Linger A Little Longer., [Cole]

[Annette Aylett]

The woman ran her tongue over the front of her teeth, biting softly down on cherry colored lips. There was no sign of fangs. No pale skin. No obvious blood lust or any other thing that would give Annette away as a vampire. Well except, perhaps, a strange luring beauty that hung about her like a gentle veil. But, the beauty of the woman was natural, only to be enhanced by her newly acquired species.

Bright emerald eyes shone, almost in distaste as she watched the man in front of her. Every now and again she would flick a lock of dark hair from her eyes or run a slender hand through it anxiously. He had to be kidding. What kind of man would stumble around telling everyone about recently being kicked from his apartment.

A drunk one. That's who.

Annette arched an eyebrow carefully, unimpressed as the man laughed loudly at his own joke. She took of her drink, enjoying the bitter taste. It was all she could do to throw the glass at him as his eyes strayed south of her face. The woman half crossed her arms defensively. Sure, she may have been wearing a rather low cut shirt, but compared to most of the females in the club, Annette almost deemed modest. Her emerald halter cut low and hung in a deep V-neck, while the rest of the shirt hugged her figure smoothly. The color brought out her eyes significantly, and could perhaps be passed off as the reason why they seemed to shine so bright.

Other than the shirt, Annette wore a simple pair of jeans, and a flat set of black ballet-style slippers. She didn't need some fancy heels to show off at a club, nor some mini-skirt. It wasn't her style, and the look that almost seemed to hint at something more suited her very well. Almost too well.

The man in front of her swayed forward, reaching a hand out for her arm. Annette sidestepped it easily, tipping her drink her drink back and finishing it easily. "I need another drink." she said as an easy excuse. Honestly, she could really care less whether or not she walked off without a word. But if this was how the night was going, Annette needed a distraction.

Turning on her heel, and went off toward the bar. The music pumped loudly but was unable to phase her. Her thoughts wandered shortly, wondering what Lucas was up to tonight and wondering whether she'd run into anyone she knew. It wasn't likely, considering Annette knew hardly anyone in the city she had recently moved to. Not that she was shy - quite to the contrary, actually. So far though, it was simply that no one sparked her interest.

She really hoped that would change sometime soon.

"Can I get a Sicilian Kiss and a rum and coke." she said, leaning an arm easily against the bar and avoiding looking at the rest of the room. Maybe she should just go home...

[Cole Balen]

Cole had been checking the dance floor for a while, slowly drinking as he watched the crowd bounce on the loud pumping bass. He loved to see those female bodies sway to the beat, it made him forget about his problems for a while and relaxed him a bit. Some cute blonde on the dance floor started flirting with him and he smiled back at her.
Women, sometimes it looked like they were drawn to him like as flies to the honey and Cole liked that aspect of his wolf side the most. He drank down his last swallow of tequila and started walking towards the bar as the blonde suddenly appeared in front of him and pulled him to the dance floor without a word. Cole didn�t say anything either and the two of them started dancing to the music.
As the bass pumped harder Cole and the mystery girl danced closer to each other and Balen�s hands started to wander across her body. �This is going to easy..� Cole thought and he was right. Instinctively he felt danger, but before he could react he was pushed from behind and could barely avoid slamming into the floor.

�Hey, that�s my girlfriend, you asshole!� said the guy that pushed Cole as he started rolling up his sleeves.

Cole turned around and sighed as he looked at the guy. Although he didn�t know him, he knew his kind, stupid troublemakers that used their girlfriends just to pick a fight. And although Cole wasn�t exactly short himself with his 6� 6�, the other guy was still about a head taller and looked like a towering skyscraper. He reminded Cole to a silverback gorilla that created some havoc in a zoo somewhere he saw on the news a few days ago and he laughed.

There was no way that Cole was going to back down and let some stupid human terrorize him, he wasn�t the type that went looking for a fight but he wouldn�t walk away from one either. Staring the guy in the eyes Cole let out a low threatening growl that was too low for the human to hear and started to speak in a strong and threatening voice.

�Listen King Kong, it thought that you silverback gorillas were supposed to besmart, it�s WAS in the past tense, not IS� It WAS your girl!�

He couldn�t care less about the blonde, but he was just pissed at the guy and hoped the comment would hurt him. As expected that comment was enough for the other guy to launch an attack that Cole easily evaded, but he lost his balance and smacked against the bar. His hands threw a few glasses off the counter as he grappled to get a hold. He mumbled an apology as he quickly got back to his feet, readying himself for the next attack and then he looked straight into her emerald green eyes. His breath faltered for a second and then he spoke with a goofy smile on his face, � I�m gonna buy you a new one, I promise.�

This post has been edited by Cole Balen on Oct 24 2007, 02:22 PM

[Annette Aylett]

Annette's senses perked up to a new commotion upon the dance floor. It wasn't that unusual - people around this city seemed to get into fights for simple pastime amusement. Annette wasn't going to meddle. Those days were over for her.

