Lemonade and Scotch [pg 13]

[ωΘĿƒ]

It was another slow day... Not that there were many of them, but a few always rolled around every now and again, making the cafe seem a ghost of its former self as the few meager patrons stayed to themselves and the noise level was nothing more than a whisper. Kinda sad, actually; but White knew better. Slow days were an excuse for something else to come along - and they always did.

As he recalled, he had met Ivy on a slow day. That turned out well. Now, on this slow day of days, he wondered what else would wander into his bar to entertain him tonight. Hopefully a human... He would really like to see one of those.

Apparently after so many odd things happen around school, most of the human kids start leaving. Sad. White was allowed to catch then if they didn't get in school grounds by bedtime. And if he remembered right, Coyle was allowed to catch them if they weren't in their dorms by bedtime.

Alright, so he could see why there weren't many left. And yet, it would be nice to look at another tan-colored face with two eyes, a nose, and a mouth without envisioning a nasty two headed goat monster underneath it. Unsettled a man at times. Also provoked the need for a good cigar and a drink.

White chose a scotch tonight - he liked the flavor and it was good to stick with the classics. Today was a cigar night too, so he was more than a sight with glass in hand and lighting up one of his favorite Cubans. Almost made him forget that all the people currently whispering in his cafe were freakish monstrosities.

Scratch that. It did make him forget. White took a puff of the sweet, strong cigar and a drink of his scotch, sighing contentedly.

Yup. Life was good.

[Oren]

It had been almost a year since he had come to this place, this school, but he had never once visited Colleger. He’d been to the necropolis once but that wasn’t exactly the town. It was off a ways and was more of just, well, a cemetery. Today, on the other hand, he had made specific intentions to visit the town. He was almost hoping that he wouldn’t run into White but in the event that he did he wouldn’t be downhearted. He had never met the man… vampire, but he had heard a lot about him, many bad but some… not “good”, but “okay”. Either way, it wasn’t worth completely avoiding him, nor was it worth purposefully meeting him.

There was a part of Kendryek that did want to meet the vampire. He could only find one explanation for that and it was that White and Crane were good friends. Crane was someone Kendryek got along with quite well so he assumed that he and White would eventually get along as well. Because of what Kendryek had heard of White he knew that they wouldn’t get along right off the bat. After some time, though, they would probably learn to… appreciate each other.

Stepping into the café, he walked up to the bar, glancing at the cigar in the bartender’s hand. It sure had been a while since he’d seen one of those. They were rather nice as far as he remembered. It had been just over 100 years since he’d had one but he knew the smell and taste as if it had been only yesterday.

Nodding towards it, he said, “I don’t suppose I could get one?”

Since it had been 100 years he supposed it wouldn’t do much harm. If anything he’d be reminded of why he broke his addiction to them. He smirked at himself as he added, “And some lemonade to go with it.”

Sitting on one of the stools, he put an elbow on the counter while resting his chin on his hand. The day had been quite a drag but maybe this little endeavor would spark something interesting.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Still quite enjoying his moment of quiet, smoke-filled and drink-heavy aloneness, it was almost a shame that someone had to come up to ruin it. But he liked company. Sure. And if he wasn't mistaken, he knew this character too. Never seen him, but he sounded a lot like someone Crane kept *****ing about. Yup, did indeed look like... what was his name? Kerek? Karmen? Kender?

Oh right. Kednryek. White pulled out a tall, thin glass and filled it at one of the pumps behind him, not paying attention as he topped the glass off and set it down in front of the dragon. Yup. Dragon. He could tell. He was a bit surprised at the mention of a cigar, but it wasn't because he thought - in all Kendryek's goodness as no doubt he'd heard multiple times from Crane - that he wouldn't smoke. No, he just didn't see Kendryek as the type to do illegal ****.

Not wanting to muster up the energy to mention that Cuban cigars were illegal here, he simply smiled in an apathetic, bored kind of way and opened up the box beneath the bar counter. Picking out one of the cigars once again without looking, he shut the lid to the box and handed the cigar to this Kendryek character.

"Need a light, or are we the fiery kind of lizard?" White asked, not really interested at all, but willing to know the answer regardless. Taking his own cigar from his mouth and holding it carefully between two fingers, he then picked his scotch glass up off the counter and took another small sip, savoring the flavor more than anything else.

Lemonade... Funny. Did all good guys like drinking refreshing beverages?

