The Summit - [OPEN]

Samael watched as Devon moved over to talk to the two girls, and he had to admit the guy was pretty smooth about it. That worked out well for Samael because he had other things to do, and he wasn’t interested in any liaisons anyways. Devon moved over to the pair and immediately started making small talk and the two girls seemed to eat up the attention from the handsome young man, which wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Samael only half listened to them as he still scanned the room, looking for signs and hints as to what was going on. There had to be someone here who knew something…. He just had to hunt them down and find them. Well, what was a telepath good for if not that?

Eventually he happened upon a name: Elise Terring. She seemed to be the general manager of the place and if anyone knew about the strange guestlist it would be her. He would have to keep an eye out for when she got in and then make sure he got to talk to her. That part shouldn’t be too hard at all, he could just keep an eye on the staff and they would know…

But from the side he heard voices directed in his direction and Samael glanced over, meeting Devon’s gaze with a slight smile before glancing to the two girls, “It is a little breezy out tonight, hmm?” Samael gave a small chuckle and moved over to join the trio, giving the girls nods, “Hi, I’m Sam. Rachael and Erin was it? Nice to meet you.”

“Yep,” Erin said in return to Samael as Rachel nodded. “Trying to relax?” she asked.

Rachel chuckled, “I think he’s scoping the patio. At least you don’t try to hide it like most of the pretenders here.” She glanced around while making exaggerated head movements, all the while batting her eyelashes. “Oh notice me, notice me.”

Erin was laughing but Devon had to as well, “Well thankfully you aren’t jaded.”

Rachel rolled her eyes, “I’m simply bothered people can’t go out to have a good time. Who do you notice more anyway? The girl simpering in the background or the one dancing and laughing with friends?”

Erin shrugged, “Probably depends on the guy.” She glanced to Sam, chin lowered and grinned.

“Life is supposed to be lived,” Devon waxed poetic. He laughed at himself, blue eyes bright while looking to each of the three at the table. He was starting to wonder where this conversation was really headed; he didn’t quite know.

“Right,” Rachel nodded. “But I’m wondering if Sam’s going to affirm I was right or not.”

“And we were talking about what we do. You a student too?” Erin asked, though her tone clearly implied she didn’t believe he was.

((OOC:
Normal emotional state; no checks necessary at this time.))

[OOC: Invited in...]

Humans. Her mother's race. It would always seem that there was something extra about them that Kyrie was always yet to figure out. Some days, they seemed to get on her nerves, and she would try to avoid them. Other times, they piqued her interest and she wanted to know why it was that they did the things they did. Like congregate in one place. Kyrie tried not to look lost as she stood in the crowded lounge of the Summit. She looked for all the world like a disinterested antisocial, just out to get a drink and observe the stupidity that seemed to hang around youths. Well, maybe she was. The smell of that drink was in the air. The one that made people mad. They'd start laughing first, then doing stupid things, before throwing up all over the floor and then sleeping off like corpses. Yes, there was a lot she was likely never going to understand, psychic as she was.

She made her way to the bar, having to gently push her way through loads of people who danced like they were partaking in some ritual. It kind of reminded her of some of the war dances of home. Some people, especially the males, turned to stare at her for a while, although they were ignored by her for the most part. Well, they would stare; she knew that much about humans, especially the males. She wore a strapless, off-the-shoulder, jet-black short dress with high heeled shoes of a matching color. Her reddish hair tumbled down onto her shoulders and back, and she wore a simple gold necklace in the way of accessories. She didn't really believe in dressing like a Christmas tree, like she'd seen some females do. Maybe it was some sort of elaborate courtship process...

She got herself a glass of... what did they call it again, wine? It did have alcohol, but it wasn't as strong as what most of the other folk here were drinking. Maybe she'd just walk over to the railing over there, and watch the humans and their activities. That was becoming one of her favorite pastimes. As she walked by a table where about four people sat, two males and two females, a young woman, already getting tipsy from the beverage she was drinking, came her way. Tripping over the feet of someone else, she actually let go of her glass, and it, contents involved, sailed through the air towards Kyrie. With a swift hand gesture, she smacked the glass harmlessly aside with her mind, ensuring that the contents did not splatter on her, or anyone else. Oops, she just remembered that most humans were very limited and were not used to these... powers, as they called them. Glancing around to make sure that she hadn't become a subject of attention, she gave a brief smile to those closest to her, the four at the table, then proceeded to move on, like nothing had happened.

