Nothing quite as bitter (//open)

[Derek Shelters]

His dark, handsome silhouette had reflected an eerie shadow against the cool gray concrete parking lot. His elegant arms were crossed, his brown eyes narrowed toward the blood red sign that read "Fangtasia".

So this was the vampire world eh? While he missed the darkness of the witchcraft he once possessed, there was something much more dark about being a soulless killer. He felt stronger, faster, more powerful physically than he had ever before.

And oh, did this feeling ever open the real world to him. The sights, the scents, everything was so much more clearer now. He personally thanked the woman who had turned him, she had called herself "Brenda" and that was all he knew of her. At this though he closed his eyes and replayed the scene in his head...

~ ** ~

"And this will make me more powerful? All I want is to find her. Bring her home. Maybe torture her a little, so that she regrets ever leaving me.."

Brenda had looked at him through heavy eyelashes, her golden blond locks shimmered in the moonlight. She was smiling wickedly now, wild visions of her own self-proclaimed fame whizzing through her mind as her long fingernails danced across his chest.

"Nothing like it. You could even turn her, if you like. That way she will be bound to you forever."

"Forever? Without a choice? Ha! She would hate me for sure. But it wouldn't matter, she would be forced to love me eventually. She would be my property, after all"

"You do realize what you are giving up? All for a girl?"

His eyes had narrowed as he looked angrily toward his potential maker. He did not tolerate what she may of been hinting at.

"She is not just any girl"

The vampire, for a moment, felt a tinge of jealously coarse though her veins. She had never met a witch like Derek before. So dark, so much evil that the darkness was already consuming him. She was not only doing him a favor, but she figured she was doing her kind a favor as well. A witch with that much dark juice was dangerous.

So what made this girl so special? Whatever it was, apparently it was worth dying for. She hesitated no longer, as she hovered behind him above the fresh open grave and sank her long canine-teeth into his flesh.

Together they had planned this, over a couple of drinks. Right, over a lot of 'couple' of drinks. The more he drank the more insane he was becoming over thoughts of her and how much he wanted her. He was angry at her for leaving, he was determined to make her his forever.

What better way to do it but to become vampire? What he thought was sin itself. Dying was the hard part. Brenda had done this before, she assured him. But there is no feeling quite like dying - so painful, too late to turn back, and then all of a sudden there was nothing.

Non existence.

Dying and coming back as a vampire, well, that was like being born. If he could remember what it was like to be born, it had to of been something like this. When his eyes opened and he felt a hand reach for his to pull him out of the grave it was a feeling he wanted to have again and again.

He had never been alive before, everything was so clear and oh, did he hunger. But it was a hunger that made him crave something other than food. And his maker, how kind she was, already had a tasty little morsel ready for him.

At first, he was hesitant - even from this distance he could smell the blood coursing through her veins. The girl looked dazed, like she was on drugs, and when he had questioned Brenda about it she told him about glamoring. Glamoring worked easily on humans, witches however, could take some heavier concentration.

It was no matter, he grabbed the girl and tilted her neck to the side. His sight was keener now too, he could literally see her tiny vein pulsating as his fangs extended and then protruded into her flesh.

Oh! Was this sweet. Thick, warm, and sweet nectar that came freely from the two little fang marks he had made in her neck. He felt his hunger subside quickly but he still wanted more, and he felt a strong hand on his shoulder urging him to pull back.

His fangs retracted, his eyes meeting his makers with an annoyed glance.

"Why did you stop me?"

"You must never drink the last drop. For your own safety. Now, tell me, do you think this girl is worth turning or do you think she is merely fit for the earth she had come from?"

He looked at the girl, if he could call her that at this point. His response to that was tossing the girl like a rag doll into the hollow grave he had just crawled out of.

"I feel.. man! F*ck do I feel so alive! I want to find her now, I want to track that little b!tch down and take away from her what she took away from me."

"Patience young one, you have so much to learn. "

~ **~

He toyed with the slender stick he couldn't inhale in his mouth, a blank stare still on his face as present times came musing back into his current thoughts. Brenda had taught him enough to be accepted into this strange new world.

