Maud's Tavern ((Open on Invite/Request))

[within7temptation]

Dingy was too dark of a word to describe the building. More like... Rustic? Maud had been an old and very dear friend of the woman's when she had been alive. But now that the old woman was dead, her two daughters had taken over the old place. And their daughters, all five of them, were each wanting to help with running the family's tavern. And it was such a lovely tavern, what with it being decorated in the way of those in the midevil times; rooms for guests and a hearth made of gray stone set into a very rustic building of old wood. Electricity had been put in many years ago, but there was still many details that made it different from all other new-age taverns. Such as the lights, the chandelere was made of the antlers of the red deer and held up by a rope, with rusty chains conected to the antlers so that the candles would not set it afire. The lamps on the table tops also help the unscented candles, and the lights of the tavern were always dim and always seemed to look slightly dreary. But such things had never bothered Duskarie.

Another thing that she liked about Old Maud's Place was that she could choose between tieing her horses in the front, or stabeling them in the back. The tavern was set a good one hundred yards away from the road, which was never buisy any ways, and had a drive-way that led to the right side of the place, if you were looking at it, for vehicles. Horses could be tied at the left side and dogs and cats could be taken inside. This was exactly the case as she dismounted a very large, and very beautifully blueish black stallion. A Friesian stud, a warrior breed, that was very large. One of the immortal mounts that she had come to breed. This one, her pride and joy, was the one named Korbaste. His tack was simple, black hackimore and matching saddle and reins. A harnes held his saddle in place over the small saddle blanket of soft, yet strong, fibers topped in velvet. All black. The silver rings jingled together as the creature shifted and was tied to the railing. Yes, a trully magnificent creature he was.

And as she turned to enter the tavern, a small cat of black silken fur and large, golden eyes jumped up onto her left shoulder and yowled. Farrera, her Familiar, and another Immortal creature. Almost like a demon, the cat did not need to feed upon blood as Duskarie and her steeds did. And her canines. Speaking of which, two of said dogs were walking on her right side; The closer one a little ahead and the second a little behind.

The first was a bitch of mixed blood, black labrador mother and border collie father. Korly was black with a white strip running up from the mid-point of her large chest to the soft top of her lovely throat. Most of her toes were white, as was her chin on the front of her upper lip. Eyes of chocolate brown, shaped like the almond-eyes of a wolf, bore through the night. Thick fur covered the fey's neck and shoulders and ran down her spine to form a beautiful fan-like tail. The other dog was a brute the northern breed. A strange creature, seeming to be a wolf. Though, he was much larger than any European wolf. Timber Wolf, perhaps? Wolf-Husky mix? He could have easily been a Husky-German Shepard mix. It was hard to say, seeing as how the breeds had evolved and been refined scince the time of Malroe's birth and Change. But yes, he was an impressive creature. All black with brilliantly green eyes. And a pair of fangs that could have set a Werewolf to cowering. The other dog's fangs were more elegant, more on the dainty side. One bitch bred for speed, one brute bred for streangth.

The two dogs settled on either side of the woman as she took a seat beside the fire. The female lay at her feet on the left, the male sat rigid at her right. The cat settled in her lap. The woman's long tresses of coppery silk curled around her, accenting her blue eyes and almost milky-white skin. Her blouse was a small men's dress shirt of powdered blue silk, her pants black and cut to hug her butt and thighs and then flare a bit to cover her riding boots. Her make-up on this night was blue and silver and white with black masquerra and eye-liner. One of the Keepers, a small woman in her fifties with brown eyes and graying hair that had once been as black as her immortal steed, came over and smiled as she placed a glass of red wine on the table and drifted back off behind the bar. Emma. The girls had grown older, would keep growing old. But they had a certain beauty about them that would always thrill the Lady. Their daghters had it, and their daughters as well. She sipped from her glass as her hand graced over Malroe's thick cranium, her fingers tracing through his thick and springy fur.

[lucyloo]

Lucy strutted down the street. Allowing her companions to do the same beside her. People? No, animals. She loved animals, especially hers. Nothing could ever replace what she’s been through with them. No one, and nothing. Never. She used to sit up with them all night when she was just a kid, talking to them about god knows what, happening with god knows who. They were like an emotional blanket for her, they held all of her secrets. Just like a stuffed teddy bear did for little kids. She smiled at the thought and continued down the street.

She rounded a corner and saw a pub in the distance, stopping to see if anyone else was entering it. She saw a woman enter it, so Lucy guessed it wasn’t abandoned. Although she could see some of the light coming from the establishment, she never knew if people were there on business to tear it down, or to actually be a customer there. She started walking down the road, making sure her accompanists were following behind her.

What were they, specifically? Well, they were both of the same ‘mix’ considering the fact that one was the mother of the other. They were a mix of pit bull and boxer. An odd mix, but a beautiful outcome. The puppy was her favorite. It’s little face staring up at you on cold winter nights, it was strangely adorable. The mother being about four years old, in ‘dog years’, of course. The mother stood dominant, willing to protect her infant if need be. Willing to tear someone’s face off if they got too close for comfort. The pup trailing behind, enjoying the sights it got to see.

