Page 61Odd party

The Cathedral was oddly busy for the day of the week. It was as if there was a gathering of some sorts going on. Last night was the first night since I arrived here that I hadn't slept in the room upstairs. I wondered if it had been given away immediately or if Esmeralda had protected it somehow. Something I would find out soon.

The bar downstairs was packed, almost literally, with people talking and drinking. Josh was working behind the bar, as well as two others, with little time to spare to even say hello. He managed to do it though. Imagine this all shouted in a very busy bar though.

"Hi!"

"Hey! Where's Es?"

"No idea."

Very useful, so I started to look and sense around. With my senses working together, it somehow gave me an idea where she was. A suggestion of a giggle, the hint of a smell. I moved in the direction I thought she was. Ironically, while I was for a moment worried I'd stand out in such bland and cheap clothes, a few here were dressed even 'worse' than I. But I wasn't really one to judge. My fashion sense was dead long before I was turned into a vampire. That's not to say I wear ugly clothes, as such, I just have no clue or idea what would be considered cool or hot for other people, I just wore what I liked.

And often it turns out fairly alright.

And it did mean that I was aware of wearing less elegant clothes, feeling a little less pretty than normal. While I looked around I noticed a few interesting things. Almost no one was wearing make-up here, or those that did wore it more extravagantly. It took a few moments before I spotted who I was looking for. Esmeralda, sitting on a big sofa, between plenty of other people.

And not alone.

She was heavily making out with the guy next to her. No one seemed to notice or care, but it went a little bit beyond 'petting and kissing'. His tongue seemed deeply lodged in her throat and I didn't even want to go into where her hands were playing around.

Not that I was jealous, as such, but I was hoping on someone to keep me company.

Until someone tapped me on my shoulder.

"She's also taken, though she does look like the type for threesomes."

I turned around, wondering who would say such a thing. It was the girl who refused, her bright blue eyes surrounded by playful black lines and her almost white hair tainted with one pluck of orange-red. She wasn't looking around as much as before, in fact she looked very settled where she was. I wondered why.

"Still looking around, are you?"

I blushed a little, surprised by her bluntness. "No, I know her and was just wondering where she was."

She cocked her head sideways a little. "Was that all? So you're not worried about her making out with that guy?"

I smiled at her. "Worried? No. Just surprised. I haven't seen her with anyone else before. And they're not exactly discreet."

The girl shrugged. "No one is bothered by it."

I looked back to them over my shoulder, they weren't exactly undressing each other, but it was clear they what they were doing. I turned back to her. "Eh. So, what's your name?"

"I'm Grace. You?"

"Amy. I saw you a few nights ago didn't I?"

She smiled, there was just a hint of a smirk in it. "Yes, and you wanted to kiss me for some reason."

What was I supposed to say to that. "Well, you do look very intriguing."

"So that's your excuse?" She looked me for a while. "You've got interesting eyes, I'll give you that." She smiled easily. "I'm still not available for your kisses though, perhaps another time. Bye!"

She turned and left through the crowd. I followed her movements with my eyes for a while. She wasn't as tall as most, but at least her hair was very recognizable. Again she surprised me, almost unfair. Good sense of humor though. I felt good about myself because she liked my eyes. It was a little stupid to even think about that, but it was an honest compliment that I gladly received.

When I turned back to Esmeralda and the guy, I saw how they'd calmed down a little and were talking to each other. With some concentration I overheard how she was proposing to go up to find a quieter and more private place. She hadn't seen me yet which, considering me standing partly behind people and being in different clothes, wasn't that strange.

As they got up, I made an effort to stay out of their way though. I had no intention to participate in their activities and had a fleeting feeling that Esmeralda would actually invite me to do so. If only to tease me. So I hid, for now, from her preoccupied sights. I wished her all the fun she wanted with the guy, though I might refrain from kissing her for a while. It was weird for me to be intimate with someone who I'd seen doing things like what Esmeralda did.

There was nothing here for me anymore. The rush of people drinking and (possibly) using other things as well made the party not really a place for me to be. Though I definitely let people have their own fun in any way they wanted, I didn't have to be part of it all the times. It was a shame that I didn't find a library in the city yet. Or an old bookstore. Perhaps there just wasn't many of them around.

As I headed outside, the phone in my pocked buzzed. I picked up.

"Yes?"

"The schedule's changed, we need it tonight."

I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine, it didn't feel like a good idea to do this. But it also felt important. "Understood." I didn't know what else to see.

"You'll receive a number in a moment. When you're done, call it to arrange delivery."

"How long do I have?"

"It has to be there tomorrow morning before nine. Our apologies, you will receive compensation." There was a truly apologetic tone to her words, which at least made me feel that this was unintentional and not a test. Seriph herself probably apologized as well, hence the compensation.

"Thank you."

As the voice hung up, I nodded grimly to myself. Definitely good that I didn't get into any 'strenuous activities' with Esmeralda and her new friend. It would have been very embarrassing to leave in the middle of things. Better not to think about it. I glanced at the phone before I put it back in my pocket again, seeing it was just after midnight. I hurried back to the compound, feeling the now familiar buzz of a message arriving while I ran.

No time to waste.

Amy, henchgirl.