He wasn't a dumb man, he knew he couldn't just rush into this foolishly. He would have his prize, or it would be the death of him..

... twice.

[Anoushka bint Amir]

"Do you need a light?"
The man looked trouble as he held a cigarette near his mouth, of course she could tell he wasn't human and didn't need to breath or smoke. Probably an old human habit Wearing a rather new outfit, it gave Anouk a new sense of beauty, combining old Coco Chanel with new short red dresses and lace pumps. She dug through her clutch for a moment and pulled out a small black lighter for the man, an act of kindness so to speak. Common courtesy. Anouk never liked the smell of smoke, it irritated her sensitive smell and clouded her senses, but if others wanted to smoke, or try to, it was their call. Anouk stepped next to him, leaning against the same wall, still offering the flame to light his night.

[Derek Shelters]

"Do you need a light?"

Huh? The voice had caught his train of thought and he looked at the source with a blank expression on his face. She was a pretty woman, shorter than him in a daring red dress and black pumps. In his absent mind he hadn't even known that his cigarette had even gone out.

"I don't even know why I bother, it is not like I can inhale the bloody thing anyway. Old habits die hard, even in death"

His voice was a snarl, angry with himself that he couldn't even enjoy a good cigarette anymore. He would blame her for that eventually. His dark hues had caught the flicker of flame and he leaned forward - bringing his unlit cigarette into the flame. At that moment, his eyes had glanced toward her's and he smirked coyly.

"My my, up close you are mighty striking. Forgive me, but I am new at this - you are vampire, correct? I want to make sure my senses are not deceiving me"

[Anoushka bint Amir]

Anouk smiled, and if she could, she would have blushed. She looked down at the ground for a moment, before looking back up at him, pushing her long hair out of her face.

"I don't even know why I bother, it is not like I can inhale the bloody thing anyway. Old habits die hard, even in death"

Anouk gave a small laugh, nodded in agreement,
"Yes, I have heard smoking is quite addictive, even if you can't breathe."
He was very young, especially to her standards. Most newly made vampires were rambunctious, wild and hungry, they usually over-fed and under-rested. Anouk could see the faded bite marks on his neck, still slightly new in a way.

"My my, up close you are mighty striking. Forgive me, but I am new at this - you are vampire, correct? I want to make sure my senses are not deceiving me."

Anouk shifted her weight, putting one heel on the wall behind her, and crossed her arms with clutch in hand.
"Yes, that I am. And you are too, I presume. A young one, still very..."
She hesitated on her words for a moment.
"Fresh. What brings a new one like yourself to Fangtasia?"

[Derek Shelters]

"Yes, I have heard smoking is quite addictive, even if you can't breathe."

Why was that? He wondered. Did he actually crave the thing, or was it just out of habit? Brenda was a smoker, heavier than he had been when he was alive, did that have something to do with it? Well, whatever it was, it was no matter now - it wasn't like the threat of cancer was something to worry about anymore.

"I do believe it is mostly the habit."

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long for her to tell him that she was a vampire just like he was. Much older, it seemed, and he didn't even know how he could of known that.

"Yes, that I am. And you are too, I presume. A young one, still very..."

She was hesitating and he wondered why.


"Fresh. What brings a new one like yourself to Fangtasia?"

He paused, contemplating on how to answer her. It didn't take much, and his answer was simple.

"I am here to find a girl"

Those words, as they mused past his lips, had caused his fangs to grow on instinct. Almost like a snap - dragon opening up in his mouth and he had no control of it. Annoyed he ran the tip of his tongue around them and then closed his mouth.

"She has been here. I am sure of it. Perhaps, a lovely lady such as yourself could help me find the little witch? About.. 5'7, shoulder length brown hair, brown eyes - calls herself Brandy. Sound familiar?"

Oh, wouldn't it be delightful if his search could end right there? What a triumph of a night it would be!

