Rebirth

Chapter Seven

Everything about this city was beautiful. From street lanterns to the very distinctive architecture. New Orleans had this magical air to it that made everything seem romantic and otherworldly. You had never been here before so you got caught up in all the sightsees. You were still in the elegant red dress that matched Alastor's crimson suit.
Your arm was looped with Alastor's as the two of you walked down busy and noisy streets. Many people were out and about, bar hopping, drinking, dancing, singing and enjoying the night. Apparently, there was this bar that you just had to see, according to Alastor.
"It's lovely in there, it's much like a music lounge!" Alastor told you with a smile. You could see the genuine happiness on his face as he talked about this bar, "I use to go there all the time when I was alive,"
"How do you know it's still there?" You asked him while raising a brow, "Didn't you die like..." When did he die again? Uh oh, you forgot, "Um... You died a long time ago, right?"
Alastor flashed a quick toothy grin and gave you a side glance, "1933. Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I don't keep tabs on the living world," He then nudged you lightly, "I bet I know more about today's news than even you do."
You rolled your eyes, tempted to say something snide, "You sound like an old man. I watch the news, just... not every day. Or week," You tried to defend yourself. Alastor's low chuckle caused your cheeks to burn red, "Where the hell is this bar?" You shifted the conversation, "I'm ready for a drink," And a big one at that.
"Almost there, my dear!" Alastor promised, "What's your drink of choice?"
You looked at him and thought, "What was my favorite drink when I was a demon?"
A very dark look overtook Alastor's features. You saw his teeth grow in size, his mouth twisted into an unnatural grin, "Blood," He said wickedly. The dark look was gone, his teeth were back to normal and his smile was more relaxed, "Oh! You meant alcohol!" Alastor started to laugh at his own dumb joke, "Haha, you enjoyed gin, vodka, tequila. You had an uncanny taste for clear liquor and often refused the darker ones, like whiskey and rum."
That was very different from now. You kind of hated alcohol and you'd only drink it if it was fruity and sweet enough to mask the gross burning liquor, "Mhm, not the same," You shrugged, "I'm basic, give me a Mike's Hard or a Twisted Tea. It's can't taste like shit."
"All liquor tastes like shit," Alastor hummed with a single chuckle. He wasn't wrong there. Only a few minutes passed before he suddenly stopped in his tracks in front of an old rickety wooden door.
You were confused, what was here? It was just a dark pine door stuck between two buildings. There was no sign and no address. Nothing but a door. Alastor quickly swung it open, you saw that immediately behind the door was a dark stairwell leading below ground. You followed Alastor into the cellar with caution. There was a second door at the bottom of the stairs and Alastor thew that one open too. Music and smoke wafted from within. It smelled musty and thick of cigarettes.
How could you have not guessed? You walk into a dark underground bar and lounge. The lights shined low rays, making it easy to hide in the shadows. The floor was covered with a thin and dirty green carpet. The walls had wooden paneling that went about a third of the way while maroon wallpapers climbed to the ceiling. There had to be a few dozen people already in there. You took a look over at Alastor and saw stars in his eyes.
Little did you know that this was the bar where Alastor wasted away most of his life. It had barely changed. Sure there were new paintings and pictures, but so what? And yeah, there were dozens of TVs and speakers littering the walls now. Other than that, it was the same. Same gross green carpet with wine stains spotting all over the room, there were still green stain glass lights hanging from the ceiling, the bar looked exactly the same and there was a nice new pool table in the corner. Further back in the larger room was a small stage completely void of anything. Dozens of little tables scattered the room. This place was big enough to fit at least 80 to 90 people. It made Alastor incredibly happy to be here, even if it was some several decades later.
The two of you walked over to the bar without a word spoken between you. There were lush and comfy stools with soft green cushions for a seat. You gazed at the other people hanging around the bar. There was an older woman smoking a cigarette at the very end as she drank her margarita and played on her phone. A few seats away from you was a young man covered with tattoos and piercings.