Samael shrugged a little as it was suggested that he was trying to relax, and then that he was scoping out the patio. Rachel was right about one thing, so many pretenders here. Their bodies and faces and mouths said things that were so different from their minds, it was almost enough to make a telepath laugh inside.

He smiled back slightly at Erin’s flirtations but his attention didn’t linger and instead glancing towards Devon with a slight grin for the young man’s comment about living life. He glanced back to the girls as Rachael asked about answering her question, “What? Oh. I don’t know, really,” he said, “I guess it just depends on more than being in the background or foreground, and what I’m looking for.” Both types held sinners and the wicked.

Erin had asked about him being a student and he shook his head, “Me? A student?” He chuckled, “No. Not for a few years.” He was about to go on when a woman walking near them seemed to trip, and Samael would have missed it if he didn’t actually feel the glass move in a different direction. He glanced at it and the woman, then looked towards Devon with a meaningful gaze, very obviously asking if he’d seen the same thing.

Devon had to appreciate the way Samael spoke circles around the questions asked. Even he wasn’t sure exactly what to conclude, but he supposed that was the point. He didn’t know what Samael was looking for, other than the sinners. That whole bit was getting old. Weren’t they everywhere by definition?

He was vaguely aware of the people coming by, the smoke they exhaled, and the warmth of their breath… Then there was a sudden movement and a glass that went the wrong way. The girl nearest them looked in their direction and smiled. His first reaction was to flinch as his eyes closed and a few gusts passed over the patio. They moved in varied directions, but generally how the glass had flown while fluttering hair, napkins and dresses. A chair tipped over.

Coughing into his hand, Devon shivered as he let the created currents travel on as they would. They were brief as Devon’s blue eyes opened and he peered around. “Man, those breezes are cold,” he muttered while picking up his drink for a long sip.

It was a ruse to look around, catching the departure of the red headed woman. Erin had huddled her arms around her body and closer to the heat lamp at her side. Rachel, however, had a stern and curious glare. She may have moved toward the lamp, but it was clear she was thinking something counter to what Devon hoped for. Samael, on the other hand, was shooting him a look directly.

“The lamp’s warm, thankfully,” Erin smiled, glancing at Sam and then shyly around the patio. Napkins, chairs, a scarf and a few other items were quickly put back into place.

“Miss,” Rachel called, ignoring Erin, “are you cold?” She took a step away from the table and tried to catch Kyrie’s eye. “There’s room around this lamp. It can get very cold near the edge over there.”

Devon simply nodded as he lowered his glass. “She’s right, though I’m starting to feel like going inside is the better idea – crowd or no crowd,” he chuckled briefly.

“Yeah, we should dance,” Erin beamed, looking to her sidekick and nodding eagerly.

Rachel glanced back and laughed, “Yeah maybe in a minute.” She sipped at her drink and looked after the rosen-haired girl.

((OOC:
Glad to have ya! And thread is open! Others can join!

Normal emotional state; no checks necessary at this time.))

Kyrie turned and looked at the brown haired woman who addressed her. It was nice that someone would be hospitable in such a place as this, where recklessness was more likely the order of the day than civility. It was a bit cold, yes, but it wasn't anything Kyrie couldn't handle. If she remembered correctly, Fortuna Prime was colder than this. She looked at the others seated at the table, then nodded her head.

"Thank you for the offer. I suppose I may well take it, seeing that it would be better to be out of everyone else's way..."

She glanced at another tipsy group with a bit of misgiving, then took a seat at the table with the other four. A few seconds passed with her looking at them, then she said: "I'm Kyrie. Pleased to meet you guys."

'Guys'? She was beginning to talk like the humans.

Samael was unsure of what had just happened, but he knew it wasn’t entirely natural. Only someone like himself – or really with a myriad of other powers – could have done something like this. The only thing that allowed him to keep his surprised reigned in and off his face was the fact that he had already been expecting mutants and the like here tonight, thanks to what Devon had told him.

Samael was somewhat surprised by how eagerly Rachel called to the girl who had almost gotten covered in wine. In his experience the girls would be jealously guarding their targets – Samael and Devon – rather than inviting other girls to come over and chat. To Samael, it said something about them and perhaps they weren’t so bad after all.