[Anoushka bint Amir]

A little slip up, Anouk saw. His fangs came out when he spoke of the girl, maybe he was angry, or perhaps aroused thinking of her. Either way, it made Anouk curl her lips into a smirk, before pondering his question. A girl named Brandy, 5'7, brown hair...Nope, she's never seen or heard of Brandy. Anouk could only give one answer.
"No. Sorry, does she mean much to you?"
Well, duh, if he's looking for her she means something. What a stupid question, but it still came out of her mouth and she couldn't take it back. The smoke from the cancer-stick was clouding her judgment and making her wiggle her nose in irritation. She never should have offered him her lighter. Anouk anticipated disappointment in the man, and offered something that might cheer him up.

"If you can't find her, spend the night with me? I mean, at the bar of course." Anouk was a little flustered, again is must have been that d**n smoke, or maybe she was warming up a little to people and actually did offer her night to him. The question was, would he accept? Another thing Anouk was wondering was, 'Where is this man's maker? This young childe out in a bar, he's a danger to everyone here.' Anouk wasn't about to ask this of him, but it was a question that would linger on those red lips for a while.

[Derek Shelters]

"No. Sorry, does she mean much to you?"

He looked at her with a look of disbelief. If he was looking for her obviously she had meant something to him. He seemed irritated, and in one simple gesture he had flicked the cigarette away and waved the air away.

"No, brain trust, she is just some random girl I meant on the street one day. What the hell? You got rock's in your head?"

He cleared his throat and looked away from the woman, rolling his shoulders and rotating his neck to get out the crinks.

"It is that little b!tches fault for me becoming this. It is her fault I had to go out of my way to track her down and bring her home. She left me, can you believe that? Said I was letting the darkness consume me. F!ck, I was just getting started - we could of been the two most bad-@ss witches in our small town. Now, she will just have to settle for us being bad @ss vampires."

Oh, he could not wait to see her face.

"If you can't find her, spend the night with me? I mean, at the bar of course."

He paused for a minute, his thin lips closed as his dark eyes scanned over her again from head to toe. What would the harm be in one night? She wasn't a w*hore, nor was she human - had Derek actually had any real feelings he might of apologized for his earlier outburst.

"I can spare a night. Maybe someone in there will know who I am talking about. You certainly weren't very helpful."

He didn't blame the girl, and he was taking out his frustrations on her. He decided, he would be nice (as nice as possible for a man like Derek).

"I'll buy you a drink. For your.. patronage."

[Anoushka bint Amir]

Wow. The only thing Anouk could think of or even say if she would speak. Brain trust, what an odd phrase. None the less, this man was obviously angry, but so was Anouk. Despite her many years, she still always held her temper, and with one tiny spark it would blow up in that person's face who managed to set her off. When he began that sh!tstorm of his past, his darkness, how he's gone out of his way, she only gave a sacastic smile as she suffered his frustrations. The fuse was lit, and if her heart was beating it'd be on the floor, having a spasm. But she collected herself and saw a small insect come by. Anouk quickly snatched it up, hearing the buzzing of struggle and stepped in front of Derek, holding up the fly.
"I'm sure you can see this lowly, worthless insect right?"
Anouk carefully pulled off one wing, and then a leg, hearing it squirm in pain in her fingers with a casual look on her face, almost of enjoyment and let her head tilt from one side to the other.
"I can rip of your limbs one by one, exactly like this fly, with no effort." She threw the insect down and stepped on it.
"You mean nothing to me, and I would have no qualms about ripping your to shreds in mere seconds if I wished."
She stepped closer to him and her voice got louder and and deeper in a sort of 'I'm almost yelling, but not quite there'
"I am older than you, your maker, and their maker. Combined. Why, you are an infant to me, and I'm sure nobody will miss you if I did murder you. I should crush you like an insect..."
Anouk waited, anticipating the fear inside him, letting her voice quit building up and let her soften to it's regular tone.
"But I won't. Because you're young, and you can't control your emotions."
If he had any other than anger.
"That's the most logical thing I can come up with for not harming you. Besides, newborn vamp blood tastes terrible."
Anouk stepped away, hopefully getting her point across to him, before turning away, walking towards the entrance and looked back at him,
"Well, are you coming?"

