Winter in London. A foggy, rainy, miserable location, no matter who you were. Those of the day remained in their homes, reclusive of this gray misery that engulfed the day so terribly. Even the upper crust found days such as these irritating and drudging. A few stagecoaches made the trek through the downpour, their drivers soaked to the marrow, constantly blinking away the onslaught of fat raindrops to their face.
One coach rumbled by, the steeds tramping through a deep puddle and flooding a set or steps; steps that led deep under the city. Steps that most people in the know avoided, and to good reason. It was dark below, for at least the first twenty yards you were met with nothing but the embrace of darkness as she greeted you into this secret Hell.
Murmurs and shouts echoed in these alleys and mazes. This was the home of demons.
"One Crimson, coming up!" A young male behind the bar of a small, dimly light pub-like building shouted with a grin. The Bat's Tooth was as busy as ever tonight thanks to the recent string of raids by the Society. Of course, the circumstance of this success was terrible, but tonight Cage would enjoy the money that came his way. "Here you are." The cup slid down the bar to an elderly looking man who caught it with ease and murmured thanks.
"Lenora, love, I need some help at the bar, please?" Cage chimed over to a young blonde who was seated in the corner of the room, engrossed in some sort of novel. She peered over at him quietly, her bright blue eyes blank for a moment before she nodded and gracefully made her way over.
"Of course you do, Cage. When have you not needed my help?" She sighed before slipping past the small group and stepping behind the counter, starting to fill orders. "I'll just put it on your tab then, okay, hon?" The vixen smirked to him before setting down two pints of crimson with some sort of alcohol mixed into it. Cage just shook his head and spoke to her with a flash of fang.
"I must pay that bill sometime," He chuckled, turning to the next customer and fulfilling his order. "If I don't, I'm afraid I may be indebted to you for quite some time, no?" Her reply was simply a flirtatious laugh before taking care of the final customer and collecting the pounds and quid from the bar.
"We'll discuss that some other time, love," She chirped, tucking the money into Cage's breast pocket of his waistcoat. Another smile showed her gleaming fangs. "For now, we run the bar." With that she stepped out from behind the counter and padded off to resume her reading. Cage sighed as he too took a seat near the bar.
The Bat's Tooth was a bar, yes, but it appealed to a certain crowd. The crowd of the night and its children. Vampires, succubae, incubus, werewolves, and so much more. If you had heard of the legend, it was likely to pass through here for a snack and a drink. The Bat mainly entertained the vampire crowd, however, seeing as how the owners were of the same kin. Their blood and alcohol mixtures were a major attraction to the bar.
"Cage!" A rumbling voice growled from the doorway, causing the young vampire to look upwards. "I have bad news," Robert, a wolf, one of the Society as well, stood in the doorway. In comparison, Cage was scraggly with a mess of raven hair on his head and murky hazel eyes. Wan skin and a rather slim body shape made up Cage's physique. Robert, however, was bulky and kept a typical blushed shade of the living. His rust-tinted hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that Lucius knows about your supplier, Cage. You need to choose those of more careful work otherwise I'll be forced to shut this place down, and you are fully aware of how that works, are you not?" Amber eyes glared down at the pale creature that simply scoffed and gave a careless wave.
"I am being careful, Robert," He replied in an irritated tone. "It is not my fault that the farmers are getting too lax or are picking off those damned humans that managed a contract with those bastards upstairs, alright?" He sneered, flashing yet more fangs at this man.
"Just be more careful, please, Cage, I cannot stress this enough. I do not want to be the one who has to end this for you." The wolf pleaded, forcing the young man to look him in the eye. "For your sake?"
"Fine," Cage shrugged the larger man away from him. "I'll start looking for a new supplier in the morning. " This earned a smile from Robert who ruffled that shaggy mess of hair on Cage's head.
"Good lad!" He beamed before taking a seat at the table with him and rapping the mahogany. "Lenora, love, some wine, please?" This earned a snort from Cage. Wine for the wolf that used to down his hard liquor as if he were a fish drinking up water.
"My God, Robert," Scoffed the vampire. "The Society has made you soft, ordering wine in my bar like that." At that comment, Robert shot a hard glare at him. Soft, eh? When the day came that this stupid boy finally screwed up and the Society charged Robert with the cleaning up, then they would see who had gone soft. "At least you aren't just asking for water or a cup of hot tea." He sighed with a bit of relief.
"Here you are." Lenora purred softly as she set down both the glass and the bottle. "A nice vintage one, just for you, Robbie, dear." The blonde smiled before slipping away to tend to refills and tabs. The wolf happily inhaled the scent of the deep red liquid that filled the glass. The vampires had their crimson, and this red wine was his version. Robert downed the liquid in one gulp before letting out a content sigh and pouring himself another glass.
"Soft," Chortled the wolf. "You'll never see me any kinder than I am now."
"So does that mean you aren't capable of such things?"
"Of course not! It simply means I won't let you see it when that day comes!" He laughed, leaning back in the chair.
The night hours soon gave way to the uppergrounds first hours of morning. The crowd thinned out and the wolf said his goodbyes to the young owner.
"Just remember, Cage, a new supplier today, okay?" Robert reminded the vampire, punctuating his words with the wag of a finger before clapping him on the back and giving him well wishes, then slipping away into the shadoows and towards the nearest tunnel exit.
Cage heaved a sigh and collapsed against the bar wearily. He'd rather be sleeping than running about looking for farms and siging contacts and making bargains with that sketchy bunch. Even amongst those of common ground there was distrust. "Lenora," He murmured, looking to the blonde who was now washing glasses. "I'm heading out for a bit, the bar is in your hands, okay?" Lenora glanced at him and was quiet for a moment before smiling and nodding.
Soon Cage was changed out of his work clothes andin his regular outfit. It was nothing extravagent, seeing as how most of that was reserved to those of the Underground that were swimming in money or the members of the Society. His outfit was a modest black waistcoat, white shirt, tan bottoms, and black boots. All cheap, all simple. The typical trademark of an Underground Barkeep. Another sigh escaped him as he walked the maze of tunnels, wincing at the light of a nearby exit, pausing for a moment, only to view the street above. There was the sillouette of...
A girl. What was she doing there? The shadow of the woman faltered at the entrance, her body language looking torn between exploring this famous catacomb or staying above where she was 'safe'. Cage remained where he stood, just observing this person, this human. She made her choice and cautiously made her way down the steps. She wore purple, the color of wealth, and the color of the upper class. He couldn't help but to wrinkle his nose as he looked the young woman over, she was of obvious upper class. Her dress a lavender shade, decorated in ribbons and lace, it was accented by her jewelry and her dark black hair just evened the entire color set out.
Bright blue eyes flashed over towards the young vampire as she crept further into the shadows.