There was talk of going inside, or dancing, the latter of which Samael was not particularly willing to do though the others may enjoy it. The new arrival took up Rachel's offer to join them and he gave Kyrie a nod as she approached. “Kyrie? Such an interesting name,” Samael said, “I’m Sam.” He gave the shortened version that Devon seemed so fond of using, it definitely would help blend in here.

“No problem,” Rachel said casually, moving back to her previous position closer to the heat lamp and table. Her eyes remained on the newcomer as conversation continued.

Devon didn’t notice much; in fact, he was starting to feel nervous. There were a lot of people here, the air warmed not only by the lamps but also the numerous bodies. No, not only bodies. He didn’t want to say it like that. All the people were warm and constantly shifting. Every time the doors opened to the rest of the lounge, club, whatever… He could feel just how warm it was inside. The music wasn’t bad either.

“I’m Rachel,” she smiled in Kyrie’s direction. She glanced over to Erin who was paying more attention to the activity within the warm walls of the Summit. Her smile widened into a grin and she sighed quietly.

“Devon, nice to meet you Kyrie. This is Erin,” he gestured to the blond girl.

“Oh, sorry,” Erin turned and smiled, looking around in embarrassment.

“Kyrie really is an interesting name,” Devon nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before. Devon means poet apparently. My dad’s full Irish, so…” he shrugged casually.

Erin’s eyes widened and brightened simultaneously. She jittered, lifting up on her tip toes and grinning wildly. “Oh my God! That’s great. My name means Ireland. Pretty great huh?” she chuckled.

Rachel laughed, “Wow. Yeah…” She shook her head and looked pointedly to, “Kyrie, what do you do…” she paused, “For a living?” Her eyebrows arched as a wide, not so friendly smile spread from ear to ear.

“I’m studying psychology,” Devon remarked, oblivious to the direct nature of Rachel’s question.

((OOC:

Normal emotional state; no checks necessary at this time.))

Okay, the guys were Sam and Devon, and the girls were Erin and Rachel. Her name seemed interesting to most of them; the guys at least. Devon gave a meaning to his name, and Kyrie half hoped that she wouldn't be asked what her name meant. The best possible option would be to feign ignorance, because she wasn't sure what the humans' reactions would be to her name, which was of alien origins. Fortunately, the conversation did not steer in that direction. It did, however, turn in a direction Kyrie was not expecting: occupation. Now, that was a funny subject. Kyrie shrugged.

"I'm somewhat self employed... or what's the term again? Freelance? Yes, freelance. I, uh, help people find stuff."

She wasn't too willing to say that she was a private investigator/ vigilante. Most of the time, she had noticed that humans tended to be more secretive around law enforcers and detectives. She felt that if she just said she was a detective of sorts, the discussion would become a lot more conservative. With any luck, they might not be too interested in finding out what kind of stuff she 'found'.

In an attempt to turn the discussion away from herself, she focused on Devon. "So, Devon, you're studying psychology, huh? Sounds deep... I wonder what's it like to get into another person's mind."

In actuality, she knew the answer to some extent. Every Fortunian would know what it was like; after all, they tended to be powerful telepaths.

“Freelance what, exactly? Finding what? Jobs? Are you a head hunter?” Rachel insisted in her questioning.

It was Erin’s turn to raise an eyebrow. She looked at Rachel quizzically, clearly wondering why her friend was fixated on this. By now it was clear to everyone, even Devon.

“Sounds like it’s a bit more private than your event planning. Customer privacy and non-disclosure I guess?” Devon asked, glancing to Kyrie. “Even a psychologist wouldn’t be allowed to talk about his customers, his patients. But I misspoke, sorry. I’m studying psychology, sure, but going for psychiatry. Ultimately I want the full medical understanding though I hope to avoid drugs.”

When he was nervous, he spoke quickly and suddenly Devon was feeling very nervous. The strange movement of the glass, whatever it was, had caught him by surprise. He wasn’t sure if it was Samael or not, but he was starting to believe it was entirely not him. Rachel also had noticed the oddity.

“Answering your question,” he grinned at Kyrie after taking another sip of his nearly gone drink, “I can’t say I really am trying to get into their mind. I’ve had my head shrunk before, and I’d rather approach it differently. I want to help give people the tools, the peace of mind, and the confidence to take action for themselves. Let’s just say not too long ago a few things happened that made me want to take charge of my life.”