[Derek Shelters]

"I'm sure you can see this lowly, worthless insect right?"

He looked at her blankly, managing a slow nod. A slow nod until he began to see what she was doing to that fly. What was this little demonstration about?


"I can rip of your limbs one by one, exactly like this fly, with no effort."

He made no effort to move, no facial expression had changed on his face. Inside of his mouth his tongue had rolled over his teeth. Inside his head however, what he was thinking - was that he knew she wasn't bull$hiting him in the slightest.

"You mean nothing to me, and I would have no qualms about ripping your to shreds in mere seconds if I wished."

Still no expression.

"I am older than you, your maker, and their maker. Combined. Why, you are an infant to me, and I'm sure nobody will miss you if I did murder you. I should crush you like an insect..."

Alright, so that got a reaction. An eyebrow twitch. Somewhere, deep inside where a little bit of humanity had remained.. he was hurt by her comment. He had had someone who cared about him. He knew that she still did. What they had had..

"But I won't. Because you're young, and you can't control your emotions."

He scoffed at that, quite audibly. Him, not being able to control his emotions? Why that was -- probably completely true.

"That's the most logical thing I can come up with for not harming you. Besides, newborn vamp blood tastes terrible."

He had the impression from Brenda that vampires never fed off each other, unless it was like a $ex thing. And even then, vampires tended to have more $ex with humans than their own kind.

"Well, are you coming?"

Wow, Derek had been put in his place hadn't he? He couldn't help but to shrug and decided it best to follow her. She was fiesty, and Derek couldn't lie to himself. His fangs extended without a thought, but not because he was angry.

"What is your poison?"

He was talking about her drink of course, his demeanor almost completely calm now as his fangs retracted once more. He felt a need to change the subject, he wouldn't exactly walk on glass around her now - but he would offer her his respect.

[Anoushka bint Amir]

As Anouk walked on, Derek soon joined her, which she was hoping for. This one had a temper, but there was something about him, he mentioned he was a witch before he was turned? Odd, yet very interesting. She could only wonder what he tasted like, his maker's blood but also wondering if there was any trace of supe flavor in him. Anouk would probably never find out, but as she approached the door, she nodded to the front and gestured that Derek was with her.

"What is your poison?"
Hmm, good question, she always had the same thing.

"Dutch Blood. La Fee Verte and A Negative."
Anouk responded back to him before taking a seat in a booth, a chance to relax a bit after that whole ordeal. As she was seated she waited for Derek to join her, before asking him something he may not actually answer.
"So tell me childe, where is your maker?"
Her eyebrow rose a little, she felt somewhat silly as she asked this but it really piqued her interest when she realized how young he was and was without his maker.

[Derek Shelters]

"Dutch Blood. La Fee Verte and A Negative."

Oh right, he almost forgot about True Blood. He had yet to have to drink that, and he was hungry. He had caught the sign before he went in and he had caught the rules. He had no choice.

He took a seat beside her, silently, and had given nobody else in the room his attention except his company. He ordered the drink for her, ordered himself a bottle of true blood - B Negative, and took a drink.

He made a face when it poured down his throat, taking it away from his mouth and looking at the bottle. This crap was what he was suppose to live on? They didn't get the sweetest of real blood, nor the real texture - this was like a bottle of really thick V-8.

"So tell me child, where is your maker?"

"She released me. She only turned me for the fame anyway. The intrigue of turning a witch. I drank too much that night."

That was all he would say on the subject.

"They really expect us to live on this $hit?"

[Anoushka bint Amir]

Anouk could only give a little laugh when he took a sip of his Tru Blood, it was quite...odd and dull compared to actual blood, but it was a legal substitute. That's why she always mixed hers with with some sort of alcohol, to dumb down the taste of the Tru Blood.
"That's why I mix mine, it makes the synthetic crap less synthetic tasting."
She raised her drink and took a gulp, before setting it down, crossing her legs and leaning in a bit more to Derek, giving him her undivided attention.
When he said he was a witch and that his owner turned him for that notion, her eyebrow raised in interest.
"A witch, eh? Now that you're a vampire, can you do anything special that the rest of us former humans can't?"
The nightclub was still in it's early stage but more and more people flooded in the dance and find a blood bag to feed on later, but Derek and Anouk just held their gaze on each other. He was probably trying to not set her off again and same with Anouk, although she was a formidable force compared to him.

