𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨 | 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟒 𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐕𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚

𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐈

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October 30th, 2019

Richard mentioned Rose having to be alone on Halloween night, not the day before either. It was as if both he and Michael had completely fallen off the face of the earth. A drink at a bar wouldn't hurt so much, stumbling into a comforting stranger wouldn't be so bad either. She was alone anyways, and she wouldn't be interrupted by Richard again— and Michael had been distant since he came back as well. Plus that drink could help her sort out her emotions toward the brunette haired man. Did she truly feel affection and love toward him? Rubbing her temples, she sighed and stood up from her bed and disappeared into her closet. A night out wouldn't be so bad— people were out already celebrating Halloween anyways. Reaching into the endless fabric hanging, she pulled out an old Dior silk dress, it was a nude color.

The process of getting ready was the same as the night she went out clubbing. Except her makeup was much more light and her hair was hanging out wildly in its natural state. Rubbing on lotion and perfume, she finished and admired herself. In a way, she could no longer recognize the reflection looking back at her— but what else could she do? Grabbing her umbrella and a nice coat, she stepped out her room and applied her lipstick last minute. A jet dark brown ombré mixed with a neutral pink gloss. Sighing with a cigarette hanging between her lips, she left. Taking a cab, she asked to be taken to a bar near downtown LA. The driver nodded and promptly began the drive toward where she asked to be taken. Staring out into the skyline, she rubbed her eyes and wiped away a few run away tears. She was homesick, and tired of being Richards punching bag and personal sex toy— it felt right as they did it, but afterwards, he was so cold.

Truth was, she didn't feel anything toward him. She had always been attracted to the darkness within him. She wanted to be consumed by it— nothing more, nothing less. Maybe that's why she had began an endless spree of attraction of peculiar men. "Ma'am— excuse me?" The driver finally caught her attention, "Oh sorry.." Rose glanced up, handing him his payment and proceeded to get out of the cab. It was raining, the sky was pouring down in veils. Pulling her umbrella out, she began her journey to whichever bar she could get into. But the walk seemed endless to any bar, "stupid fucking driver."  cussing under her breath she stared around the street and caught a large chalk sign perked outside a hotel, walking toward it like a moth attracted to light, she scanned her eyes over it. 'Best Martinis In The City'

That was enough to get her walking into the building. It had a strange 1920's theme to it, antique and beautiful. Not only was she thankful to be somewhere beautiful, but she was glad to be out of the rain. Stepping up a few flights of stairs, she was met by the bar. There was a beautiful transgender woman standing behind the counter. "Welcome to the Hotel Cortez gorgeous." Rose offered a smile and placed her Umbrella in a small cubical before removing her coat, "It's a pleasure to be here, a little birdie told me that the best martinis in the city could be found here." The woman smiled in delight and nodded, bringing out everything to start preparing the drink. "What brings you to our charming little corner of the world?" She asked, bringing out a glass before Rose. "My cab happened to let me at the wrong address, the streets were too empty to find another." She replied, looking around. "Busy night huh?" The bar was at decent capacity, and she caught the stares of a few people as she made her way inside. "Oh yes honey, It's Devils Night and Billy Dean Howard has made our reputation pretty popular amongst folk that believe in ghosts— sometimes it's the busiest night of the year— along with Halloween— I'm sure you can picture why." She poured the drink into the glass and popped a cherry inside. "Well darling, let me know if I can get you anything else— I'll be right here. My name is Liz." Rose nodded and brought the drink up to her lips.

Lightly, she sipped from her glass and stared up at her reflection— catching the glimpse of a pair of eyes staring back at her from behind. A smile curved at his lips, his dark navy blue hair was pinned up perfectly into a bun— he wore a nice black suit. It was the man from the club, a smile tugged at his lips. Looking away from her drink as he approached, she walked forward. The same smell that surrounded him that night, followed him this evening. "Mister Anderson, I'm aware that Mr.March is waiting for you at his room? He doesn't like to be kept waiting by his guest— especially this night." Liz interrupted before he could talk. "I'll be up there soon cleopatra." Anderson replied, "Not before I acknowledge this beautiful woman." He took her hand and kissed onto it while staring down at her. His eyes lingered over her for a while, she stared back in the same trance. Not realizing he had slipped something into her drink without anyone else realizing. "I'm really sorry about the other night." She paused, taking her drink and sipping from it a few times.

"Let me buy you a drink, I insist." He sat beside her and gestured for Liz to pour him up a shot of vodka. "You don't need to apologize for anything, were you really with that guy?" He quickly downed the shot and watched as Rose replied, her words were somewhat slurred. "We're not really together, it's complicated." She hiccuped, her vision had become somewhat blurry. "I thought I wasn't much of a light weight— but look at me now." She muttered, finishing her drink with a smile. "Come with me, There's a meeting I have to be at— but they won't mind you there since you're with me." Without letting her reply, he grabbed her coat and practically nearly dragged her to the elevator. "My legs feel so weak." She leaned onto his chest, eyes fluttering as they felt heavy. "It's okay, we'll get you to a chair soon." Rose glanced up at him and squinted, "I don't know..something feels wrong."

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