TIMING: September, Before Kieran's Birthday Party LOCATION: Downtown, Wicked’s Rest PARTIES: Anita (@gossipsnake) and Kieran (@debauchfairy) SUMMARY: Anita and Kieran run into each other and after note of Anita's birthday celebration and their mutual friend, they realize that the evening might be more fun if they join forces and wind up stumbling upon a curious sight. CONTENT WARNINGS: none
There was a certain energy that encapsulated downtown Wicked’s Rest that always invigorated Anita. Even for a small town there was a bustle and hustle, particularly after the sun had set, that exuded a dangerous excitement. Perhaps for the average human resident of the town the danger outweighed the excitement, but for the lamia it was the other way around. With the college classes about to start back up again for the semester the town was filled to its brim with residents; older students going out to party and enjoy their time before studying began, younger ones trying to scheme their ways into the shadier establishments with fake IDs. A late summer night in town was anything but dull.
Anita had closed out her tab at a bar around the corner and was loitering around the streets near The Common when she spotted a vaguely familiar face cutting through the park. Before she had placed where she recognized him from with any definitiveness, Anita started walking towards him and skipped herself into walking beside the tall semi-stranger. As she looked up at him the pieces fell into place - Wyatt’s plus one from her birthday party. She smirked. “What’s a guy like you doing out all alone on a night like this?”
—
Making the most of the end of summer felt imperative - as a general rule, as much as Kieran tended to take stock in those, people retreated back into their boring routines and normal lives as soon as summer ended. The mix of weather and vacation was the perfect setting for a faun but, ever the optimist, Kieran wasn’t worried about the turn of the seasons, either. Fall brought with it a different kind of crowd, the new students and a continued flow of tourists, even people looking to forget that summer was over and they were back at their mind-numbing jobs. So really, making the most of any evening was the takeaway here and Kieran had certainly done as much for what had already passed of this one.
He was heading back to where the night had started, seeing if another hour or two could be stretched from this evening when someone suddenly joined him. It took a second but as soon as her charming features lit up with that smirk, it registered. Anita, Wyatt’s friend and the host of a very successful birthday party. “What makes you think I’ve spent the whole night alone?” Kieran shot back with a smirk to match hers, running a hand through his hair as it was already tousled beyond repair either way, a raise of his eyebrow alluding to the cause. “I could ask the same of you. Even though I’m very pleased to finally properly meet you - anyone who can pull off a themed event like you did is someone I need to know.”
—
There was nothing that specifically indicated to Anita that Kieran wasn’t human - beyond his generally cool vibes - yet she felt almost instantly a distinct lack of humanity to him. She liked to think that she was able to tell who was and wasn’t human based on vibes alone, even though the data did not necessarily support her belief in this superpower. “Well, you were alone before I found you. Did you ditch your date or did your date ditch you?”
The compliment about her party made the lamia’s smile widen, she knew that her party had been exceptional but it was always good to actually hear others confirm what she knew. “It is quite lovely to meet you properly as well, I usually know people a bit better before they have wild sex somewhere in my house… not always, but usually I at least know a name. You and my Wyatt seemed to have a great time. Anyone who knows how to properly enjoy a party is someone I need to know.”
“Now that we know each other properly, and we both seem to be alone this fine evening…” Anita picked up her pace, moving up and turning around, walking backwards so she was facing him with a devilish smirk, “wanna get into some weird shit tonight?”
_
This was an acceptable turn of events for this evening as Kieran really did enjoy having acquaintances that served a much different purpose than say, his previous company or Wyatt. Although the shifter did have the added benefit of having offered to eat anyone that posed a problem and faintly, Kieran did wonder if Anita knew or even could relate. If the two were really that close then it seemed likely - Wyatt wasn’t the best at keeping his cover, it seemed. And Anita did carry an air of simply being better than your average townsperson. “Not ditched, he’d just served his purpose is all,” Kieran hummed, full and content. His euphoria had tasted like a tropical drink on a warm beach - very fitting for the end of summer.
A glance at Anita’s face confirmed that she held no grudges for the little stunt pulled at the party and Kieran’s grin was bright and without the slightest hint of regret. “Think your margarita bar was partly to blame there. That and, I’m presuming it was you, teaching Wyatt how to salsa.” Not that they’d needed a reason, it had been rather inevitable. But at least it seemed Anita most likely had no clue as to what Kieran really was or what these great times really entailed. Seeing how much she seemed to care about Wyatt, she probably wouldn’t have been all too fond of him being a faun’s regular late night snack. Which really, would have been an overreaction if you asked Kieran - the shifter was fine. Mostly. “But I guess that makes you entitled to a name. Kieran.”