Alastor quickly leaned on the bar with a smile. You stood beside him and you didn't understand why you felt so nervous. It made you feel awkward to stare at him so much. You couldn't help it though, his looks kept drawing you in. He looked rather dashing in the suit. He knew how to pick colors that complemented his features. He looked better without his glasses on too. You could see the dark and haunting color of his brown eyes. When he flickered his gaze towards you, you quickly averted your eyes and watched the bartender sluggishly walk along the bar.
He seemed tired and overly sleepy. The bartender shrugged as he asked, "What can I get for ya?"
You quickly looked at Alastor with a nervous expression. Luckily he was a man of action, "Two whiskeys, my good friend!" He tapped the bar twice with his hand and gave a large grin.
While the bartender got your drinks, you peered along the counter. That man with the tattoos was looking at you. Then at Alastor, then you again. The way he stared made you suspicious of him. You looked away from him as the bartender returned and slid two glasses towards you and Alastor.
"Give it a try, darling," Alastor eyed you as he grabbed his own glass, "It'll only bite a little bit," Then he winked at you. It took you by complete surprise and you were quickly flustered. At the same time, he pulled a little black case from one of his pockets and unclipped the latch. As he flipped it open it revealed several dozen cigarettes tucked neatly in rows. Alastor swiped one quicky then snapped the case closed. You watched as the cigarette lit itself alive as if my by magic. Alastor wasn't even looking at you anymore. This was the first time you saw his human face without some sort of smile. He had a soft and blank expression as he took a drag of the cigarette. Why did he make it look so.... attractive? He even did a french inhale, slowly passing smoking from his lips and inhaling it into his nose.
As much as you hated the burn of alcohol, you quickly grabbed your own drink and down a large gulp. Your heart was fluttering in your chest and you couldn't stop it from beating harder and harder as every second passed. Once you placed the glass down you quickly rushed your words out, "I- uh!" You coughed and cleared your throat, "I need to you the restroom!" You actually needed a second to calm down, "I'll be right back," You flashed a little smile on your face as Alastor watched you with amusement.
"Take your time, dear," He gave a sneaky and snide smirk, he was beginning to bring the cigarette back to his lips, but you quickly turned and walked off as calmly as you could.
Alastor watched your every step until you found the bathrooms and disappeared around a corner. He could finally let out the soft sigh and relax a little. Everything was going perfectly so far. All he had to do was keeping working his charm and soon you'd be his once again.
He took this time alone to reflect on the entire situation. Alastor flicked the ash off the end of his cigarette into an ashtray. With his free hand, he reached for his whiskey. As happy as he was to be here, it brought him a small sense of sorrow. It was beginning to become more and more clear that you were not the same person you once were.
It pained him because he was realizing that the person he was looking for was dead and gone forever. No matter how much he tried, he'd never have his beloved wife back. He couldn't deny it however, he stilled felt a deep love for you even if you weren't exactly the same. Little did you know, Alastor had come to terms with spending the rest of your natural mortal life with you, simply because he couldn't bring himself to kill or even harm you in any way. He also felt the need to protect you from any harm as well. He wouldn't allow you to killed in any way unless it was on your terms.
He wasn't entirely sure why he felt this way. Maybe it had to do with the fact that your soul wasn't tainted enough to go to hell, or maybe he loved your soul's newfound purity. Maybe it had nothing to with anything, he couldn't be sure. He had shut himself entirely off from his emotions the day you were reincarnated. It had been a long time since he explored the thoughts and let them run free in his mind. There was a strange uneasiness that overcame Alastor at the same time. He looked around and found the man looking at him, the one with the tattoos.
How interesting, Alastor watched this stranger begin to approach him. A little smile lingered on Alastor's face. He wanted this man to go away and leave him alone, "Hello!" Alastor lifted his smile some more, "What brings you over here, my good fellow?"
The tattooed man was a little surprised at Alastor's straight-forward approach, but other than that, he didn't seem to fazed by it. Alastor could smell the pot and vodka rolling off of this stranger. It didn't take a whole lot to see how intoxicated he was. There was even a drip from his nose and Alastor had no doubt that it was induced from a little knife bump of coke. But he smelled something much stronger, it was the soft and dull beat of blood rushing loosely through this drugged-up man. It was intoxication, it made Alastor's eyes grow a little wider as he stared harder at the man.
