12 Cantansoa I

Cantansoa.

A dazzling place of lights and nightlife. It is one of the most famous nightclubs in Atlantis, bringing in many popular stars and prominent public figures. Especially of the Sleepers races.

Snow wasn't the type to know much about clubbing, but Cantansoa was one of the hotspots of magical trades and info gathering.

The moment she parked her car and left out the door, she could hear the bustling sound of excited people chattering away as they headed towards Cantanosa. Every single one of them was dressed for the occasion, while Snow, forgotten to change and was in her usual wear.

Cantansoa was one of the most dazzling buildings out of all the surrounding skyscrapers around it. The flashy lights were almost comparable to the nightlife of Las Vegas lights, with its neon colors sparkle. The building was situated in the circular center with streets circling the building, giving it space from the other city structures like an island.

Taxi cars were parked on the side, shuttling people in more and more. A few times, a limousine stopped to let out a rich man or a woman, sometimes a group of them all out at once.

Snow felt entirely out of place from the night light of the club. Her normal wear stood out from the crowd as she headed straight towards the entrance, where one burly man with thick muscles and another who was a lot leaner than his partner. Both were wearing black and white tuxedos, hair slicked back, and their hands in front of them. Their guns by their hips. One of them had a large scar running down the side of his bald head, while the other had a big cross-shaped across the nose from lips to the end of each eye. It was quite an intimidating sight.

She knew instantly that the two standing guards were no human. Snow had a feeling that they were hell hounds, trained to be guard dogs. A convincing illusion was cast on their shell, giving them a figure of a human. When one of the human girls went up to coyly talk with the guard and even touch his shoulder, the guard snarled, glaring at her as if she was an insignificant bug. In fright, the human girl snatched her hands back as she sped away.

The only human that was in front of the two was the third security guard who was happily chattering away and checking each person as they entered inside the building. Snow was heading straight towards the line, getting ready to line up herself when she was suddenly yanked backward.

"Snow." Heather hissed, she was wearing a gorgeous dark green one-piece dress that seemed to fit perfectly with her body. Her hair was sleeked back with gel as she wore a beautiful black high heels that matched with her clothes. Luxurious but straightforward jewelry decorated her neck and wrist, accentuating her figure. On her left hand, she was carrying a paper bag.

"Heather?!" Snow was startled by Heather's sudden appearance. What was more surprising was that she was blending in with the extravagant crowd. "When did you get here?" Heather let her go, allowing her to stand up properly.

"Two seconds ago. I saw you boldly walking to the front, looking like….." Heather frowned deeply as she gazed at Snow was wearing. Snow could tell that she was disappointed in her outfit. "This." She waved her hand up and down in front of Snow.

Snow rolled her eyes at Heather's motion and tried to ignore her.

"You seriously think, a high-class night club will allow you to waltz in there wearing your everyday clothes?"

"Why not?" Snow was confused; it wasn't like she went to a high-class club every day. "It's normal, isn't it?"

"No!" Heather threw up her hand, disappointed in Snow's words. "This is Cantansoa. The number one club in Atlanta! There is a strict dress code, no streetwear." She sighed at Snow's oblivious remark.

"So….?"

"You're going to need to change." With a rough push, the paper bag that Heather had in her hand was given to Snow. "I knew you wouldn't be thinking right when you wanted to rush here. I assumed you had at least took care of yourself, blending in the crowd without looking like a sore thumb. If I didn't know any better, you would have waltzed right in and got kicked out."

"But we don't have time." Snow hissed, rumpling up the paper bag. She wasn't happy to suddenly change into her clothes when Mr. Jay was in trouble. "Mr. Jay could be dead!"

Heather's right hand alarmingly raised quickly, blocking out Snow's lips. She glared at Snow, shaking her head at her naivety. "Are you trying to catch everyone's attention?" With a low hiss, she glanced around, hoping that no one heard. "We don't know if he is or not. You already called in the magical force."