Meanwhile, the minds Samael was peeking in on were growing fatigued from the amount of people and the typical high energy, busyness of a Friday night. Much as Devon had inferred, people wanted to have a good time and forget about their busy week, their troubles and even the dangers of recent events…

“D.C.?” Rachel asked. “I can’t believe what happened sometimes… Stable for now but there’s all sorts going on now.”

“Yeah,” Devon said honestly, “That’s part of it. Things can change very quickly.” He looked to Samael and to Kyrie, “I don’t want to be a problem. I want to help, be part of that solution.” His crystalline blue eyes returned to Erin and Rachel, “Y’know?”

Erin beamed with joy at Devon’s attention, “Oh I think that’s great.”

“Yeah, sure,” Rachel smirked. “I think it’s good you want to avoid drugs anyway. You have a plan for all this?”

“I’m getting one. I’ve still got a fair amount of schooling left, but I’m hitting the books hard,” he nodded. “When I do get to the point that I believe I know what’s going on with someone though from whatever external perspective I have, it’s usually a personal and deep moment. It makes me want to help. That’s why I’m working hard: for me and for others.”

Rachel smiled to Devon and back to Kyrie, “Well that’s good, Devon.” She sighed, eyeing the red head for a moment.

“Now can we go in and dance?” Erin asked, pleadingly.

“Okay, yeah, let’s go. But I’m getting another drink,” Rachel relented.

Erin grinned happily and looked to the other three, “You guys coming?”

Devon shrugged, looking to Sam and even briefly to Kyrie. “I guess. I’m not much of a dancer but I don’t mind checking out the craziness inside,” he laughed.

There, one of the wait staff supervisors checked a text message: Elise was on her way to her office. She arrived a short while ago and wanted an update on numbers. Another, Kevin the head of security, was reading the same text. He was glad; he hoped to get some more help at the doors and on the floor. Both internal bars were busy, the dance floor was nearly packed and the patio was even seeing a lot of traffic despite the cool air.

“Great!” Erin cheered.

“Erin, you are way too cheerful for this city,” Rachel commented snidely.

Erin laughed and looked to each of them, “Come on!” She grabbed Devon’s arm and began to walk.

“I’ll meet you guys inside,” Rachel said with a short nod. She departed for the bar, but not without a pausing glance at Kyrie again. Her concern apparently forgotten, the event planner went to the bar closest to the doors into the lounge and began to wade her way through the people hovering there so she could grab another drink.

Devon started walking with his kidn- escort, glancing back to the other two with frightened and pleading eyes.

((OOC:
Anxious but no rolls necessary at this time.))

There were introductions all around and everyone seemed to settle a bit. Everyone started discussing what they did and no one had yet directly asked Samael that question which was nice, he didn’t have to lie or explain that he did ‘church stuff’ or whatever. That could sometimes turn awkward fast. The new girl was fairly quiet, mostly just answering the questions as posed to her, but Samael was still curious. His eyes might not have caught the whole incident, but his other senses had definitely seen that cup change direction.

DC came up briefly and Samael frowned a bit. That had been an…. Odd experience. He was just happy he’d managed to get the hostages out with only a minimal loss of life thanks to the sociopathic crazy girl. He did smile somewhat at the way Devon spoke, in many ways that man could be the preacher rather than Samael, he often had a way with words.

He met Devon’s gaze as the group was practically propelled inside, and he gave the guy a slight smirk as he noticed his discomfort. He didn’t imagine Devon the dancing type, though he was a bit graceful.

Samael, for his part, remained silent, still occasionally peeking into various minds. Devon was a bit like a reminder to him and he didn’t delve deep, just checked occasionally for useful information. The boss should be around soon and Samael would pull Devon away to go talk to her then, or at least find some other way to get them speaking. After all, that’s why Devon was here, right? Mutant rights weren’t Samael’s bag, really, not anymore than anyone else’s rights. But maybe the whole thing was about more than just mutant rights after all..

Kyrie only smiled in response to Rachel's prodding and rested her chin on her interlocked fingers, while her elbows supported her by resting on the table. "Well, Rachel, like Devon said, 'customer privacy'. There's nothing too intriguing about it, though, just that it's the nature of the job to be secretive." She hoped Rachel wouldn't be disappointed to the point of offense. She was warm and all, but that was as far as Kyrie was willing to let out. Devon seemed to be a sort of responsible individual, with the way he explained how he was making attempts to be a problem solver, rather than be part of the problem.

