Late night fix (Very Open)

Feeling someone look at her Alex looked up from her novel, meeting the eyes from the woman across the room she nodded back, picking up her coffee she took another sip of the warm liquid, leaning back in her chair she smiled to herself.

"Looks like this place is a good spot to relax"

Recrossing her legs she put her coffee down and the novel next to it, looking around she arched her back a bit stretching her muscles before getting up and walking over to the bar. Taking out 3 bucks she put them on top of the bar, clearing her troath to get the attention of the person behind the bar she smiled.

"Hi, I would like to have access to one of the computers"

Waiting for the person to help her she drummed her fingers on top of the counter, humming softly along to the music playing in the background.

As soon as she was given access to one of the computers Alex made her way over to where they were standing, taking a seat she logged into her email account.

Looking over the spam to make sure nothing got in there that wasn't spam she went to her inbox, her eyes lit up slightly as she saw Michel's name, opening the file she began to read.

Mon plus cher Alexandra.


J'espère que tout va bien avec vous là-bas aux United States, je m'ennuie de vous compagnie tellement.

Faites-moi savoir vous êtes et vous savez quand jamais vous avez besoin de moi, je serez là.

Avec tout mon amour,


Michel



Smiling she began to type her reply.





Michel gentil,


Tout va bien avec moi, me me suis inscrit auprès du clan Tàcharan, guérir autrement que comment lui en France est allé, mais s'habitue pourtant tout ?


Je te manque aussi, plus de bien pour moi est.


Nous nous parlons rapidement.


Alexandra



Checking over a few sites and answering some more emails she finally closed down the computer, walking over to the bar she ordered another coffee.

Sabine grinned at the idea of this woman, who appeared to be about her age, having a copy of her mother's album.

" No, it is very unlikely that you have it. Unless you collect old vinyls, and really obscure ones at that. A regular at the joint where she worked owned his own recording equipment. I think he managed to package about 50 of them and sent them to various stations. She said it played well locally for a bit but never beyond that really. It was called 'Dessinez-moi un mouton' if you are interested. Not that you would find it."

Sabine was listening to Valentine discuss jazz in Chicago when she looked up to see the other woman go to the counter and ask for use of a computer. Spying an unoccupied one nearby, she was about to save it for the her, but it appeared the lady had managed well on her own. Navigating a sea of computers during gaming season was not always easy. Bringing her attention back to her new friend she had to laugh at the question, especially considering what she had done to her mother's partner.

" Actually when I said spirit, I meant the feeling and warmth that my mother put into it. Every customer was a friend and all that. Now, when I asked if you were afraid of ghosts, zombies, and vampires I meant things that go bump in the night. That would be the few necessary changes I mentioned. The club and the path through the hotel to get to the club has a haunted them. The entire establishment is now referred to as 'The Haunted'"

She was doing it again. It was far too easy to forget how old she was rather than how old she looked. Well it hadn't been a very large slip and it was easily dismissed as being an enthusiastic jazz hound.

"Only fifty? Well I probably don't have it then."Â?

But she did have the name and could look for it. One of her clients had some good connections so she'd put out some feelers. For no reason at all Val was now determined to find the album.

While listening to Sabine, she again cast a quick look at the other woman. She didn't understand the brunette. Val just couldn't handle long periods of faceless interaction with glowing boxes. Far too... dull. Even the instant gratification of the net didn't have a rush, not really and it got old fast.

Grinning broadly at the miss understanding she temporarily forgot her teeth.

"Sounds perfect, the best places have that 'feel' to them."Â?

Jazz club equaled intimate, at least in Val's mind. She hadn't been to one yet that was cold and generic, or if she had, she'd forgotten it or dismissed it as not a real club.

'The Haunted'? This was sounding better and better.

"You want to chase off the goolies and goshties and long legged beasties? I think it would add to the attraction. It would for me at any rate. Of course, I could understand if your insurance folks were giving you trouble about them, raising your premiums and all."Â?

Sabine blinked, and then applied gentle pressure to the bridge of her nose. She saw, or thought she saw....Valentine's teeth? She gave her head a slight shake and laughed internally at herself. Clearly she had been working at her own hotel for far too long. Recovered, she had to smile at Valentine's enthusiasm for music. Perhaps she would become a regular. It would be nice to have someone close to her own age there that didn't work for her. Or that wasn't afraid of her. Sabine again chided herself for dating a moronic actor. Honestly the man couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag, even with both ends open.

Sabine chuckled as Valentine questioned her on 'The Haunted'. It seemed the other woman misunderstood.

