___ Days Till Holiday Madness (Open)

[Dominic "Crucix" Antonopoulos]

  It wouldn't be long before patrons were flooding into the club, eager to indulge in the excitements and luxuries a place like Synful had to offer. For now though, things were quiet on the customer front, which meant time for consideration to be taken as to the coming holiday.  Of course, the boss had carefully planned out how things would be handled with the coming holidays, as things could have a tenancy to get a bit more out of hand as New Years Eve approached.  Still, it didn't hurt to keep eyes open and to consider any additional measure that might need to be taken. 

   Of all the days of the year, New Years Eve was especially given to trying to get out of control. So it was, as Dominic went about checking in for the evening, and did his initial sweep of the club, that he considered any security risks that might become a problem on the particularly wild night.  Christmas might have been problematic in its own right, but both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day the boss had his businesses closed, so at least that was of no concern. 

   Already there had been talk of having a member of staff available to watch the respective bathrooms, in case any patrons got it in their head to act on depression, take advantage of those that were too out of it to protect themselves, or to try to hole themselves away to delve into illegal activities that the boss wouldn't tolerate in his club.  He paused for a time considering to ask one of the tenders who might have volunteered to work on the holiday (as Master Zeo was not one to pressure his workers into giving up a holiday, and of course, he himself couldn't rightly read the sign up sheet). Indeed, as he glanced over the list, he expected that, like himself, the majority of the workers would be slaves of one of the various clans. 

    Holidays didn't really mean all that much to him, personally, except that he really enjoyed the excuse for his Clanmistress to see to it that particularly elaborate or demanding events be present in her  special games.  Fortunately, as ClanMistress Borakiev had a desire to entertain many with such games, they were traditionally slated for before or after actual holidays themselves, so he had little reason to be concerned about conflicts in his schedule... well... so long as he didn't get himself killed in the arena, that might make it hard to show up for work. 

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Word Count: 457
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Notes: If anything is inaccurate or need clarifying please let me know (Sarin and Zeo) as I guessed a bit on the way of things. 

[Little River]

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It was not uncommon for Little River to be seen lurking in either of her Clan Masters two clubs. Though it was however, uncommon for those who spotted her to recognize her for who she was. Her ability to see through the eyes of animals had come in handy hundreds of times in the past and even continued to benefit her and her clan presently. So it was with this ability that she had chosen to check in on Synful, though she didn't expect there to be too much mischief tonight. For the most part Little River kept an eye out for enemies of their clan, and those whom they were on good terms with, but remained a danger nevetheless. It was one of those latter vampire who had given a slave to manage unruly patrons at Synful.

In the shape of a small raven Little River sat perched atop the liquor shelf, black beady eyes roaving over those present. Dominic was present, as she suspected that he might be. While her gaze lingered on him the possessed crow pondered over things. Zeo liked Dominic well enough and seemed to trust him to a certain degree. But it was his clan mistress that made Little River so suspicious. Etu Damu and Alani Ahu were on good terms, but Sarin Borakiev was known for random bouts of violence. How long would it take for her to decide Alani Ahu had made it into her bad side? And if it came to that, how would Dominic react? Furthermore, what if she privately decided that Alani Ahu had something they wanted and used Dominic to get close to her clan master. Zeo wouldn't be dispatched by some dhampir slave, that Little River was sure of. But she wouldn't become too comfortable with Mr.Antonopoulos, though Zeo seemed relatively unconcerned with his presence. An employee was after all only an employee, and someone had to do their job.

With a ruffle of her feathers Little River took flight, swooping down across the club to land lightly on Dominics shoulder, a last minute beat of her wings preventing too heavy a landing. No doubt Dominic knew the true identity of this bird, as Little River frequently checked in in the form of various creatures. Beak parting the raven crowed, clearly wanting to communicate though she could not in that form. Surely however, after what had to be hundreds of check ins, Dominic would know she wished to know the status of their club.