Erin was ever so intent on dancing, and it seemed that was where they all would be headed. Kyrie wasn't a stranger to dancing, but she wasn't too keen on it with all the humans around. Perhaps if she was in more comfortable company, she could have tried it out. For now, being a spectator would be sufficient. "Hmmm, you guys go on ahead. I guess I'll stand aside and watch. Watching always teaches something," she said, as she got up along with the others. She had to smile at Devon's reaction; he half looked like Erin was taking him away to eat him. Very funny, that.

She glanced sideways at Sam. Was it her or did he seem a bit distracted? "Thinking about something?" she asked him, though she kept her eyes on Devon.

Rachel simply smiled and nodded, clearly taking Kyrie’s answer with only the faintest amount of acceptance. The girl left anyway, seeking out a drink among the mounting standbys at one of the outdoor bars. She was lost in the sea of dark shades suits, jackets, shirts and skirts.

Devon couldn’t believe he was being left to Erin’s devices. Hadn’t he bailed out Kyrie? Wasn’t Sam his friend? Now he was through the doors inside where the sound of music pounded bodies as they beat their feet upon the floor. Erin grinned at him and silently – perhaps only due to the sound of the music’s volume – pulled him further into the masses.

While Kyrie inquired as to Samael’s thoughts, missing only the offer of a penny, Erin spun madly and happily. Devon couldn’t hear her giggle, but he was fairly certain she did. His senses were bombarded by the bass, the lights, the heat from the air and all the people pressing in. He moved deftly, anticipating movements but he didn't exactly know any dance moves. He tried to think of it like a thunderstorm and eventually the chaos of it all swept him away too.

Grinning, the dark haired student lost track of that around him. He smiled back at Erin, ocassionaly taking her hand and spinning her about or smirking as he sauntered close to her. She blushed, returning the interest with flirtatious glances, hipped dips, and a turn of her back. Devon laughed as the whiskey pumped through his blood; he needed to sneak into dance clubs more often.

“All this fun without me?” Rachel shouted loudly, some blue drink in her hand. It was illuminated by a glow stick that bobbed as she pouted her lips and dropped her rear-end low. Erin clapped and even Devon had to admit the event planner had moves. It wasn’t long before the three were lost to the music.

The music, mind you, which now could not be ignored even outside on the patio. The doors were propped open as Kevin, head of security, had gotten permission from a returned text of Elise. The warm air wafted its way outside as cool air drifted in. The energy of the lounge, primarily the dance floor, was intoxicating and its music fast. It was difficult to say whether the music charged the people or the people charged the music.

((OOC:
No rolls necessary at this time.))

Rachael and Erin both seemed to be intent on having a good time tonight, which wasn’t really a bad idea but Samael was too focused on what Devon had told him – and Samael really hated not being able to get to the bottom of something. He pondered going off in search of the boss when words from Kyrie draw him out of his thoughtfulness.

Samael glanced towards the woman and shrugged slightly, “Just all of the people here. I tend to watch a lot, and often find myself curious about people’s motives and lives – wondering why they are here, what they are doing. Who the wicked ones are and who the nice ones are.” He smirked slightly, and then nodded towards Devon who was just starting to dance, “Aren’t you going to join them?”

He watched as Devon danced with Erin. At first Devon seemed slightly awkward but graceful, but eventualyly the young man seemed to let loose and it looked like the guy was actually a quite good dancer and was giving Erin a run for her money. All around them people danced and moved to the music and Samael’s eyes continued to scan the crowd, feeling a bit awkward. He’d danced plenty of times before, but only to blend in while hunting… dancing for fun was a rather foreign concept.

Things were starting to get a bit crowded for Samael’s taste and he glanced towards the entrances the employees used, tempted to go hunt down this Elise person.

Inasmuch as Rachel did not seem too satisfied with Kyrie's answer, she did not push the topic. That was a relief. Devon seemed to be dancing just like a warrior who was well trained may try to copy an opponent's moves. He did seem to be doing a good job at it. Perhaps he was more than just a psychology student. Erin was clearly enjoying herself. Kyrie looked around for Rachel, but the woman was lost in the sea of people. A moment later, she spotted her already with Devon and Erin, dancing away. Kyrie shook her head. She was very sure that without her ESP, she would be unable to trace out anyone in this crowd. How Rachel could find them through all these crowds... perhaps staying long at clubs helped people to easily navigate in such 'terrain'.