[Oren]

Kendryek chuckled and nodded slowly at the vampires’ bluntness. ”Fiery,” he said, taking a lighter out of one of his bags, ”but I prefer a light. Old habit I suppose.” That was the excuse, at least. He couldn’t breathe fire while in his skin. His genetics just didn’t work that way. Many of the older ones like him were like that. After all, during the times which Kendryek was born a having dragon characteristics would get him and his parents killed. But who really cared about that? He still breathed fire.

Taking in a large breath he sighed as smoke came streaming out of his lungs. It was kind of funny the way cigars affected his body, more so, how they didn’t affect his body. Because he was a dragon his body was made to breathe in and out small amounts of smoke, therefore the actual smoke that he breathed in had very little effect. The nicotine, on the other hand, was just as bad for him as it was for humans.

But it would clear out of his system in a few hours and he’d be fine.

”My friends call me Kendryek.” He nodded toward the bartender, “What about you?” He definitely wasn’t going to make it a habit to be on a first-name basis with the vampires, but being friendly towards one couldn’t hurt. Crane himself could probably name off a few of them, but no one in the school really knew of any of them but White. He was quite notorious inside the school. Considering he ruled Colleger, he was quite popular outside of the school as well.

There was no doubt in his mind that Crane was also one that was well-known outside of the school. Mike too, probably. Coyle was a definite… Kendryek himself was too new to actually have a name outside of the few people he knew at the school. He was a little too low-key to be of any importance, but he kind of liked it that way. He was left to his research and he had interaction with creatures ever now and then. That was all he really needed…

[ωΘĿƒ]

White quickly filled his general vicinity with the thick blue haze that was so unique with cigars of this quality. It wasn't usual for him to have a cigar, mostly because cigars weren't what you used to get that nice easy feeling that chipped away the edge off life. They were more celebratory, or more for looks. Ya weren't supposed to inhale the smoke, so the effect of the nicotine was greatly blunted - especially for someone who liked nicotine as much as he did. He almost didn't feel the effects. Made a great time for extra strong liquor though - thus the nice, vintage scotch. Really evened things out for him, not to mention he much preferred being drunk than high in any way, shape or form. Must be the liquid diet? Never could tell. White sipped at this scotch, listening to Kendryek make conversation like he would listen to the sounds of music, or the crash of waves in the sea.

He was a people person. Voices were very soothing to him, so he made it a point - whether he was actually listening to the person speak or not - to at least listen to the sound of their voice. Nodding slightly, habitually as if he were confirming that he understood and heard Kendryek, he added another waft of blue smoke to his haze.

"Friend hmm?" Not that he was complaining - White had many friends. And by friends he meant people that he generally didn't hate. He had a lot of friends. He didn't speak to them often, care about their health, ask how their days were going, or really even notice they were in the room most of the time, but sure. Friends. He could see how Kendryek had mentioned friends when he'd given his name.

"Well that's nice, but you already know my name; and I already knew yours. Pretty sure we've got a friend in common."

Once again, the term friend applied loosely to Crane. Figures the new guy would want to say hello to everyone once he was in Crane's little circle. Made sense, after all. Everyone Crane knew was useful in some way or another. Probably already met Coyle and Mike. But then that brought up a good question - why was Kendryek the new friend of the hour? Not like Crane went out to socialize often.

White worked over a few possibilities, swirling the scotch around in its glass to let it air out while he thought.

Hmmm. Someone knew something he didn't...

"But just to be nice, I'm White. Everyone calls me White." The vampire held out a hand - standard gesture of greeting - but his mind was working through a few things now, including why Kendryek had come into Colleger.

Like he said, the guy didn't look the kind to do illegal things, and White was only good at one thing in this world. Begged the question - because obviously the dragon had come to meet with him, and not on a whim - what did Kendryek the new guy want?

This question could be easily answered with another question.

"So..." White paused a second, trying to think. "So, kid, whatcha here for? Not my charisma and a Cubans alone, I hope."

[Oren]

Kendryek took a sip of his lemonade and exhaled, smoke flowing into the air. It was an odd feeling, smoking again after so long. It was pleasant, to be sure, but mainly because he was created to live around smoke, soot, cinders, and ash. It had been so very long since he’d been able to feel the refreshing feeling of smoke surrounding him. It was refreshing.