"Chase them away? No, they are what makes the most money. I turned the club and the rest of the hotel into a themed establishment. The club, and it's music, is now the reward at the end of an evening of adventure. The insurance company really couldn't complain when they saw the profit margin."

Sabine smiled broadly. She had a particular fondness for the hotel, that was different from her attachment to the club. She was quite proud of both. A unique solution to a not so unique problem. She also had to admit that the worried glances cast her way by some of the socialites that came to make the cool scene, were really funny.

"Insurance agents are worse than vultures aren't they? But they do have they're weaknesses."Â?

Bastards, just because she let her clients put a car through its paces during a test drive. Honestly, it wasn't like they were running the Indy 500 but if you were going to buy a sports car you should get to drive it too. It was nice to know someone else had the same opinion of insurance, and Val had to laugh.

"So it's a challenge, sort of a hunt? Or is it more like the Jack the Ripper walks in London, a guided tour with planed surprises?"Â?

She didn't like London, or England, not really. But the Jack the Ripper walks were fun. Either way she found herself wishing Sabine the best with the club and hoping the remodel wouldn't take too long.

"You said it was going to be in the old Wyndum-Price? I hope you're keeping the original ambiance."Â?

Sabine nodded. Looking over at the woman by the computer, Sabine was mildly curious. Whatever the woman was reading seemed to please her. If the smile on her face was any indication. She was certain that she would gladly trade what she used to get on email and band forums for whatever it was this woman was viewing. Daily spam from BrAdPitTsLoVeChiLd81 was the reason she no longer had email. Deciding it would be awkward if the woman caught her looking, she turned back to Valentine and smiled.

" Yes. I will be keeping much of the same look. I am actually trying to restore some of the Art Deco furnishings and moldings. I want it to look as much like it did when it first opened as possible. Part of the fun is the lore that goes with the hotel. Keeping the original look will add to the atmosphere, and ultimately the screaming. Just a few flickering lights here and there for a bit of flare."

Sabine took a sip of her drink, then made a face at the portfolio as she set the cup down. She almost jumped as she realized she had forgotten something.

" I'm sorry I didn't answer your other question. Yes, there are challenges, riddles, and hunts should you wish to accept them. Otherwise, you can just wander around aimlessly and hope you make it out with minimal nightmares. No Jack the Ripper walks here. Guided tours are for wusses."

Val smiled to herself, art deco, the 1920s, such a great look and something she really enjoyed. Granted Val was slightly biased as that was... well it was her. She'd looked good then too, of course, she looked the same but fashion hadn't stood still, but the dresses back then showed off everything a girl had when you moved.

Oh dear she was drifting again. Drifting or not she again realized she was looking forward to seeing this place get off the ground. It sounded like Sabine was looking forward to it as well. She also sounded well thought out and not over the top. Doing something like this with a heavy hand could ruin it.

"I'll have to wander by the library. I'm new enough in town I don't know any of the stories that go with the hotel."Â?

Jack the Ripper walks for wusses? Val had to laugh at that. But, it all depended on exactly how you were participating in the walks too didn't it? Let them scare themselves and then strike. Good fun.

"What no short cut to the jazz? Harsh, very harsh but damned if I don't approve. You must have a good historian on board to get the details right."Â?

Siping her coffee Alex looked around the cafe, her gaze resting on the two women talking, shrugging she decided to be bold and walk over there, what did she have to loose right, holding her coffee in one hand and her bag in the other she made her way over, her black pumps clicking softly on the floor until she stopped at their table. Clearing her troath she smiled at both women.

"Hi there, mind if I join you two.. noone else here to talk to."

Hoping she wasn't intruding she put her bag over her shoulder while taking another sip of her coffee, her body language was casual, she had learned how to disguise her true feelings over the years, as an assassin you never show how you feel.. you hide it unless you want people to see, her eyes darkened for a moment becoming nearly black as she waited for a responce.

" You wont throw something at me if I said short cuts were for wusses too?"

Sabine grinned. She had not been able resist. Still, she had better play nice or Valentine might just really throw something at her.

" I have taken over the penthouse which is the floor right below the club. So, I do have one elevator set aside for personal use. When we are open I have elevator operators employed to make sure guests do not wander to areas they shouldn't. If I were feeling generous, I would give your name to Billy and he would grant you temporary access to the private elevator."

Sabine flashed Valentine another grin. She vaguely remembered some sort of resolve to play nice. She never had before, so there didn't seem much point in starting now.

" The stairwell doors on the top floor are locked. There will be no cheating that way."