She arrived at the pub, a good twenty feet away, and bent over to pick up the pup. The mother shot it’s head back at Lucy, making sure that no one was trying to take her young. Once she saw it was Lucy, she backed off. She eyed the dog, she was very protective. She learned from past experiences that she would be protective of someone, even her master. She laughed at the thought and kept the pup safely in her arms, making sure nothing would happen.

She pushed open the front doors slightly, allowing just enough room for her and the dog to get in and not allow the cold air to come rushing into the warm atmosphere. She wandered herself and her companion over to the bar and plopped herself down on a seat. Watching the mother as she curled herself around her feet.

The woman behind the bar turned to her, ”What’ll it be miss?” She pondered for a moment, not really caring what she consumed tonight, ”a glass of wine, would be fine. Thanks.” The woman nodded and turned to get her drink. Lucy stroked her hand across the pup’s back and head, feeling its fur in her palm. The woman came back and sat the glass beside her. She nodded a ‘thank you’ and took a sip of her drink and peered out of the side of her eyes, seeing what other creatures lurked in the dark.

[within7temptation]

She could smell the cold of Immortality and the warmth of human blood as a rather fiesty looking blond entered with two dogs. Not immortal dogs, it seemed. But dogs. Her own darkly hued companions were watching the much lighter creatures with all of the enthusiasm of a challenging hunt, followed up by a fight to the death. A kill and a Feed. Yes... Her lovely Canines were hungry. Not starving, nor where they even on the point of famished. Just hungry. And she did not blame them; Not when the kill was so very, very near.

She stood, and she made her way to the bar. The woman sauntered, really. As always. Did she know this woman? Something was familiar about her scent. Like a memory from her childhood. She may have caught the other's smell once, for only a moment, on a dreary night. A night when the scent of another, more important creature could have easily drowned out all others. Or, she could have just been imagining these thngs. Irrelevent. She watched her companions as she held the dainty little Farrera close to her chest and sat down on a bar stool. Not right next to the blonde female, but one seat between them. Again, her seeminly "dogs" placed themselves stratigiclly at her feet.

"You are brave to bring them here. What with two Vampiric Canines within and an immortal horse of equal stance without... Very brave indeed." Or foolish. The copper-haired woman smiled as she gazed upon the muscular mix-breeds. A bitch and her young pup, it seemed. A lovely pair. The woman did look the kind to keep such dogs. Just as Duskarie looked the kind to keep such dogs as Dobermens and very wolfish dogs. Dogs of both muscle, and of speed. Hunters and fighters. Stamina and grace. And every last one of them were Vampires. Wrether it be by a bite, or by birth... Her dogs were the perfect predators. "I am Duskarie. My companions are Farrera," She indicated the cat, "and Korly and Malroe. You are?"

[lucyloo]

She laughed as the woman made the comment. She thought they weren’t immortal as well? Oh, how wrong she was. She stroked the pups coat once again, listening to the snarling of the mother by her feet. She didn’t silence her, they were probably the only ones that could hear it, through all of the commotion anyway. She stole an ash tray from the neighboring gentleman and placed it on the opposite side on which the woman was facing. “Oh, no. They’re immortal.”

She took out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket. Marlboros. She smirked at the pack, thinking that they were an actual being. She popped open the top and took out one. She kept a mental note, she needed to get some more later. “You don’t mind if I smoke, right.” She somewhat glared while asking the question. Her opinion didn’t really matter, she was going to do it anyway. Simone, the older dog, barked louder. Lucy snapped her fingers and ordered the dog down. “Quit it” , She mumbled out from under the cigarette she was holding in her mouth.

She took out the lighter from her other pocket and lit the nicotine filled addiction. She inhaled a drag and exhaled shortly after. The first drags, were always the bad ones. She took another and puffed it upward, toward the ceiling with the tilt of a lip. The man sitting beside her gave her a look, one of those that the ‘goth’ girls got in high school from the ‘fake drama queens’. She shrugged it off, too bad it didn’t give her cancer.

She knew this woman from somewhere, she just knew it. She ran recent experiences through her mind, the traveling she’d done. She’d met too many people to slim it down to a time that she would remember. Too many fans, too many record labels, too many managers. She could be anyone of them. She kept running some experiences through her mind, trying to remember. If she didn’t, it would certainly bug the hell out of her the remainder of the evening.

The question was asked in the middle of yet another drag. She inhaled and began to speak when she was interrupted by the man sitting next to her. “That’s Lucy Kartreight!!” She was startled by his words and puffed out the smoke faster than needed. She was surprised that he knew who she was. Normally people around, here didn’t listen to her music. Maybe he was one of the few that did, and had a brain. “I’m Lucy Kartreight.” She paused momentarily, seeing that the man had gone back to his business, “This is Simone, and Grace.” No one could blame her for the names, she named them when she was a kid. She puffed in another drag, letting the nicotine and the atmosphere settle into her veins.