pass by. When they were gone he looked at her. "Can I stay with you? I won't be trouble, I promise."
He hesistated and then carefully added, "Please, Sule-"
Her hiss cut him short, though her eyes blazing would've had the same effect. Still, it was enough of a reminder. He knew her secret. He'd kept it. She knew what it meant to want a fresh start, to need to hide.
She worried her bottom lip, her eyes wandering over him, as if considering, weighing him. Damn, but he wished she would hurry. He hated not knowing. Finally, she nodded. "Fine. My place. I'll have to get you my key. You sty out of sight." At his nod, she seemed to relax a little. She stepped forward and seemed to look him over again, though the weighing was gone. Gently she reached up and touched his puffy eye. "Oh Bas, what did you do?"
He took her hand and kissed it. "Hey, it's just life. I'll be ok."
He leaned in and kissed her. After all that happened, it just felt good to be connected to someone, even for that moment, despite the sore lip.
There was a knock at the door and her hand pushed him away. She turned and cracked the door open. He heard muffled words that became insistent. He did here her say "Alright, alright!!!" before closing the door. She turned to him. "I'm on next. You'll have to stay here. Don't go anywhere." Her eyebrow rose and suddenly she sauntered to him. He was suddenly aware of what she was wearing and slow grin spread across is face. "Can you stay out of trouble? For at least the next hour?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "I can't promise anything. But I'll try."
She kissed him playfully on the cheek and then spun around and dashed out the door. His eyes were drawn down like magnets as she shimmied and then disappeared out the door. Damn! She did like to tease. He breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he could take a moment. The tension seemed to leave him.
He looked around. The room was sparse and whatever chairs there were were covered in clothes. He was bored and it wasn't even 5 minutes she had been gone. He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against a wall. The minutes seemed to tick by so slowly.
He thought maybe two songs had played and of course he heard people walk by the door a few times. Each time his heart beat sped up and he waited. Nothing. Finally, after maybe 30 minutes had gone by, he had enough waiting.
He went to the door and listened. No one was out there that he could here. After a moment- he prepared himself for the pain- and then prayed and the power flooded him. He could hear more clearly. He breathed more shallowly to avoid feeling the bruises when he moved his torso. The scents of the finest smokes and leather and distilled drinks filled his head. Suddenly he felt the craving for a drink in the back of his throat. He ignored it.
Still, it gave him an idea. He wanted to see who was here. This was where he had first had the Shaolin Sleep. He pulled his hoodie down- better not to look suspicious- and walked casually but slowly down the hall until he had a better view of the stage. He could see Tatyana on the stage in the middle of her act and he stared for a moment. Merciful God in heaven. The lights seemed to frame her and accentuate her beauty and form as her body lightly danced. He could see flashes of her ballet training in the way she turned her feet, in the calculated arch of her neck. Not so much different than her old life- though she'd probably stab him if he actually said that to her. Kallisti's offered so much more than the base crude sex that many of the other places here did. It was intimacy, it was promise, the chase rather than the capture. It was life. It was uplifting.
He watched for a minute before forcing his eyes to scan the crowd. It was hard to see faces so he drew on the power even more, letting the images sharpen. But no one jumped out at him.
He shoved his hands in his pocket and looked down, shifting his feet. "You got a problem guy? I won't let you see Tatyana if you're tweakin' or whatever. I don't care what she says." Bas looked up and gave him a grin, though he imagined it probably wasn't gonna win him any favors the way his face looked and felt. He tried to make his voice calm and relaxed.
"Nah, man. I'm good."
Anymore and he might raise this guy's suspicions higher. The guy had to see the news some times, if nothing else at the moron bar this guy probably hung out at. Thankfully his radio squawked and the back door opened. Tatyana stuck her head out seemed to look around before looking at him and nodding him in.
The man put his hand on Bas' shoulder- clearly not willing to let him pass yet- and then said, "He cool, Tatyana? Karmen won't like it if there's trouble." His words made clear that bringing Karmen down on him would be a bad idea.