It reminded him of the times of old when he lived in volcanoes to keep warm during winter and the times he spent as a blacksmith creating swords and armor. Those places were always so warm and filled with smoke it was suffocating. It was amazing to be in that atmosphere once again!

He listened to White in silence allowing the old creature to speak without interruption. Though he believed the vampire to be mistaken; Kendryek did not know his name. Their having a common friend was very possible but the dragon was unsure of which creature the vampire spoke of. His assumption was Daniel.

And then a name was given and Kendryek smirked at the inevitable. Of course he’d meet White on his first trip to the town. It had been quite obvious from the beginning but he had quite preferred to stay optimistic. The short conversation he’d already had with White showed him why Crane considered the vampire a friend. It also told him that White would not be a bad ally to have

He smiled at the vampire, “Charisma and Cubans are quite the lure, and with your name added I could claim to have come for the CCC.” He offered no explanation of the ill-thought-of play on words. Instead, he gave his real reason for coming. ”I didn’t have much to do and thought I’d drop by for a visit.”

As White claimed to know his name he didn’t offer it. He didn’t believe in that which had no point. Sharing information with those that already knew it was one of those things.

“So this is where you stay while the sun is bright?” He twisted in his seat and leaned on the counter. “It’s a nice place. Feels more like a home than any other place I’ve been to roundabouts.”

[ωΘĿƒ]

Taking another calm sip of his scotch, he wasn't prepared for the... Eh, really didn't know what to call it. But it caught him off guard, and he had to swallow hard to get the last half of that drink down. The scotch had a nice warm burn to it, but it stung a bit after nearly choking. White didn't make much indication of this, but patted a fist to his chest gently.

And not wanting to say anything, he simply swirled his glass a bit more as he listened to Kendryek wrap up. Good thing too. He noticed a few things about the kid in this little encounter, and it was no wonder Crane liked the guy. He was.. kinda odd.

Crane did always like the odd ones. First that Mike and his funky Brit accent and his interestin' past; then there was Coyle. Coyle was just a freak, sick little monstrosity. He didn't even know some of that story... And then there was him. Yeah, he included himself in this, because as much as he'd hate to admit it Crane had warmed up to him, and now he was one of those unofficial information keepers of a sort. Always knew what was on Crane's mind. Probably chose him because of his amazing ability to not give a damn too...

Hmm. That explained a few things. But he shoved it out of his mind. Kendryek was obviously one of those weird characters, because he had this funny way of... well talking like he didn't know anything at all. Really was odd.

"Well aren't you cute," White laughed, richly. He took another longer sip of his scotch, then refilled the glass, happy with the amount of smoke he'd pumped out for now.

"Well you're welcome anytime. And thank you, I do try to make it look homey here."

Like most good bars, it was filled with a random assortment of things you really couldn't tell the origin of. Only, the circa stretched a little farther back than the fifties. He was pretty sure there was some stuff from when Rome controlled the English Isles, and there was a viking helmet hung on the wall somewhere around here. And then there was the usual stuff - street signs and old liquor bottles lines up for the vintage quality of their look rather than the taste. Really was an varied assortment, and it all had that used, lived-in feel.

For some reason or other, he'd been to places and got these things. Lot of good history behind it too. But he never really talked about it. Never came up, and he wasn't so nostalgic as to take a trip into his past that often. The past was the past, right? He liked the present better anyways. Always had promise of another interesting thing to do.

Setting the bottle back after he'd poured himself a fresh round, White simply took a quick sweep over the place and came back to Kendryek. Without much in the way of subtext and absolutely without any intention of knowing the answer, White asked another question.

"Gonna visit the other two, or am I the only one of Crane's pals you have a mind to stop in on?"

[Oren]

As he continued to sit at the bar Kendryek decided that White wasn’t as bad of a guy as he had first thought. If you weren’t very powerful and did something to **** him off you’d be squashed later that night or whenever it best suited his interests, but that was alright. Kendryek wasn’t some weakling that could be picked off at will nor was he one to get on people’s nerves purposefully. Odds are he would stay in White’s good graces, especially since the vampire seemed to be pretty laid back.

Swishing the lemonade and ice in his glass he spoke. “I’ve met the other two, though I don’t think I’ll be stopping in on either of them. Coyle doesn’t seem to like me and Mike seems to think I’m some young sniveling little kid.” He shrugged. “Then again, Mike is too busy to make note of someone like me and I highly doubt he has much of an opinion on me. I can’t say I mind. He…” He hesitated. There was really no reason to continue that sentence. It was pointless and mindless. No matter what, he should watch his words when around White.