An eyebrow quirked as Anita, suddenly the picture of mischief, rather impressively walked backwards considering she was anything but sober. Really, with those looks and that attitude, he both pitied and envied anyone she set her sights on. Well, anyone unable to keep up with her, a category he decidedly did not fit into. Kieran pretended to think about her offer for a moment but a smirk to mirror Anita’s was quick to give him away. “You had to know the answer would be yes.” Catching up, he looped an arm in hers, the giddy and playful energy filling the air around them. “Lead the way.”
_
Served his purpose. Oh, what a deliciously curious phrasing. Yet more evidence to support the non-human hypothesis Anita was developing. “Ay, when there is a dance floor, top shelf tequila, and good Spanish music playing… I can’t help but teach anyone in my vicinity how to salsa. Wyatt was just in the right place at the right time.”
It was no surprise when Kieran agreed to her proposal, the two seemed like kindred spirits in their pursuit of mischief and fun. Wyatt would have told her if he was a fellow lamia, that much she felt sure of, but beyond that the possibilities were plentiful of who her newfound partner in crime for the evening could be. Keeping pace as they linked arms, Anita quickly ran down the list of options for where they should go.
The night warranted more than just the average dive bar that this town afforded. Thankfully, Anita knew exactly where to lead them. “We’re in luck. I know this person who throws these strange, exclusive parties once a month over in Nightfall Grove. Tonight just happens to be the night.” Looking him over as she guided them towards the party location, Anita pursed her lips slightly, “You’re not particularly opposed to this outfit getting slightly dirty and/or wet, are you?”
_
It was becoming clearer by the second that Kieran’s first instinct about Anita had been right on the money. Better yet, he might have even underestimated how much the two of them seemed to have in common, even if her salsa skills might have outweighed his own. “I appreciate your willingness to share the joy. A man that doesn’t know how to dance is entirely useless.” Perhaps it was more so an unwillingness to dance rather than the actual skill that was a turn off but Kieran’s persuasion hadn’t failed him yet when it came to changing someone’s mind about the dance floor.
Even still, she continued to be just what the faun looked for in entertaining company, the buzzwords of strange and exclusive drawing a pleased hum from Kieran. “I clearly should have reached out for your company sooner,” he stated and as far as compliments went, this was a top shelf one coming from Kieran. Anita’s question had him glancing down simply to remember what he’d put on at the start of the evening (and again not that long ago), seriously balancing the prospect of a refreshing kind of night out against the possible death of a somewhat cherished outfit.
“I’m not not opposed but if you–” Whatever terms he was about to set stayed unspoken as a sound of distress diverged his attention, keen ears picking up on what sounded like a cry for help. With the arm still looped in Anita’s, Kieran steered them towards the source of the sound without an explanation, just in time to catch sight of someone being dragged off somewhere quiet, clearly against their will, by two dark clad strangers. He finally looked at Anita, eyebrows raised in a silent question of whether they could maybe just ignore having seen that.
_
As eager as Anita was to hear the rest of his response, the nearby screams that rang out undoubtedly captured a bit more of her attention. Without missing a step, she followed along with Kieran towards the source of the mysterious calls of distress. Screams were not uncommon in this town - not while alone in the woods and not while on busy downtown streets. Oftentimes, they were screams of humans getting themselves into trouble and Anita tended to avoid getting involved in human-on-human affairs.
Turning the corner to see who was causing this person to scream, however, piqued her interest. They didn’t necessarily look not human, but there was something about the synchronicity of their movements that seemed quite curious. Anita met Kieran’s gaze and shrugged a bit, as if to say ‘why not follow and see what happens?’
Without waiting for a response to the question that was never really asked, the lamia kept walking towards the screams with her arm linked with Kieran’s. The kidnappers dragged their apparent victim down a more secluded side-street and Anita shifted her eyes to those of the rattlesnake so that she could see better in the darkness. There didn’t seem to be anything else awaiting them down there. “I’m not saying this is more exciting than the party… but it will make for one hell of a party story,” she whispered.