Well, almost. Or so she thought.

Even though Annette didn't bother to join the staring crowd, she listened carefully to what was going on and had seen enough of it through the corner of her eye. It was all she needed to see. Guy dances with girl, finds out the wrong way that she was playing both him and her boyfriend. Boyfriend gets mad and girlfriend hops off to a different guy. It was like a script. So far, boy had already danced with girl, and they were at the part where boyfriend got mad.

Unfortunately there was to be an interlude, and Annette would lose her drink.

About a minute earlier Annette had reached out for her shot, rolling her eyes to the people on either side of her who had turned to stare at the short-lived commotion. The girl to her right seemed flushed in the face, staring at the man who had made the mistake. Apparently he was a looker. Annette didn't turn to see.

Instead, she distracted herself by bringing the shot to her mouth, tipping it back quickly before reaching for her rye and coke. Her hand had just been on the way when....

The tinkling sound of glass smashing against wooden walls briefly stopped the commotion, and the conversation of a few people around her. Annette's eyes looked to where her drink had been swiped and smashed against the wall and floor before turning her head to look at the perpetrator. Bright jade eyes the dark chocolate eyes of the stranger, locking for a brief moment. And for a moment, Annette stopped as well, arching an eyebrow at his words of buying her another drink. Well, he better.

His smile caused a reaction in her as well, and Annette responded with a slight flirty smirk in the right hand corner of her mouth. She looked inviting, but as though she were waving caution in his face. Did he really think she was the kind of girl who would drop anything for the night simply because a handsome stranger had knocked over her drink and offered her a new one?

� I�m gonna buy you a new one, I promise.�

"Before or after you get your face punched?" she inquired, voice sarcastic but slightly teasing.

The angry boyfriend was still livid in the face behind the stranger, winding up obviously to take another swipe at his face. In one quick and easy motion, Annette stepped in between the angry boyfriend and the handsome stranger, stepping forward and pushing the stranger just far enough away from the fist that flew threw the air. The motion of it rustled the long, dark locks of her hair as her back faced the flying fist which, in motion too quick to stop, missed the both of them and slammed into the bar instead. A loud crack of the guy's hand against the wood was enough to make the watching crowd, and even Annette cringe.

"Ouch." she said, turning to look at the guy who had punched the bar with mock sympathy upon her face. "You should get some ice on that..." she paused, eyes darting out to the dance floor where she recognized the guy's blonde girlfriend, who had just found her new victim. "Why don't you let this one go. You know, before your blonde little number starts using that guy as a dance pole."

Rubbing his fist, no doubt dealing with the pain while trying as hard as he could to look tough, the man followed Annette's gaze toward the dance floor. With an angry yell he marched off, deciding this punching bag wasn't worth it and that he should move on to the next.

Annette shook her head, silently scolding herself for getting involved. She was supposed to be laying low. Meeting people, sure, but not getting involved in fights. She didn't know how far Donovan's reach was, but if he ever found out Annette was alive... well, then she wouldn't be for long. She supposed she couldn't help it. Keeping completely quiet was never Annette's thing. And being afraid to act, sometimes without thought, surely wasn't her thing either. Besides, the whole 'commotion' thing had just gotten a bit more interesting.

She flicked a strand of hair from her eyes, turning back to face the bar and tilting her head slightly to look at the handsome stranger. Well, he did say he would buy her a new drink. "So should I order or do you want to?"

This post has been edited by Annette Aylett on Oct 24 2007, 03:58 PM

[Cole Balen]

Cole was really startled with the girl�s appearance. She was good looking to say the least with her long dark brown hair and big emerald eyes, but it wasn�t just that. He couldn�t really say what, but she had something enchanting about her. Something really special and it weren�t just her sexy and feminine curves

"Before or after you get your face punched?" she inquired voice sarcastic but slightly teasing.

Balen looked at her with his head slightly tilted and a faint smile on his face, sarcasm� He could appreciate that in a woman and he didn�t miss the flirty look in her eyes. But with all this commotion about the girl Cole had almost forgot about the fight and the next attack of King Kong, the angry boyfriend caught him off guard. He didn�t even see it coming, but luckily for him he was pushed aside and the fist nearly missed him by a few inches. Balen smashed into the floor with a loud bang and the air was violently pushed out of his longs and stars flew before his eyes. Then he heard the crackling sound of King Kong�s fist smashing the counter and it was enough to draw a little smile on his face. Oh, how he hoped that it was bone and not the wooden counter that made that sound.