"I wanted to know 'bout that lady of yours!" The stranger slurred slightly, "She with you?"
"Ha!" Alastor enjoyed the stranger's bluntness, "Something like that!" He bared his teeth with a smile, "I think there was someone more of your taste out on the corner there, old sport!"
The stranger laughed loosely and shook his head, "Aha, hmhm," He sucked in a quick breath, "I was thinking you're more my type. Or the both of ya."
Alastor's smile melted only slightly as it became more thin, firm and pressed. Why couldn't he think of anything to say? He didn't think this would make his as uncomfortable as it did. Panic leaked into his bloodstream for the first time in decades. How was this possible? He felt a bead of sweat form at his temple. Then a whisper crawled into his ear, saying, He's only a human. Scare him away.
So he took a quick breath in and Alastor smiled calmly, "You don't want to walk down this road," He closed his eyes and smiled some more, "There's nothing here for you!" His voice was bouncy and happy despite his true feelings hidden below his throat, "Nothing but a dead end!" Alastor smiled away.
But the man was either too drunk or stoned to hear the ominous threat in Alastor's voice, or he just didn't care. He leaned forward slightly, "You sure? I've got a ton of X and coke- Oh hey-"
You had just shown back up and you could feel the terrible tension in the air. The tattooed man was swaying on his feet and he had a sloppy half-grin on his face. Alastor, however, had dark eyes boring into the man and a smile on his eyes. His unblinking stare was menacing, "Hey," You frowned. At the sound of your voice, Alastor turned his head quickly and he looked at you. He didn't say anything though, "What's.. uh... going on?" You looked between the two of them.
The stranger shrugged, "Just trying to see if ya'll are interested in a little party-"
You quickly held up your hand, making him stop talking. This is why you hated bars and drinking, well... you mostly just hated drunks. Nothing was more dully and stupid than a drunk person, in your opinion. You frowned at the stranger, "I'm going to have to stop you right there, thanks but no thanks, we're not interested." You learned a long time ago that the only way to get them to go away is to tell them to fuck off, "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to enjoying my night."
The man gave you a swore face, he shrugged again, "You're loss," The mood changed and he didn't seem so happy anymore. He left with a flip of his long hair and muttering something under his breath.
You heard a sigh next to you, and you saw Alastor's smile drop down to a mild grin. He seemed... upset? You weren't very sure, "You okay?" You asked.
"I hate humans," Alastor grumbled, "Primitive, primal, promiscuous. Utterly useless creatures,"
"What? Don't like guys flirting with you?" You started to slowly chuckle at him. Was this what he was like when he was flustered or mad? It almost made you laugh. He just looked bitter with a dumb smile. Maybe it was because he was in his human form, but he didn't look as intimidating or scary without all the evil demon teeth and claws.
"I'm not a fan of the outcome," Alastor looked at you from a side glance. He waved a hand, "Fornication is utterly disgusting,"
Oh. You blinked, slowly understanding what he was trying to say, "So you're like... Asexual?"
Now Alastor gave you a confused smile, "I wish I could go through mitosis," He gave a weak laugh after that.
But you giggled behind your hand for a second. Oh, how the tables had turned, "No, Al," You saw him perk up at the nickname, "It means yours not into fornication." It looked like he started to understand, "You know, some people are homosexual? Hetero? You're Asexual," To help further your point, you dug out your phone and opened up the web browser. You did a quick google search then showed him.
He was wary, but he looked at your phone, quickly reading the words, "Hm," He hummed, "Well would you look at that!" There was a smile on his face. He gestured for you to come and sit beside him again.
You climbed back into your bar seat once again and Alastor turned so he could face you. His cigarette was long burnt out and gone and he didn't hesitate to pull another one out. He offered you one but you shook your head lightly, "So many things are different," Alastor mumbled from behind the unfiltered end of the cigarette, "You used to smoke a pack a day," He chuckled softly.