[Derek Shelters]

That's why I mix mine, it makes the synthetic crap less synthetic tasting."

Mixing it with alcohol, maybe it wouldn't be so bad then. Still, this tru-blood was serving its purpose in that it was curbing his hunger. And the company he was keeping wasn't something to be grumpy about either. She however, was still on his mind. And even then, he didn't have to take it out on his company.

"A witch, eh? Now that you're a vampire, can you do anything special that the rest of us former humans can't?"

Derek had taken another gulp of his drink and silently shook his head. It was a pity, after all, thinking about what he could of been if the rules were different.

"A cosmic joke I suppose. The magicks won't even accept me now. I couldn't even cast a simple curse spell - can you imagine that? But, I will be honest with you, the power and the strength I feel now as a vampire is hard to compare."

He had extended his hand, away from her of course, and curled his hand open and closed a couple of times. He felt powerful, he felt immortal.

"This opens many doors to a whole new level of darkness. And when I take her with me, which I will, she will never be the same again"

[Anoushka bint Amir]

Magicks, eh? Anouk knew that most witches hated vampires, and she never knew why, it was another 'Just Because' of being a childe of the night. She noticed him extending his hands, a sort of physical manifestation of 'Man, I feel powerful!' Anouk gave a small giggle, sipping on her drink, feeling her hunger go down as she enjoyed her company. He spoke of her again, Brandy was it? He wanted to turn her, Anouk guessed. Not a very good idea, turning someone against their will, but he didn't really seem like the sympathetic type.
But his comment on feeling so strong, it was newborn ego-inflation.
"Believe me, young one, you may feel strong but you are very weak compared to most in this bar. But, you get stronger with age, sort of like wine. It's so-so at first, good when it's about ten or twenty years old, but reaches it's peak at fifty years. With vampires, turn those into centuries."
She was sharing advice with one who probably doesn't even remember what his maker looks like, so Anouk felt noble doing this for Derek, but she was sure he was a do-it-yourselfer. The kind of vampire that hates advice, likes to live and feed alone and eventually dies because they forgot to go home early enough. She somewhat hoped this didn't happen to him, he was merely a little off track.

"Do you think she'll ever forgive you if you turned her? Most people who are turned against their will hate it, and sometimes have been known to throw themselves into the sun to escape this fate."

[Derek Shelters]

"Believe me, young one, you may feel strong but you are very weak compared to most in this bar. But, you get stronger with age, sort of like wine. It's so-so at first, good when it's about ten or twenty years old, but reaches it's peak at fifty years. With vampires, turn those into centuries."

Centuries. His dark eyes seem to cloud over then as he escaped into his own thoughts. Sitting there, beside this ancient vampire who had 'put him in his place' so to speak - well, it all felt very surreal.

He polished off the last of his drink, and nodded toward the bar person for a drink just like her's. He grasped the glass in his hand, almost cradling it, and had brought it up to his lips.

She was right. It was much better.

"Never grow old. Never die. But you must feed. I think that was a line of an old 80's flick called The Lost Boys. Back then, vampires seemed something made up in fairytales. And now I am one. Go f!cking figure."


"Do you think she'll ever forgive you if you turned her? Most people who are turned against their will hate it, and sometimes have been known to throw themselves into the sun to escape this fate."

He paused for a moment, staring at the constituency of his drink. Like a pool of blood. He could get lost in its depth, and his hunger was growing again.

"I love her."

The words flowed from his lips as if it was a confession.

"She left me. Without a word. I just want to be with her. She will love me, I know she will. Even if I have to torture her until she loves me. And she won't be able to run away, because I will always know where she is. She wouldn't run into the sun, she isn't that kind of coward."

He took the rest of his swig with a single gulp and ordered another one. Was it even possible for a vampire to get drunk?