The Champion and the Charlie Horse

A man, bulky, in a three-quarter jacket over a dark grey hoodie, the hood up, entered the strip club. He stood at the door a moment, capturing the scene. He looked at the patrons, the bartender, the dancers, the size of the room, the location of the private rooms and as-yet-unseen spaces between the walls on the outside of the building and the walls within. He was doing... math. Social math. Economic math. Structural math.

OR, he was just another junky spacing out at the door before getting his next fix of sex or drugs.

He sat at a table and waited, dark eyes glittering. Alert, yet nonchelant.

Waiting.

No one approached him, though notably a few women began, paused, then walked away.

No more than a moment later, however, the bright-eyed redhead approached, a saunter to her step. "Hey, Tiger.." She purred, slipping into the chair across from him. "Long time no see."

"Celeste,"

There was an edge to his voice like cold steel.

"Glad to see you're still in town." It was not a particularly glad impression that was being given.

"Of course I am.. I wouldn't leave knowing you'd come by to see me." She winked coyly, seeming unaffected by his steely exterior.

Scion stared at her eye - at the structure of it. Medically.

"I've taken care of the addiction issue," he said, through gritted teeth. "It was costly," he said. "But worth it not to have to come crawling to whatever it is you like to think you are. In control, I'd guess."

She laughed, "Wildly out of control, tiger." Her lower lip jutted out in a pout, "What'd it cost?"

"Uh uh," he said, shaking his head "That's not for you," he said. "What's for you is, you get to explain to me what kind of designer drugs those are, and just exactly you dosed my people with, and I don't call the DEA, the IRS and a couple of other letters and leave an anonymous tip about a strip club with a secret revenue stream."

He leaned over, "Because if you think your addictions is bad out here, wait until you find out how a lack of them tend to affect people like you in prison. I'm guessing it'll take a lot more than make-up to cover up those lines."

She seemed strangely amused as he spoke and made no attempt to hide it as mischief clearly danced in her bright green eyes. Her head tilted to the side cutely, a brow quirked at him.

"I make the drugs - I'm not sure what your asking on the kind, besides what was specifically requested..by the Sheriff, to bring, along with my girls to help your little project. So if you believe threatening me is the way to my heart, Tiger, you'd better take it up with Ms. Tahan."

Scion smirked, "Miss... Tahan," he said, "Is not going to protect you from me if you are trying to run one over on my people. She can't be everywhere at once, and she doesn't have any patience for stupid," he continued, voice even and as cold as stone. "And let's be clear here," he said. "I don't threaten. I'm not a bully. You hurt my people, I'll hurt you worse. That's all we're talking about here. Cause and effect."

She leaned back in her chair comfortably, pretty green eyes moving over him in a scrutinizing sort of way. "I have no intention of hurting your people - I'm in the process of weaning their addictions down now. That particular effect was not supposed to be anywhere near as strong as it was, but it is what it is. That's what I had."

"Fine," he said. "Then if that's all this is, we don't have a problem. I'll go my way, you go yours," he said. "Problem solved."

A single bead of blood sweat curved down around his cheek, almost hidden in the hood. But not quite.

His eyes closed for a moment and he tried to hide it, quickly turned his head and stood.

"Well I guess we're done here then," he said. He wasn't facing her. His body was rigid, controlled.

Her gaze followed the drop of crimson as it ran down, a flash of concern through her green eyes. "Have you beaten it? Do you need help coming down..?"

"I'll be fine," he said. It was a lie he'd made himself believe, but he'd said it with such grit that maybe it would be enough.

He put one foot in front of the other, and headed for the door.

"Scion." She called, standing from her chair and running to him. She moved until she was in front of him, turning to face him. "Listen, you don't look .. well. Do you want to sit for a while, at least?"

Scion's hand reached for the door and he stopped. For the glimmer of an instant the hand might have shaken without his control, or it could have been simply a play of shadow.

"No time," he said. And then more softly, turning his head slightly, "But thank you."

He opened the door and stepped outside.

Persistent Ghoul was persistent.

She followed him out the door, her arms folded over her chest. "Can you guarantee you're safe to me, at least?"

Scion stopped, folded his own arms. "Guys like me don't get guarantees," he said, "I don't expect you to understand that."

Her lips pursed together in frustration as she tossed her head back, willing a strand of fallen red hair from her face. She dropped her arms casually to her sides and sighed a bit, her head shaking. "Listen, Tiger. I just don't want to release you onto the world like.. this." An arm raised to gesture towards him, indicating his current state.

A cool wind came up, and Scion took the opportunity to shiver. He looked in pain. He dabbed his forehead with a black cloth. It came away moist, but at least the blood was indistinguishable against the cloth, with the exception of it's potent Vitae scent, not commonly identifiable to those that hadn't drank it.

"I asked for this," he said. "I've been through a lot worse," he said, "And a lot worse is coming."

Her lips pursed off to one side in stubborn discontent. "You haven't broken it, Scion.." One step took her close enough to smell the Vitae. As a involuntary shudder passed through her, green eyes pleaded with his. "I can ease you off of it gently, it'll be so much nicer on you.."

"I don't need anymore drugs Celeste," he almost hissed. "I'm not your Tiger, I'm not your client or your john. I can't be under the influence of anything else, there's too much going on."

She didn't back down as his voice strained - if anything she leaned forward. "I'm not asking you to be my client or my John. I'm saying I'll ease you off of them, free of charge. You really think you're going to help anyone?" She made another gesture towards him, though this one was much more harsh.

"Like this?"

Scion was turning away from her once more as she spoke, but upon her further goading, swung around to confront her. "BETTER THIS THAN HIM!" Scion roared. He roared beneath the words. It was an actual animal sound, like a lion's. In the shadows of his hood his face changed as Obfuscate fell away. His forhead was ridged like an ape's and sloped downward, his eyes flashed from blue to yellow like a wolfs and his fangs dropped.

Just as quickly as he'd shouted he turned away, ashamed at his bestial face and demeanor.

"You don't understand what he's capable of," he said.

Rather than jump back or flinch at the sight, her head tilted curiously. Her demeanor hadn't changed, though perhaps a bit more compassionate. "Do you want company at least..?"

"I have company Celeste," he said. "They're called friends." He still wasn't looking at her, instead looking over toward a black mid-60's convertable that sat on the edge of the parking lot, presumably his.

"Help them," he said. If you want to do something... was the unspoken remainder of that sentance.