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Word Count: 484 words
Notes: Just assumed Dominic was used to her lurking as she does quite a bit. ^^ <3

[Dominic "Crucix" Antonopoulos]

  Other workers were going about their affair, according to their duty, and he, for his part kept his ears open.  Dominic had just begun to wonder where the head of security was, as he would have expected him to be working most of this week, when something light and black settled on his shoulder.  The feathered thing would have surprised him back when he first found himself in Zeo's employment, but by now he had come to immediately identify any feathered or furred thing that so approached him  as the boss' clan second.

   It was still a bit odd to him, being so 'addressed' by the raven, rather than the vampire herself, but the Dhampire slave took it in stride.  He was, after all, quite used to being exposed to various 'unique' abilities of the stronger race.  This one hardly warranted his prejudice, if it even were his right to direct prejudice towards those that were superior to him.

    "Everything's quiet so far. Additional provision for New Years arrived earlier, and have been properly tended too", he offers absently. Indeed, until someone of higher ranking arrived, many of the goings on had been reported to him. It was, after all, important for both someone who had been around awhile to be reported too (one person could then relay all that the next manager or simply senior employee needed to know), and for security to be apprised of club goings on. "I believe there are enough volunteers for the holiday."  The list hadn't likely been officially sent to Zeo, as there was time left for any last minute volunteers, especially if anyone was willing to offer themselves to work at Carnivale if needed.

   Closing the gap between himself and the list, he kept his shoulders steady quite naturally as he walked, not jostling his passenger in the slightest. Absently lifting the clip board with the sign up sheet  up so 'the bird' could look over the counts and the names, he waited a bit.  Little River could, no doubt, read through the sharp eyes of the bird, and would know well enough why he wasn't offering to tell her what the list said instead.

   As he gave Little River a chance to consider the matter to her hearts content, his gaze continued to take in the activity around them. His mind, in the meantime was already considering matters later tonight.  With the demands of the additional events for the holidays, he was tending to work fewer nights and pulling doubles instead; it let him accommodate his training better when his Clanmistress' demand of them increased at such times of the year.  It wouldn't be a big deal for him to stay after an hour or two to assist in taking stock of provisions. It wasn't officially time to take inventory of course, but it didn't hurt to double check their current count, and that most if not all of the what had come in for the big night had arrived whole and unspoiled.  Zeo was never one to leave these sorts of things up to chance; certainly, it didn't take a worker very long to figure that out. 

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Word Count: 535
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[Aubrey St. Jude]

In truth he couldn't rightly say what had dragged him out of the comfortable cage that his mistress's home seemed to him sometimes, but regardless of the whys or wherefores, Aubrey stood patiently in line to get in much the way anyone else would. Sometimes it was nice to enjoy that anonymity, as very rarel did he ever go anywhere that someone did not somehow recognize him for what or who he was. Not that he was famous or anything as certainly he was hardly anything of the sort - but his owner was certainly rather infamous among those of the vampiric circle. And she was not the sort to keep word of who he belonged to under wraps. Especially not when she thought that such a thing could be somehow detrimental to his well-being. 


Absently he shifted weight between his booted feet, blue eyes flickering briefly over the crowds surging towards the doors and not for the first time since arriving he began to wonder if perhaps he'd made some kind of a mistake by deciding to try the local night life out. Normally, when he did, it was the club that hosted a primarily human clientele, and even then he typically played the part of a wall flower. Tonight though, he was in the mood to dance and he was in the mood to try something new - and if Synful wasn't new, at least to him, than he didn't know what was. 


"ID please." the bouncer at the door said in almost monotonous tones, just barely skimming his gaze over Aubrey as he was finally able to approach. A bit of patting at pockets ensued, the much smaller human finally discovering his wallet in one of the back pockets of his jeans and digging it out so he could provide the requested item. And when he handed it over, a bit of a smile graced his lips - a smile that was rewarded by a faint one from the bouncer, and a polite nod before the ropes were pulled aside, a motion of the bouncer's hand stating that cover was not necessary. "Thank you for joining us this evening, Mr. St. Jude - you have a good night." Aubrey smiled again, though this time it was a bit more cautious and thankfully, as he walked past he failed to notice the way that bouncer's gaze trailed after him as he might have been made to feel self-conscious.