Sam's answer sounded somewhat philosophical to her. She shrugged lightly and said: "Well, I don't suppose we could know which of them were the bad ones, and which ones were nice. But about dancing..." Here, she laughed lightly and continued, "I'm not sure if I'm that good at dancing. It somehow looks stressful. Besides, there's so many people around. I'm not sure I'm too much of a 'crowds' person."

Watching the humans dance with reckless abandon brought an unexpected image to mind: that of Fortuna's destruction. "Hmmm, the disaster comes when we least expect it..." she said to no one in particular, mentally noting how such things happened mostly in the most unguarded moments.

The mass in the center of the room moved to the beat of the music, or at least it seemed to try. It was not difficult to pick out which ones were the regular club goers, which ones were trying to pretend, and which ones were just trying way too hard. Pretty typical as far as clubs went, really.

He smiled slightly at Kyrie’s comment about not knowing which of them were the bad ones. It was all rather easy, if you were a telepath of some sort at least. Of course, neither of them really knew it at the time that they both were. It was odd that Kyrie was neither one for dancing, nor for crowds, and yet she was at one of the city’s busiest clubs. Then again, maybe not that odd considering what Devon had told him about this place.

Samael looked towards her with a smile, “So why exactly are you here then? If you don’t like dancing or crowds I mean?” Samael looked out over the crowd again, the noise both physical and mental becoming a bit of a strain but still manageable, and there his eyes found the small group of Devon, Erin and Rebecca. Samael was tempted to join them, but for now he wanted to hear Kyrie’s answer.

OOC: Sorry for the wait. Was expecting Rob (The Tempest) to post
___________________________________________________________________________
Sam asked her what she was here in the Summit for. The question was not unexpected. After all, what else was here to do besides mingling with crowds and dancing? Kyrie shrugged, her eyes scanning the crowd for Devon and his dancing partners. It was kind of difficult keeping track of a person in this kind of place... unless she used her ESP, but then, her eyes would alert everyone that she did not pass off for normal.

"Well, you could say it was out of general curiosity," Kyrie explained. "I've been hearing so many people talk about this place, so I wondered what it was like. And so, here I am. Maybe I just came here to criticize the place. Then again, maybe not."

She turned to look at Sam, a slightly inquisitive expression on her face. "And what about you? You don't seem to be doing any dancing, either," she said, sort of turning the question back on him.

Sam continued to glance out across the dance floor, an occasional glance towards his conversation companion to show interest, but mostly he was watching people, and watching Devon and the girls as they danced. It was tempting to join them, but Samael really wasn’t the social kind of dancer any more than he was a drinker. He glanced briefly at his watch and once again pondered looking for the manager and digging into her thoughts, but… It was curious that Kyrie had heard people talking about this place – from what she had said she didn’t come to places like this often, which would mean she probably didn’t hang out with people who would constantly gush about a place like this. Add in what he saw with the falling drink earlier, and Samael was pretty sure she was here for the same reason as Devon.

He shook his head in response to her question. “I’m not really much for clubs, generally speaking,” he said, “Devon dragged me here. He said he’d been hearing things about this place recently too and he wanted to come see if it was all true or not.”


((OOC: Sorry for the late reply, work has been running me ragged as well as taking care of the new dog and stuff. Should be back to normal-ish now ))

OOC: No problem. I can relate with the "work" aspect.
__________________________________________________________________________________
So, like her, Sam was not the party type. And his answer was rather interesting. Kyrie actually had not come here because she had heard any funny rumors about this place, but with what Sam was saying right now, perhaps this evening would be a lot more interesting than she had envisaged. She wondered whether the man she was speaking with was not one of the super powered humans, like her mother. Likely Devon would be, too. And Rachel, and Erin. Of course, Kyrie was not aware that Devon and Sam had just met Rachel and Erin. She wanted to know more about this place, but if she asked too many oblivious questions, she was afraid that Sam might close up and not wish to spill secrets to a stranger who knew nothing of the place.