Looking back at White he asked, “You wouldn’t happen to have decent sake, would you?”

It had been a long while since he'd had nice sake. That was mainly because he didn't have unlimited access to it. Only for special occasions did he actually get his hands on some. Sadly, special occasions were restricted to when he actually had someone to share the sake with. After all, it was no fun drinking alone. In fact, that was quite depressing. He'd done it enough years in the past to know that he shouldn't do it in the present. Or in the future, for that matter.

There wasn't much harm is asking. If White happened to have something worth Kendryek's money then he'd buy some. If not... well, it wasn't worth his money. When it came to alcohol this is how the dragon thought. If it wasn't quality then it wasn't worth the money.

Then again... this was White's bar. Why was he asking about a drink in this place? He didn't think that the vampire would spike his drink but it wasn't worth the chance.

[ωΘĿƒ]

As White swirled his drink and maintenanced the thick blue haze around him, he made sure to keep up with the conversation. Didn't mind many people at all, and even if he did there were always better uses for 'em than hating 'em, but he didn't mind Kendryek at all. May be a bit airheaded, but he was a nice kid. Seemed booksmart more than worldly, though White could tell he'd been around to just a few more places than the library.

Overall the kid was fine with him. Though, this wasn't a vow of any kind. White wasn't in the habit of swearing off things just for the sake of friendship. Kedryek seemed like a do-gooder too. Kind that took to causes real fast and kept on them like a leech stuck to a leg. Though, saying that if he kept Kendryek's nose outta stuff he'd probably shy away. Didn't look the type to start trouble.

At mention of Crane's other two cronies, White smiled a bit. He hated those two. Mike was fine with him overall, but the guy was kinda a snob - even if it was unintentional. As for Coyle... That little bastard monster could go to hell as far as White was concerned. From the moment he met him, the thing'd been an insidious little critter, causing trouble because he was damn bored and ignorant. And if ya got Coyle in a good mood... Got all smart on you. Really wasn't pleasant all round.

So, thinking this White just summed it up in an offhanded comment and moved on.

"Mike's got no personality and Coyle's a bastard. Wouldn't talk to either of them."

He let his grinning distaste for them grow into a soft laugh, leaning on the bar as he once again removed the cigar to take a sip of his scotch.

"Now me... At least I've got some kinda humanity left."

And as jokingly as it was said, it was very true. Mike got sucked into his cute babying of Crane somuch it was like talking to a robot, and Coyle really never had any kinda likability from the moment that little freak spawned. White wasn't particularly proud of himself, but he'd say he was the best to talk to. If ya wanted something done on the other hand... That depended on what it was.

Sake? White put down his glass.

"Decent I have," he said, simply, "but I'm thinkin' you don't want decent."

So saying, one of the many waitresses left from what they were doing to wander into the kitchen. It seemed relatively unrelated to what was happening over by White, but in a few moments the waitress returned with a sake set for two. Two because you never drink alone - at least that's what most people said. White didn't mind it much, but company was a hell of a lot better.

White poured the sake for both Kendryek and himself, then toasted - generally a good idea with ceremonial drinks like sake. Didn't have to toast, and it was more of a European thing than anything, but it was kinda polite to do so.

Gulping the cup of sake down, White then set the empty china cup in front of him. Now that wasn't a proper sake drinking tradition, but he tended towards his old beer-swilling ways.

"Y'know," White said, though he didn't know much why he was saying it, "Ya seem just a bit precarious around here." He then held up a hand, as if when Kendryek wanted to interrupt him he would know not to. "I understand. Not the most safe company, am I? But I ain't out to get you. Not like Coyle," And at the mention of him, White's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Just don't walk alone at night, yeah?"

At this, White laughed. It wasn't quite a drunken laugh, and it wasn't quite a serious one either. Kendryek was a bad mark. He'd figured that out from the moment he saw the kid - but at the same time, so was Crane and he'd found a way to **** him off every now and again. The point was, White never looked out for a moment to do somethin' bad; but if bad things were gonna fall into his lap then he'd best make the most of them.

"Salud"[/i] he said, simply. Russian. So he mixed his drinking habits? He'd drunk with a lot of people in a lot of different places.
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