Of course, once he was inside the club itself, he found himself briefly at a loss for what to do. If Sarin had been there, he was certain she would have known exactly what was supposed to be next. Sarin always did know these things. But his mistress had been busy of late, so he was there very much alone...well, Aubrey had certainly believed this would be the case. But as his eyes wandered, they eventually came to land on a familiar and perhaps a bit curious sight. Dominic, or at least it certainly looked like the gladiator from the back, with what looked like some kind of bird perched on his shoulder. 


Aubrey frowned a bit, and altered the path of his step so he could view the male from his profile. Sure enough it was Dominic he was seeing...but he couldn't quite fathom the meaning of the avian creature keeping him company. Still, just the mere sight of the larger male was enough to have the nervous butterflies twitching to life in his stomach calming - a subtle but warm blanket of safety wrapping around him. It was a strange thing, to feel something like that just from /looking/ at a person...but it had been happening more and more frequently for some time now, and though it was certainly troubling to him, Aubrey found he couldn't quite make that sensation go away. Perhaps beyond reason, he trusted the dhampir gladiator, and wasn't that just unusual? But still, what was the man doing here? Did he work here? He frowned a moment, gaze lingering on the male from the distance he stood as he tried to puzzle it out.

Well, from the look of him it clearly looked like he did. He wore the same garb as the other bouncers - though in his opinion Dominic looked far better in his body-hugging t-shirt and well-fitted slacks than the others did - and stood with the same sort of confidence that Aubrey had often seen in the arena. While he didn't admire the man his rather bloody career, he certainly did admire that confidence. Hesitantly, his feet began to move again - taking him in the direction of the other only to halt as he was suddenly unsure whether or not he should actually approach. Clearly he was working, and clearly that meant that Dominic was busy, and Aubrey hardly wanted to disrupt him. So for the moment, rather than approach any closer, he merely chose to stand where he was - though it likely seemed strange that he should stop in such an odd place.  

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Word Count: 842
Wearing: 

[Dominic "Crucix" Antonopoulos]

    With his report given, well as much as he could give it, seeing as he could only identify a few different documents for what they were in order to show them to her; Dominic allowed the possessed bird to head off on whatever tasks it had to do. In the mean time, he made his way away from the bar. As he took stock of the goings on, Dominic eventually saw a familiar face.  A very familiar face.  Now, Dominic was very good at not getting distracted, even when patrons struck up conversation. It occurred to him, that acknowledging Aubrey wouldn't cause any harm. 

    Seeing as the other seemed to gravitate to the sides of the club and out of the fray, it would certainly be easy for him to wander by on his way around. Then he noted the other approaching, and then he stopped. Aubrey seemed unsure of what to do, so if his gaze remained on him, Dominic would offer that easy, confident smirk.  It was a far warmer gesture than one might expect, as Dominic was hardly shy about his enjoyment of the other's presence. 

    He did hope the other would take his expression as encouragement to join him.  Dominic wasn't so sure that he should offer anything more obvious. After all, he really shouldn't draw attention to himself, at least not until it became necessary. It actually pleased him to see the other out and about too. Dominic hadn't really realized how beneficial it was to get out of the clan territory until he'd been hired by Zeo. Getting out once in awhile gave him a chance to be something more than just a slave.  Of course, Dominic had no desire to change his lot in life, being a gladiator meant being a slave, and that is what he lived for. It was just, pleasant to hold a different sort of value to others. 

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Word Count: 327
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[Aubrey St. Jude]

His gaze darted back to Dominic just in time to see the bird that had been perching on the gladiator's shoulder flit away. Aubrey's eyes followed the path of that winged creature curiously, almost as if he still wasn't sure if he was seeing things correctly, and then returned to the other male's face just in time to catch that easy, and clearly confident curving of lips. His lashes lowered a bit, his attention darting shyly away even as a blush colored his cheeks at having been caught so openly staring. It happened so often of late that it was down right appalling...not to mention embarrassing.