"I've heard things about this place too, but I suppose there are "things" and there are "things". If I'm not being too nosy, what kind of stuff have you heard about? While I usually hear the bland 'it's a big, happening place' story, I feel there's more to this place than meets the eye. You feel that too, no?"

((OOC: Definitely don’t feel the need to “give me a chance” to post. I do appreciate it. If you want to post, go for it. If you’re waiting for me to reply and I’ve gone AWOL you just NPC me however you think appropriate. 24 to 48 hours is/should be a good amount of time for most.

Here, I had told Sam to keep going and not wait for my turn as Devon danced. I wanted you two to have the opportunity to talk as PCs since I’m handling story. I’m sorry, I should have emailed you about that Flux. Thank you for continuing on and again, for your consideration of my turn to post. ))

---

Devon was an energetic vortex on the dance floor. He spun and swerved, ducked and laughed with the two equally energetic ladies near him. They were far better dancers but Devon luckily had two knacks on his side: knowledge of the movements around him and a cooling reaction to the air. Oh he was still sweaty as his mutant power didn’t prevent his body from warming with ferocious activity. Thankfully, however, he didn’t suffer the heavy heat generated by all the others and overwhelming the dance floor.

Granted, it was rather warm as Devon found himself made into a sandwich. What had started as an innocent swerve behind Erin had become something of a bump and grind with Rachel squeezing his hips behind him. He went with it, wagging his eyebrows and letting his body ride the flowing motion as if he were caught in a rolling gust. His whiskey gone, Devon happily accepted a sip of Rachel’s drink when offered.

A few minutes later and the music shifted. They separated as Rachel went to get a drink. Devon glanced around, taking a few minutes before he found Sam speaking with Kyrie. He hoped they had clarified things. Devon knew he wasn’t getting anywhere with why he’d truly come here, but he was enjoying himself and that was pretty rare.

Apparently he hadn’t much to worry about. Samael was listening in to mental thoughts as he and Kyrie felt one another out. Casual hints were becoming less veiled as the staff suddenly grew on alert. Ms. Terring had left her office and was doing a sweep through the lounge. A knee-length skirt in black matched her dark hair that went down onto her shoulders in heavy curls. Large, almond-shaped green eyes brightened from behind large lashes and she nodded with a genuine smile as she came out of the kitchen. The minds of the wait staff relaxed as she headed for the interior bars to check on the bar tenders.

Laughter and myriad voices dominated the interior lounge while the exterior was now crowding. It would not be long and hushed tones would be a thing of the past. Everyone was working tonight; Ms. Terring had apparently anticipated the needs of her staff. A secondary shift was coming on now: putting on aprons, folding arms defensively over chests at the door, or wearing smiles for weary hearts. Maybe it was busy with common and new clientele alike, but it appeared things were stable.

Rachel returned with a Long Island for each of them. Devon had traveled over the bridge a couple times and it didn’t seem Long Island Iced Teas had really anything to do with the subsidiary land of New York.

((OOC:
No rolls necessary at this time. 2 more threads can be normal.))

Sam watched the comings and the goings of the people as he spoke to Kyrie. New people were coming on duty and those already there seemed to be staying as well, which meant they were beefing up customer service for the busy night – or perhaps they were expecting trouble. Briefly, Sam wondered if there were ways in his powers that would easily pinpoint those who weren’t purely human… though finding that out might mean talking to his father and he had no intention of that.

Devon and the girls seemed to be having a great time, and Samael was glad for that, though he hoped things wouldn’t turn out too sinful and he worried slightly for their souls. But his attention was drawn back to Kyrie as she spoke to him and he gave a small shrug of his broad shoulders at her question. “There’s been quite a few rumors about this place,” he said, “Though I haven’t really heard any first hand. Devon was the one telling me about them. And yeah, I definitely think you are right.” He glanced towards Kyrie again, “That was pretty slick the way you managed to avoid that drink earlier.”

Kyrie noticed that the trio had concluded their dance. She hid an amused smirk, when she saw the mirth on Devon's face. Some minutes ago, and he looked like he was in for the worst time of his life. How situations changed. As Rachel went to get a drink for everyone, Sam responded to her question, and commented on the way she evaded the drink. She gave a slight smile and looked away for a moment, at the sea of people who were still milling about; some trying to dance to the new music, others going for a rest or so. She turned back to Sam with a shrug of her own. "Well, I guess practice makes perfect..." she said casually. For Sam to react calmly to such a thing meant either of two scenarios. One, that he had powers of his own, and thus, such a thing was not new to him; or two, he had stayed a lot among people with similar powers. Either way, he was not your average sort of human being.