Sabine took a sip of her drink, and was about to answer Valentine on her question about the research when the other woman came over. Normally she would try to find some excuse to leave. Too many people tended to draw attention. This usually led to some story in the tabloids the next morning about her having a hot threesome with two other women in the Burger King women's restroom. So far today though, with Addison and Valentine, she had managed to be just Sabine and not Phoenyx. This fact made her a little bold, and if the story appeared in the paper tomorrow she would just tell them 'Yea it was good'.

As she looked up to greet the woman and invite her to join them, she noticed something strange about her eyes. She probably wouldn't have noticed had she not looked up right at that moment. It could have just been a trick of the lights, afterall she was running on fumes and caffeine. Still, it surprised her. Had she not figured out what it was, the woman's eyes might have unnerved her.

" Oh you have those trick contact lenses. Very cool. I have cat eye contacts myself. Helps with the whole witchy woman persona. You are welcome to join us if you like. We were just talking about the jazz club and themed attraction that I own,"

Sabine pulled over a chair for the woman to sit in. It was probably quite rude, and her mother would probably disapprove, but she did not offer her name to people until she was a little more sure of them. Or at least that tended to be the rule, somehow she had been able to bypass her developing paranoia at least once today. Deciding she would wait to see if names were offered before giving her own. Safer that way. With that settled in her mind, she went on to answer Valentine's other question.

" The research wasn't too bad actually. You would be surprised what you can accomplish when properly motivated. Most of the history can be found at the city library. Newspaper clippings and such. Whatever was missing or too dull, I made up alternate bits for. All of which will be common knowledge within the next two years. You have to love the way urban legends work."

Valentine had to laugh at the mention of short cuts for wusses. Of course, Sabine had tempered things with a bit of a carrot, besides this evening was proving more entertaining than she’d anticipated. That was something she wouldn’t ever complain about.

“Net cafés have very little in terms of reliable ammo. But if Billy and I don’t get on I’ll just have to hunt you down.”

She had to tease, but at the same time she was quiet pleased with the idea of a short cut. It was a generous offer to make to someone you barley knew. Some day she’d have to return the favor.

The brunette apparently had grown bored with whatever she was doing on the computer. Once again Val switch which leg was crossed over which and quickly, quietly sized the new arrival up. She didn’t draw any real conclusions, just noticed the eyes and her height. The woman was quite tall, strikingly so. However, Val wasn’t sure she agreed with Sabine on the contact thing, but it was as good an explanation as any.

Still she smiled and shifted slightly, making room for the other to sit down.

“No thank you. I’ll pass on the contacts. I have no desire to stick my finger in my eye for anything.”

Noticing that Sabine had neglected to give her name Val decided to respect the other woman’s privacy and left the issue of names off the table, at least for now.

“Very Capote of you… fictionalized history. It sells well though doesn’t it tends to be more believable too. After all I think there are still people who look under their car to make sure there isn’t a guy under there waiting to cut their Achilles’ tendon mug them and steal the car.”

Alex smirked at the remark, smiling at the redhead who looked up at her and made room for her to sit down she took a seat, putting her coffee down on the table before she spoke up.

"Yeah... something like that and thank you, you own a jazz club? cool I love music."

Obeserving both women as they spoke she picked up her coffee once more, inhaling the rich blend before taking another sip, looking into the cup she smiled to herself before looking up once more, it was good to be amongst others, she wasn't quite sure if these two women were human or more like herself and right now she didn't give a rats ass either way.

She had noticed that none of these women had given her their names, she didn't care.. much.. frankly she rarely gave out her own name unless she knew a person could be trusted.. in her line of work and having lifed as long as she had she didn't trust that many, but still here she was chatting with two strangers and if she was honest to herself she enjoyed the company for as long as it lasted.

Sabine smiled at the dark haired woman as she sat down.

" Yes, I own a jazz club. It was inherited in a round-about sort of way."

Her smile at the comment was more to herself than to the others. It was hard not to be amused when you knew the history. She should really thank that jerk Boudreaux, but she wasn't going to.

" It is currently closed for a bit of repair work and renovations. But we should open again soon. Though, as I was telling....her, it is a bit of a themed club as is the hotel that hosts it. So, if you are not afraid of zombies, ghosts, and vampires you would probably enjoy it. It is called The Haunted."

Sabine caught herself. She had almost said Valentine's name. If she herself did not wish to give her name, she had no right to hand out someone else's. To keep the near slip fro being too noticeable, Sabine decided it was best to move on with the conversation. Turning to Valentine, she nodded in agreement.