It was not Aubrey's way to objectify, but he found that, in Dominic's case, he really couldn't help it if occasionally his eyes wandered down the other to take in as much of the gladiator's form as he could. He was a beautiful man, and he supposed it was something of a miracle that he could even think that way and feel even slightly okay about it considering that not too long ago, just the very idea of such a thing sent him into panics and fits. Maybe it was because he knew Dominic to be a kind and gentle person...despite his rather violent profession, or maybe it was just because the other was /that/ good-looking. Aubrey didn't know exactly, but it was something that he'd begun to simply not question...and in fact, even accept, though it came with a great deal of caution.

A hand brushed against his side, finger tips trailing in what was likely meant to be an alluring fashion and his head quickly turned, taking in the person that had dared to touch him. The woman was smiling, in what was surely meant to be an inviting way, but all she got in turn was a cold, piercing stare from Aubrey as he shifted his positions to appear to be staring down his nose at her. She lingered only for a moment before finally sighing and drifting off into the crowd with an irritated mutter given about how this place was starting to be overrun with 'queers'. He supposed it was meant to make him angry, but all it did was make him sigh and glance back at Dominic again.

The expression was still on the other's face, and really appeared to be a lot more welcoming than the expressions a lot of these other club-goers wore. Vacuous, empty...and worse, desperate. No, he could not say why he'd come here other than to listen to the music...but at least now he could be assured of some good company. Without a further thought to do otherwise, Aubrey finally turned and made his way towards the black-clad dhampir, and he did a fine job of not outright gawking at the ripple of muscle beneath the tightly fitted shirt or stare at the way the fabric of nicely tailored slacks fit the other male's perfectly made rear-end. He didn't have any business staring at his rear-end anyway, never mind even thinking about it so no, his eyes did not travel any lower than the other's face or shoulder - regardless of how much they might want to.

When he reached the other, a hand moved out to tentatively light against one of the larger man's biceps - his touch gentle and soft even as he sort of shyly glanced up at the other from beneath his lashes. "Good evening Dominic.", he said, the words perhaps a bit formal but still warmly intended. "...I didn't know you worked here." And wasn't that just an awkward way to start a conversation? Well, no one could ever say Aubrey was socially intelligent. Not in the least. At least it wasn't likely Dominic would be mean in his teasing...though he couldn't allow it to be said that the other wouldn't tease when certainly he'd already teased Aubrey enough. In fact, his lips were already twitching in preparation for it - expecting it almost. 

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Word Count: 671
Wearing: 

[Dominic "Crucix" Antonopoulos]

  As he had approached, he did notice the brief interaction between Aubrey and the female patron. He had watched very closely, just to be sure there wasn't trouble, but things seemed to have ended well enough that his involvement hadn't been required. That was a good thing, trouble in a club was never good. He kept his wits about him, listening and watching in case anything were to come up, and was pleased to find that it seemed nothing would interrupt him, at the very least, saying 'hi' to the other male. Likely they would be able to talk quite a bit, between his rounds and while Dominic was very diligently keeping an eye on things. He'd conduct himself as he might with any patron who decided to strike up a conversation with him.  Well, except that he was doing the approaching, and his tones would be warmer. 

   Aubrey was the first to speak. There was nothing about what the other had to say that put the dhampire off. Indeed, his first response was the slight widening of that easy smile. 

  "It's a good way to contribute to the clan", he begins easily, slipping right into the conversation that Aubrey had set. If the other had said anything awkward, he didn't seem the least bit phased by it. "Clanmaster DiPaulo pays well, and he's a good guy to work for"  He used the owners actual name, and did so a bit more formally then the workers tended to. The boss tended to be a little less formal, while still maintaining his position with his workers. The formality was more because he was certain Aubrey knew who 'Clanmaster DiaPaulo' was. He couldn't be as sure that he knew 'Zeo' well enough to place him by name. "What brings you here?" 