"You do know, Sam, that your reaction to that was very uncanny. Most average humans would have started a serious fuss, but you seem to see such a thing as normal. Hmmm, I wonder why..."

She let the sentence trail off, giving him a chance to 'defend' himself. The drinks arrived, and Kyrie took hers thankfully from Rachel. The iced tea wasn't bad. She glanced at the others and noticed that they weren't close enough to spy on the conversation, unless they too were not 'normal'. So, Sam didn't need to be too shy about replying. Since he knew her 'secret', she expected him to be frank about 'his'.

Sam’s eyes still roamed over the crowd, resting occasionally on Rachel, Erin and Devon. He hoped they would not consume too much alcohol, it would not only be sinful but also could impair things if something were to happen. After all, if this were really a mutant underground railroad it stood to reason that bad things could happen – super powered fights were no fun, and beyond that there was always the possibility it would be found out and trouble might find them all.

In fact, the woman he stood next to could theoretically still be a cause of trouble. Just because things were currently friendly did not mean that she wasn’t here to start trouble. Still, Samael assumed most coming here would not be looking for trouble, or at least he hoped so.

He glanced towards Kyrie again as she spoke and he raised an eyebrow at her choice of words. “Average humans?” he asked, “As opposed to what, average goldfish?” He smiled, “But really a lot of people are far from average in their own ways, for me, well, I catch a lot of things that other people miss.”

Sam’s hopes were likely for naughty. Rachel seemed a heavy drinker and Devon was no stranger to alcohol. Erin, however, seemed only to sip at her drink while Rachel’s was quickly consumed. Devon danced about, drink in hand, presumably sipping when he was feeling warm. He wasn’t accustomed to getting this warm; he wasn’t accustomed to dancing this much. How much Sam or Kyrie chose to enjoy, well it seemed they were busy with a veiled conversation.

Ms. Terring, the manager, left the bars with smiles behind her. She thanked her staff for their hard work. They, in turn, were happy things were going so well. In fact, most of the staff the Summit over was surprised how well things were going. Despite being at near capacity and the large number of strangers to the club, there hadn’t yet been any fights. The extra security was coming on but in honesty, they were worrying more about keep traffic moving and not blocking doors than warring women or guys showing off. The surprising pleasure of the situation was not lost to the feelers Samael had out.

That’s also when he saw the raven-haired woman, presumably older than she appeared but with a clear sense of authority. Eyes traveled her way and the security nearby the dance floor and the standing tables gave her a nod. She nodded in return, deftly cutting through the crowds while taking a moment to catch up with the usuals that often visited.

Devon, for all his distraction and growing intoxication, did glance Sam and Kyrie’s way every so often. He threw a grin and then threw back his head with a laugh as Rachel squeezed his side. The dance floor seemed to ebb and flow with the music; they were caught up in its tide.

((OOC:
No rolls necessary at this time. 2 more threads can be normal.))

Kyrie let out a light laugh. There was a great deal about humans that still confounded her, and their sense of humor was just one of these things. Goldfish? where did he get that from? Kyrie heard another laugh and glanced at Devon. While he did seem to be enjoying himself thoroughly, Kyrie was sure that the alcohol was starting to get to him. Rachel seemed to follow suit, and Erin seemed to be prudent. Kyrie looked at her drink and decided not to take too much else. Who knew how she'd behave when drunk?

Sam seemed to be dodging around the answer she expected. She would tag along, but continue to prod him gently to come clean. "Sam, Sam, who said anything about goldfish?" she replied with an amused, indulgent tone, "they don't belong even to the same class or order as humans. Be that as it may, I am certain that the 'average human' seldom moves things with his mind... unless within his imagination. No, Sam, as opposed to not-so-average-humans."

She fiddled with the glass in her hands, then asked, "So, are you an average human, Sam? I really didn't see you looking at me as I... how'd you say it again... managed to avoid that drink pretty slick-ly."

A bluff, really. Kyrie was not looking at him when she performed the telekinesis, so she couldn't have known. She reasoned, however, that if he felt she knew he wasn't "average", he would have to own up.