for: open @vievecorcitystarters
location: Level Four, The Rubicund
Her vision swam as the woman drew in another mouthful of blood. Jo wasn’t sure when it had stopped hurting. That felt like something she should be concerned about, though if anything it only annoyed her. Hadn’t that been the whole point, after all? The bass from downstairs bled through the floor in a dull, relentless thrum—too slow, too distant to feel like anything at all, like it was coming from underwater. Or maybe she was. Her fingers twitched where they rested against the vampire’s bare thigh, still steady in their pursuit of keeping the other woman close.
If Jo was being honest, she didn’t know what time it was anymore. Or even what day. If there was anywhere else she was supposed to be, or if this still counted as a reckless, though self-indulgent choice. There was a sharp inhale as teeth dragged just a little too deep, and her pulse answered in kind, tripping over itself, then racing again to compensate for the loss of volume. It filled Jo's ears, loud and uneven, like her body was trying to outrun something despite remaining completely motionless.
“Hey,” the vampire murmured, pulling back just enough to look at her. She was blonde, gorgeous, tall and leggy. Familiar in the way strangers got when you’d been staring at them a little too long. There was something like concern flickering behind her eyes now, cutting through the easy indulgence from before. “Are you sure you're still good?”
Jo let her head tip back against the seat, blinking up at the ceiling like her pulse might settle if she just waited it out. Like the spots of dark and light dancing through her vision would disappear. It didn’t. Nothing did. “Keep going,” she muttered, voice rough, impatient in a way that didn’t quite match how slow everything else felt.
The vampire studied her for a second too long. “Oh, honey-love..,” she said softly, something shifting in her expression. It was less hunger now, more calculation. Or maybe pity. That seemed worse. “I know something that might help.”
Jo frowned, barely there, turning her head a fraction like she might shake the words loose before they landed. “What—” But she didn't get to finish. A thumb brushed against her lower lip—cool, then warmer, something metallic and wrong and—Jo made a quiet, disgruntled sound, turning her head weakly away. “What did you—”
“Give it a moment,” a voice whispered to her right.
It hit fast. Not like alcohol. Not like anything she'd taken before. It bloomed under her skin, warm and bright and easy in a way nothing had been in a long time. The noise in her head—the sharp edges, the pressure, the emptiness—it all just… slipped out of focus. Softened. Fell quiet. Jo stilled. "…oh,” she breathed, the word barely more than air.
“Better, right?” the vampire said, a slow grin curling at her pretty mouth. The vampire’s teeth caught her own lip this time, drawing fresh blood, and then she was there—closer, hand steady at Jo’s jaw as she pulled her in. The kiss was brief, unhurried, more intent than anything else, and Jo didn’t fight it. Didn’t think to. Her mouth parted on instinct, chasing it—catching the coppery taste before it could fade as the warmth spread.
When it broke, Jo lingered there for a second too long, like she’d forgotten what came next. Her tongue dragged absently across her lip. “Yeah..,” she murmured, slower now. “Yeah, that’s—”
A shadow cut across them. Jo’s head turned, delayed, eyes struggling to focus on whoever had stepped close enough to register. It took a second. Maybe two. She squinted. “I’m busy,” she said, like that explained anything, one hand lifting vaguely before dropping back down again. “Go— Go away.” Her attention slipped almost immediately, pulled back like a magnet to the blonde beside her, brow knitting faintly as the thought slipped clean through her fingers.