" Urban legends have been quite useful. The Hollywood types, as well as the other rich and famous, that stayed at the hotel during the early days certainly did their fair share of creating scandals. Those have been fun to play with as well. I plan to do a bit of antiquing in a day or two. Perhaps find a few items that will add to the atmosphere."

Valentine seemed to be a bit of a history buff, or perhaps it was just the history of jazz she liked. Sabine would have invited Valentine to join her but she did not wish to be rude to the other woman who had joined them. She did not know the dark haired lady well enough to know if that was something she would enjoy. Sabine also did not know who well enough to feel completely comfortable yet. The lady really hadn't spoken much yet for Sabine to decide one way or the other. Not wishing to insult either lady, she decided to leave off the invites for another time.

Sabine smiled at the dark haired woman as she sat down.

" Yes, I own a jazz club. It was inherited in a round-about sort of way."

Her smile at the comment was more to herself than to the others. It was hard not to be amused when you knew the history. She should really thank that jerk Boudreaux, but she wasn't going to.

" It is currently closed for a bit of repair work and renovations. But we should open again soon. Though, as I was telling....her, it is a bit of a themed club as is the hotel that hosts it. So, if you are not afraid of zombies, ghosts, and vampires you would probably enjoy it. It is called The Haunted."

Sabine caught herself. She had almost said Valentine's name. If she herself did not wish to give her name, she had no right to hand out someone else's. To keep the near slip fro being too noticeable, Sabine decided it was best to move on with the conversation. Turning to Valentine, she nodded in agreement.

" Urban legends have been quite useful. The Hollywood types, as well as the other rich and famous, that stayed at the hotel during the early days certainly did their fair share of creating scandals. Those have been fun to play with as well. I plan to do a bit of antiquing in a day or two. Perhaps find a few items that will add to the atmosphere."

Valentine seemed to be a bit of a history buff, or perhaps it was just the history of jazz she liked. Sabine would have invited Valentine to join her but she did not wish to be rude to the other woman who had joined them. She did not know the dark haired lady well enough to know if that was something she would enjoy. Sabine also did not know who well enough to feel completely comfortable yet. The lady really hadn't spoken much yet for Sabine to decide one way or the other. Not wishing to insult either lady, she decided to leave off the invites for another time.

Who knew that a net café in the middle of the night was a good place to advertise? Certainly, Val never would have thought of it. Although, as she glanced around, it was unlikely she’d be able to dig up many clients in a joint like this. Of course, geeks could surprise you.

She thought for a second of the crowd she’d run with back in the 20s and the scandals that had she had be associated with or just knew of first hand made her smile. It had been fun, and so much easier to shock people. Now those in the limelight were either abused by the press, or tried hard to be deliberately shocking; a shame really.

“I don’t know Nachton too well but there are some great spots down in New York although things are probably cheaper up state.”

She refrained from mentioning Chicago again, it just wouldn’t do to flaunt her bias to the city too much. But at the height of prohibition, both cities had been humming with activity, legal and otherwise, Chicago was just more publicized than New York.

Either way she was glad to hear Sabine was looking for the real thing rather than cheap knock offs, or even expensive knock offs. Giovanni had always said objects had memories. Whether he meant that literally or not Valentine wasn’t sure, but she believed it.

“It sounds like the hotel was a big name at one point. I wonder if there’d be a way to track down items from the Wyndum-Price?”

It was an open question and she smiled engagingly at the brunette inviting her to answer the question just as much as Sabine.

((OOC... consider Val out too... you can lock this up and I give Rae permission to beat me for being presumptious.))

(( OCC. sorry for keeping you guys waiting so long, rl has been CRAZY ))


Laughing softly at her words Alex threw her long hair back in a amuzed gesture, smirking at the other woman she recrossed her legs.

"No i'm not afraid of monsters, i'm a big girl I can stand my ground, and a Jazz club sounds lovely, I adore Jazz music, there are quite a few clubs in Paris (saying the word Paris her French accent was suddenly very audiable) I used to visit when i was living there"

Listening to the converstation going on between the two women she sat back and relaxed, she felt at ease, something Alex didn't feel that often, she felt she had to be on her guard most of the time making her rarely loose herself in something such as sitting back enjoying a conversation.. the only time she really felt free was when she was out dancing.. ahhh to go dancing.. it had been too long, who knew.. maybe she could visit the Jazz club and have some fun there one time.

Looking at both women Alex got out of her chair, she was starting to feel a little hungry and that ment time to go out for a snack, smiling she said her goodbye.

"It's been great to meet both of you, maybe we'll see eachother around"

With that said she put her bag over her shoulder and left the cafe in search of something warm and red to eat.

(( occ. Alexandra out ))