Cole was still dizzy and everything that happened next went too fast for him to follow, but when he slowly rose back on his feet the giant was rushing off towards the dance floor, ready for his next victim. He started brushing the dust of his black shirt and faded jeans that seemed to be perfectly fitting, looking at the girl he carefully rubbed the back of his head while starting to talk. �I could have taken him, you know?� His head wasn�t the only sore spot, his pride was a bit dented too. Saved by a girl, his best friend Ballard would bully him for weeks when he found out about it.

When Cole saw the big dent in the counter he realized that he should be grateful, his facial features would have been radically rearranged if he had taken a direct and probably not for the best.
�Guess you saved my life, ey? But don�t go telling it around, you might just destroy my tough image,� he said with a goofy smile on his face.

She flicked a strand of hair from her eyes, turning back to face the bar and tilting her head slightly to look at the handsome stranger. Well, he did say he would buy her a new drink. "So should I order or do you want to?"

He loved it when a woman did that, flicking their hair back like that� It was one of his weak spots. He softly bit his lip to get a hold of himself again and then he called the barman. �Hey Jimmy, get this princess whatever she wants and bring tequila for me, make it a double��
He turned back to the girl and said, �I�m Cole or Bale or whatever you like, but I�m fun and you�re enchanting, did you know that?�

[Annette Aylett]

Annette bit her lip softly, looking at Cole on the floor. She hadn't known she had pushed him that hard. But then again, she had acted without thinking and more on instinct. Now there was something that was quite usual for the woman. Even so, it was probably more beneficial for him to get pushed to the ground, than to get a large fist-shaped dent in the front of his face. Well, in Annette's opinion anyway. To each their own.

She held out a hand as he sat there on the ground, offering to help him up at least. It would make her look less cold to the crowd who was now staring between Cole and herself. Annette didn't hate being known in a crowd - or at least she didn't used to. Not, however, it made her stomach start to turn slightly. She wasn't up for being the center of attention.

No one would not by looking at her though, that she was one to shy away from being the center of a crowd. The way Annette looked, the confidence she radiated with ease, her lack of fear when it came to doing things she simply wanted to do, it all pointed to a person who, well, wasn't afraid of people. And for the most part she wasn't, and it was a good thing Annette was talented in hiding what she felt. What scared her were people that may be tied to her past. It was an irrational fear, sure, because the chances that someone in this city was remotely tied to her past were slim to completely non. The group she had been with had been completely exterminated save her Lucas and herself, not to mention their existence to the rest of the world had been completely secret - marked only by a single common tattoo, which Annette had decided to sport upon her shoulder. It was the only reminder and constant tie she had, and the woman had mixed feelings about hiding the mark. In the end, she always dressed as though it were not there, and didn't matter.

Annette feared her past, yes, but she wasn't ashamed of it.

�Guess you saved my life, ey? But don�t go telling it around, you might just destroy my tough image,�

Annette suppressed a laugh, but the amusement crept upon her face. "What fun does that leave for me then?" she teased, as though she were willing to go walk around and tell all the strangers she knew that she saved this man's life. Yup, that would get them off to a first start.

A small laugh came through, and the woman shook her head, rustling the dark locks that fell like silk around her shoulders. No, she wasn�t' going to go flashing information like that around. But she did wonder what kind of image this man did have from people. Tough? Maybe. Flirt? She didn't doubt.

"I'll have the same." Annette said, as the bartender went to get Cole's drink. Tequila she could handle. Limes... well she liked those better. She turned to the man as he turned to her.

�I�m Cole or Bale or whatever you like, but I�m fun and you�re enchanting, did you know that?�

Whatever she wanted, hmm? Was he sure he wanted to give her that kind of power? Annette thought for a moment, giving him a look as though sizing him up, although a smile lingered upon her lips which made her look non-threatening. Annette knew how to play her facial features to convey the message she wanted to give. This one said she was making sure he was truthful about 'being fun', because Annette was up for something fun, and something different in this new city of hers. What she wasn't up for, was something boring.

But, her look eventually said that she decided he passed the test. This made the woman respond with her own name.

"Annette." she said, giving him only one choice on what to call her. She preferred being called by her first name, so she would rather not let him have a choice if there was a chance he'd take the wrong route. Cole Balen, hmm?

"And together that makes us what?" she asked, in response to him calling himself fun, and her enchanting. "Well, besides drinking buddies." she added, sliding his tequila glass over to him as the bartender poured it.

[Cole Balen]

Keeping his big brown eyes locked with Annette�s deep pools of green, Cole grabbed the glass that slides towards him and emptied it in one fluent move. While he slammed the glass back into the counter, Balen had trouble to keep his face straight. Damn� That stuff really tasted like gasoline and he wished that he would have waited for Jimmy with the limes but he had to play the tough guy again.