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Word Count: 307
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[Aubrey St. Jude]

The words 'good guy' and Master DiPaulo did not necessarily sync up as synonymous in Aubrey's brain. It wasn't that Zeo wasn't kind to him when he was present in his own mistress's home, because he was. There was just something about the extremely large, dominant vampire that made Aubrey feel distinctly uneasy - and not at all in the pleasant way that Dominic tended to. He wasn't sure what it was, exactly, but he couldn't help but feel thankful that at least he'd been purchased by Mistress Sarin rather than the man that owned this club when he'd last been up on the block - even though he was positive that most people would fail to agree with his relief. 


Such a thought sparked some inner sense of humor in the human, his lips twitching just a bit with the threat of a fond smile. Most, he knew, didn't much care for his vicious child-like mistress...but Aubrey, well, she made him feel comfortable with himself for the most part. After all, one could never allow one's self to be entirely comfortable around one with her rather vicious nature, but as far as owners went - Sarin was by far his best. The day that she decided she was bored with him and done with looking at his face would be a very sad day indeed...but it was really best not to focus on that. So instead, he allowed himself to return his attention to the dhampir he stood next to. 


Dominic's tones were a bit...different, but then again, he expected them to be. The larger male was at work, and he couldn't be seen showing any one patron more attention than any other - regardless of who the patron was. Here and now, Dominic was not /his/ protector. He was merely a bouncer and Aubrey was merely a person who had chosen Club Synful as their momentary spot of entertainment. So Aubrey wasn't bothered by the other's words, though that hint of warmth did still bring a rather irritating blush to his cheeks - a blush that he could only hope that the dim lighting in the club's interior might somewhat mask. 


"Honestly? I haven't the foggiest..." Aubrey said easily, his voice drifting off momentarily as a frown of thought briefly settled on his expression. "I just thought it might be nice to get out for a little bit, you know? " His gaze lifted back up to settle on the dhampir's once more. "I guess I figured that maybe a little bit of dancing might be good, except I'm not certain that I'd feel comfortable dancing with so many...strangers around." And wasn't that just the awkward crux of the matter? Aubrey was wholly unused to being surrounded by large amounts of people - especially when they were his own particular race of people. Humans, though he could empathize and feel for them when they found themselves on the bad side of Sarin, were not beings he had found a whole lot of life experience with. 


A hand reached up, slipping fingers  back through golden blond hair, and then dropped back down by his side before being stuck back into a pocket. " I don't know. Maybe I'll just sit somewhere and watch. Certainly there are more interesting people here to watch than the carnival." Aubrey chuckled a bit, not realizing that some might find it strange that he should frequent the Dark Carnival simply to watch other people going about their business enjoying themselves while indulging in a soft pretzel or other carnival food. "Is there food here too, do you know?" He asked curiously, not entirely sure if there was or not. 

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Word Count: 613

[Dominic "Crucix" Antonopoulos]

   "Maybe you'd like to go for a walk after my shift, if you aren't too tired?", he suggests after awhile. It sounded as though the other enjoyed watching others. Dominic saw nothing wrong with that; however, he sort of felt like it would be good for the other to be able to do something on this evening of freedom. 

   The gladiator never would have suggested that the other wanted to free himself of his bondage, but at the same time, he recognized that it might be difficult being so closely connected to the clanmistress. Dominic was often busy, between training, fighting, and working, but most of his time, he didn't have to worry about how he conducted himself all that much.  Even with his new task of guarding Aubrey usually took place away from eyes that might punish him for his behavior. 

    "Or, if there is anything else you might like." Leaving it open for the other to offer his own input, he allowed his gaze to slip around the room, and gauge the crowd. So well, things seemed to be going well, no trouble.  Then again, it really helped that, at least, the vampire population both knew who owned the club, and knew better than to cause trouble in the boss' establishments. 

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Word Count: 221
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Notes: N/A