_
Anita didn’t seem perturbed in the slightest as they observed what was essentially a kidnapping, a good quality to have in a town like this. Still interested in the night his company had suggested, and unable to have that night without her, Kieran couldn’t find any particular argument as to why they couldn’t follow along for a bit. A quiet thought asked if maybe there was a way to help without getting involved but no, any sort of involvement just spelled out ‘messy’.
Getting beat up over a situation he’d gotten himself in was one thing but that was not a price he was willing to pay for some stranger. Maybe they should have done more to keep themselves out of trouble if they didn’t want to get kidnapped.
“It’s not going to be that great if they just hang out here,” Kieran argued quietly, unsure of what sort of action would make this an interesting story to recount. A surprise shift from the victim into some sort of deadly creature, one that would maul the attackers without batting an eye? Maybe this was the fun kind of kidnapping, some sort of bachelor party shit or a really intense sex game? “You think this is a real kind of kidnapping?”
—
It was a fair point, the story lacked a good ending, which it needed to have any value to them at the party. The set up was immaculate: witnessing someone get dragged off by shadowy figures on their way to the party. But without something else, without something more, then the story was all set up and no pay off. Anita nodded at the question, commenting casually, “Yes. There are fun kinds of screams and there are screams of terror. I have heard plenty of both. There is a certain tone in a person’s voice when they are terrified for their life. This seems real.”
The kidnappers stopped moving, abruptly, halfway down the alley. Unsure if they were stopping because they realized there was an audience or for some other reason, Anita wondered if she and Kieran were being too obvious in their following. She didn’t really want to ruin her outfit by shifting if she didn’t have to, so she hoped that there was some other reason.
Then, suddenly, a fascinating ending to this party story appeared out of thin air. Quite literally. A foreign glow began to appear, as if a doorway was being opened where there had not been a door. “Fascinating…” Anita said, as she watched in awe as the creatures struggled to shove their victim through the portal that had opened up.
—-
He so wanted to dive deeper into Anita’s casual comment on screams of terror - sure, it didn’t necessarily mean she was the one causing those sounds considering where they lived but Kieran was even more curious than before - but spying on supposedly dangerous strangers didn’t seem the time or place for a gossip. “I am very excited to get to know you better,” he settled for informing her, just as well since Anita’s party story seemed to be getting its ending.
Kieran hadn’t been expecting whatever sort of magic this was. A murder, supernatural or otherwise, sure. Maybe even something more nefarious but not… a portal seemed like a ridiculous word to use, even for someone who literally transformed their entire appearance with little more than a thought (and magic). The person they were trying to push through this strange new pathway seemed less than willing, which made sense. “Hmm,” Kieran offered in response, eyes trained on the struggling kidnap-ee until they were suddenly engulfed by the light, the sounds of struggle vanishing along with them.
Blinking, the form of the strange door etched into his retinas, Kieran looked to Anita. “Looks like you have your ending,” he murmured, placing a hand on her arm in the universal gesture for ‘let’s get out of here before someone tries to send us through a strange, glowing portal too’. Impeccable timing, really, as an offended ‘hey!’ came from the two kidnappers, eyes turning to their little audience. Oops.
—
A wide grin spread across Anita’s face at the notation of getting to know Kieran better, she wasn’t surprised that was his take away from spending just a brief period of time with her, but it was always lovely to hear confirmation of how well her charms worked. “Very few people have lived to regret getting to know me better,” she commented with a wink, which was not wrong. Most people didn’t get to live with any regret they may have ultimately had for getting to know her. Typically, she ate them before that happened. But she didn’t have plans on eating Kieran.
Anita was incredibly intrigued by what these kidnappers had in store for this person and this portal. She hadn’t seen anything like this before and while her curious instinct made her want to stay and learn more, her survival instincts did not want to get shoved into that portal. So she just watched from a distance with bated breath as the struggle reached its climax, the doorway portal disappearing just as mysteriously as it had appeared.
“Yeah, I suppose we should head to the party now,” the sentence barely left Anita’s lips when she heard the shout from the two kidnappers. Now that was a real ending to the story! Without missing a beat, Anita reached out towards her fellow onlooker as she started running back down the alley where they had come from. She figured his long legs would help him catch up to her quickly, and they weren’t far from the party anyway… what better way to show up than out of breath with a delicious story to share?
_