Her words rang through his head as the burning taste of the tequila slowly faded, �And together that makes us what?" What did it make them? Cole honestly didn�t know yet, but he was sure that he would find out soon enough. Somehow he had a feeling that this would be one wild night...
�That would make us like� like Tom & Jerry. You would be the cute little mouse and I�m the big cat trying to catch you.� Balen said with a big grin on his face and continued, �Cole & Annie�. Then he burst out in laughter.

�I wouldn�t mind chasing that little thing around,� Cole thought as he checked Annette�s body out. He loved the way her dark wavy hair made her eyes look even brighter and the way she dressed. Her green halter accentuated her body nicely and was sexy but still left something to the imagination. At least she wasn�t looking as cheap as most females in the club.

Cole called Jimmy, the bartender and ordered a refill for their glasses. �And please Jimmy. Bring some limes and a bit of salt, this stuff tastes like shit.� It did taste like shit, but it had a lot of alcohol in it and that�s what he needed right now. It loosened him up and helped him forget�

Balen looked forward to the cat and mouse game that was about to get started, it was a game that he liked to play and he was quite good at it. At least he thought he was, and Annette looked like she could too. The most girls in this club were way too easy, but this wouldn�t be over that easy. And like his father always used to say, �How tougher the hunt, the sweeter the prey."


This post has been edited by Cole Balen on Oct 29 2007, 03:48 PM

[Annette Aylett]

"like Tom & Jerry"

Annette smirked. She liked that answer. Although, Cole had pointed out she could be the 'cute little mouse'. She wasn't so sure of that specific part and wondered if Cole truly thought of her as the mouse in the situation. It was fine if he did, it wouldn't make a difference. But then again it also wouldn't make it completely right.

Completely.

Perhaps she had a bit of both in her. Played like a cat, was hard to catch like a mouse.

"I think the cat is pretty cute too." she said, hinting at two things - her initial thought that even if he called her the cute mouse, he may underestimate her ability to be a 'cute cat as well. That and she could have been referring to the fact that he would make a cute cat himself.

Either way, Annette decided she was more fond of 'Tom and Jerry' than she was of 'Cole and Annie'. It had a more creative tone. That, and very, very few people ever called her Annie. Her friend Sophie once told her that the name Annette suited her well, but the nickname 'Annie' from it did not suit her. It made her sound both young and innocent, in personality and looks - two things she most certainly wasn't.

�I wouldn�t mind chasing that little thing around,�

She laughed. "What makes you think I'd let you?" she inquired, half teasing, half quite challenging. If Cole was looking for an easy time, then he was barking up the wrong tree. If he was looking for an interesting time, a wild ride, fun night at a club, someone who wasn't afraid to do what they wanted and a new unexpected...friend - well then who was she to say he was wrong?

Annette almost cringed when she saw Cole take the shot straight, and with no comfort of the bitter fruit meant to accompany it. She could have done it, but simply because 'he did', wasn't much persuasion to follow suit. Perhaps other girls would have, just to show they weren't afraid or to show they wanted some connection - any connection, with the handsome stranger who just walked into their life.

Instead, Annette turned slightly, making eye contact with a man next to her who smiled hungrily. Annette smiled back, smoothly reaching over to his drink and plucking the lime off the side of his glass. With one last wink of her emerald eyes, she turned back to Cole to tend to her own drink. Tipping it back in one fluid motion, the stolen lime met her lips in a much easier, and less cringing way than Cole had done it. Annette reveled in her comfort.

She watched him closely as he ordered a new set of drinks from them, as well as some limes and salt this time. Her eyes trailed across him when he wasn't watching her, examining him from the dark-messy hair, to the five o'clock shadow around his jaw line, to the deep color of his chocolate eyes. The alcohol she had just taken warmed her throat all the way down.

Lifting her hand, she liked the side shortly and held it out to the bartender, letting him sprinkle a small amount of salt on it. Anticipating the bitter taste, she waited for Cole to follow suit as she picked up a lime in the same hand.

"Something tells me you're not up for the easy drinks. And therefore I probably have a long night ahead of me. The next one is my call, to see what you can handle." she said, fire in her eyes as her mind sparked with intrigue. She had, after all, been a bartender back at the Underground. Needless to say Annette knew enough of her drinks. Maybe she just felt like testing him. Maybe she was just playing. Or maybe, well it would be the first time in a long time, but maybe Annette was finally just having fun.

"So is this a common 'drop spot' for you and your next 'victim'?" she asked, saying 'victim' with a hard-to-read meaning as per usual. It was curious as to whether she was referring to how they met just moments ago, him being threatened over some girl whom he had just captured before he moved on to Annette herself. Perhaps being the victim wasn't just a bad thing though. Still, she wondered if he came here often - it did seem to be one of the most active clubs in her new city.