Tatyana leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek even as she put her hand on Bas shoulder to draw him in. She whispered something that Bas didn't catch and then the man let go and he was inside. He started to speak but she silenced him with a word and led him to a back room. The slow sultry thrum of the bass seemed to reverberate in the walls though it did no seem to stifle sound.
Finally, the door closed and she turned to him. "What the hell are you doing here? You're all over the news!" Bas gave her a weak grin and shrugged.
"Hey, I always wanted to be famous...."
She punched him in the shoulder. "Owww!!!"
he only partly mock whined. It did hurt. She was strong and he'd taken a good couple hits there.
"Famous? Are you kidding me?" She wasn't smiling.
He tried to smile at her like he had it under control, like it was no big deal. "The guy attacked me. It'll blow over."
He looked at the door when he heard voices pass by. When they were gone he looked at her. "Can I stay with you? I won't be trouble, I promise."
He hesistated and then carefully added, "Please, Sule-"
Her hiss cut him short, though her eyes blazing would've had the same effect. Still, it was enough of a reminder. He knew her secret. He'd kept it. She knew what it meant to want a fresh start, to need to hide.
She worried her bottom lip, her eyes wandering over him, as if considering, weighing him. Damn, but he wished she would hurry. He hated not knowing. Finally, she nodded. "Fine. My place. I'll have to get you my key. You sty out of sight." At his nod, she seemed to relax a little. She stepped forward and seemed to look him over again, though the weighing was gone. Gently she reached up and touched his puffy eye. "Oh Bas, what did you do?"
He took her hand and kissed it. "Hey, it's just life. I'll be ok."
He leaned in and kissed her. After all that happened, it just felt good to be connected to someone, even for that moment, despite the sore lip.
There was a knock at the door and her hand pushed him away. She turned and cracked the door open. He heard muffled words that became insistent. He did here her say "Alright, alright!!!" before closing the door. She turned to him. "I'm on next. You'll have to stay here. Don't go anywhere." Her eyebrow rose and suddenly she sauntered to him. He was suddenly aware of what she was wearing and slow grin spread across is face. "Can you stay out of trouble? For at least the next hour?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "I can't promise anything. But I'll try."
She kissed him playfully on the cheek and then spun around and dashed out the door. His eyes were drawn down like magnets as she shimmied and then disappeared out the door. Damn! She did like to tease. He breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he could take a moment. The tension seemed to leave him.
He looked around. The room was sparse and whatever chairs there were were covered in clothes. He was bored and it wasn't even 5 minutes she had been gone. He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against a wall. The minutes seemed to tick by so slowly.
He thought maybe two songs had played and of course he heard people walk by the door a few times. Each time his heart beat sped up and he waited. Nothing. Finally, after maybe 30 minutes had gone by, he had enough waiting.
He went to the door and listened. No one was out there that he could here. After a moment- he prepared himself for the pain- and then prayed and the power flooded him. He could hear more clearly. He breathed more shallowly to avoid feeling the bruises when he moved his torso. The scents of the finest smokes and leather and distilled drinks filled his head. Suddenly he felt the craving for a drink in the back of his throat. He ignored it.
Still, it gave him an idea. He wanted to see who was here. This was where he had first had the Shaolin Sleep. He pulled his hoodie down- better not to look suspicious- and walked casually but slowly down the hall until he had a better view of the stage. He could see Tatyana on the stage in the middle of her act and he stared for a moment. Merciful God in heaven. The lights seemed to frame her and accentuate her beauty and form as her body lightly danced. He could see flashes of her ballet training in the way she turned her feet, in the calculated arch of her neck. Not so much different than her old life- though she'd probably stab him if he actually said that to her. Kallisti's offered so much more than the base crude sex that many of the other places here did. It was intimacy, it was promise, the chase rather than the capture. It was life. It was uplifting.
He watched for a minute before forcing his eyes to scan the crowd. It was hard to see faces so he drew on the power even more, letting the images sharpen. But no one jumped out at him.