"Yeah?" He knew he had caught your interest. You perked up in your seat and even scooted a little closer, "What was I like? Like... aside from being a demon and your wife. Like personality and attitude?"
He couldn't help the sweet smile from curling on his face, "You were very hardworking. People praised you for your incredible loyalty as well. But you were also uncontrollably emotional," You faintly remembered the book saying something about that.
"What else?" You wanted to know so much more. You wanted to know everything you could know about your past self. It was an obsession you couldn't ignore anymore.
"How about we focus on this version of you?" Alastor smiled a little more and gave a raise of his brow. You felt flattered that he wanted to know more about you. You remembered that you still had a glass of whiskey to drink.
As you grabbed the glass and took a sip, you asked after a brief moment, "What do you want to know?"
Alastor leaned forward and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. There was a light and spark in his eyes that made your hight jump a little, "Anything," He said with a smile.
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"-I was so scared. He looks at me and says, 'You lit?' And I was.... I was totally baked out of my mind. It was the first time I... ya know? Aha- And my professor is looking at me and the whole class is! I almost started to cry but then he sharted to shake his hands and go 'No, no, no! You eat that cookie! You stay lit!' And he just goes on teaching!" There were about six or seven empty glasses next to you. A smile was on your face as you told some stupid story from your freshman year of college.
Alastor was listening intently with his own smile to match. He held your hand in his as they rested together on the bar, "Ya know I was always a fan of opium every now and again!"
For some reason that made you laugh a little, "I'd never do something like that," It was safe to say you were tipsy. Maybe a little bit drunk. Just a little. Alastor, on the other hand, didn't seem the slightest and he drank more than you, "Like you said. I'm just a goodie goodie."
He chuckled and gave a grin, "I also said we could change that."
"You said a lot of things," You smirked. The last..? What time was it? Well, you had spent some time talking to Alastor. He asked about your life, your birthday. He found out you had no siblings and that your father was dying. He even wanted to know about what school you went to, what classes you liked. You didn't expect him to be so curious. He cracked a joke every now and then and tease you for something silly.
It was nice to just... talk to him like this. It was almost like he was a real person who wanted to get to know you. A little voice in your said It's almost like I'm on a date with a real guy who... likes me. You shook that voice away. And caught Alastor staring at you. You laughed nervously and said, "What?"
He just shook his head slowly then shrugged, "Nothing... You're just very pretty. I like this version of you. Some things are the same, like your eyes and your smile. But others are different,"
"Like what?" Damn it! You couldn't stop the little smile on your face.
"That's not important," He quickly dismissed your question, "It doesn't matter whats different and what's the same. I'm just happy to spend time with you again." Why did that answer make your heart flutter?
His hand was still holding yours and you couldn't deny that comfort you felt from his touch. It was familiar in a way that you just couldn't describe. It was almost addicting in away. You could feel your soul reaching out and trying to touch Alastor.
What time was it again? You pulled out your phone and looked at the clock. You almost jumped out of your seat and lost your mind, "It's three in the morning!? I have classes at eight am! Fuck!" You ran a hand through your hair then looked at Alastor, "This is your fault,"
He grinned, "Skip classes tomorrow, sleep in," His voice called out and tempted you.
It sounded nice, but you knew better. You shook your head, "No, I need to go to bed, can you take me home?" You looked at him and waited for him to say something but he just grinned a sneaky little toothy smile, "Please?"
"Alright," He finally said. He closed his eyes and with a smile, he snapped his fingers quickly. There was a static sound of white noise and suddenly you were outside your apartment door. Odd. Why didn't he just teleport you guys inside? What if your door was locked?
Alastor quickly took your hand in his and brought your fingers up to his lips. He placed a kiss on them, holding your hand there as he gave you a look that gave you chills, "I had a lovely night with you, my dear. Until we meet again." He placed another kiss on your knuckles. You wanted to say something but he quickly faded into a swarm of misty black shadows. He was gone before you knew it and you were alone with a might need for him to come back.