"Do you think I wouldn't catch on?" Heather folded her arms, giving Snow an all-knowing look that told her that she couldn't keep any secret from her. "I know when you feel upset, mostly when it's something this important. I've been your friend since we were kids. Let's quickly get you into those clothes and get this over with. The Magical Force should be there investigating the situation."

"Yea, but…." Snow frowned deeper, thinking about what they should do. This whole thing was now becoming a bit more complicated.

"But what?" Heather placed her hand on her hips, staring at her. "There is something more, isn't there?"

Biting her lower lips, her fingers fidgeted. "Yes. Mr. Jay's phone." She quickly replied. "I need to delete my calls and even trace it back to the phone provider."

"Are you serious?" Heather was stumped at how far Snow was going to go just for a phone. "It's just a phone."

"No. You don't get it." Snow was getting a bit irritated with Heather. Even though Heather was smart at times, there were times like now she wasn't getting it. "I heard him." She whispered.

"And? It's not like he's going to know it was you."

"Never mind. Let's just go in and out and get this over with." Snow wasn't sure if she wanted to tell her friend anymore.

Heather was staring at her skeptically; then she shrugged her shoulders. "I'm patient. I can wait all day until you are ready. Let's get you changed out of those clothes and get this over with."

"Thanks," with a relief tone of voice, she knew Heather wasn't the pushy type that would force her to spill everything when she wasn't comfortable. She hurried over towards the nearest building, where she borrowed the bathroom. Luckily, there was somewhere to change.

As she stepped out the bathroom, Heather's lips curled up into a satisfied smile as she looked Snow up and down.

Snow was wearing a long one-piece dress that perfectly fit her body figure. A white rose design cut across from her right chest down to her hip like a belt. Down the middle, two see-through fabric could be seen, bringing out her chest, while a black piece of cloth covered up to her neck.

Heather stepped forward, reaching up towards Snow's hair. With a whisk of her magic, she was able to magically twist her hair into a knot as her hand slipped in a large black and white flower pinned into her hair. She even had a simple blue sapphire necklace conjured up from thin air as she placed it around her neck.

"Now, that's more like it." Heather replied with a grin, "I hate how you hide your figure in your everyday clothes,….something like this brings out your figure and eyes."

"Well, we don't go out to such events so often." Snow grunted, she wasn't too comfortable in the clothes that she was wearing.

"By the way, where is Dairen?"

Snow realized that she had forgotten all about Dairen, but then it hit her. "He should be coming in later." She replied, remembering that she had told Dairen to come at a particular time.

"Good." Heather was pleased. She grabbed Snow's hand and pulled her towards Cantanosa with a happy expression. "Let's quickly go in and do what we need to do and have some fun." She winked.

All Snow could do was sigh; she knew Heather's personality, especially her. Mermaids were known to party hard, and it seems Heather was going to follow that instinct and do just that, forgetting about Mr. Jay entirely. All she could do was keep Heather out of trouble.

There were many times when Heather ended up in someone's bed, but that didn't seem to bother Heather at all. She partied hard and enjoyed every single aspect of life, and Snow didn't completely restrict her. Compared to her, Heather knew how to take care of herself when things went south like last club night. Snow remembered Heather backhanded an aggressive male and flipped him over her shoulder. Eventually, breaking his wrist as she gave him a wicked kick in the groin. Both Heather and her were able to get out unscathed, but remembering back, it wasn't a bad night at all.

Today though was different. Snow was on edge, thinking that the killer was still hanging around, watching the people go in and out of the club, especially the Magical Enforcers that Snow saw a glimpse of entering and exiting. They didn't look anything like the police but blended in perfectly with the Sleepers. The only way to differentiate them was the blue sapphire ear piercing on one ear.

Both Snow and Heather lined up, waiting to get in. Snow noticed that a large number of Sleepers people were staring at Heather, which she didn't mind. Instead, she seemed to glow with a hint of magic that gave her a glamor spell that her body naturally gave. All mermaids had such ability for attracting the best mate. Even still, Snow felt like quite a large number of people were staring at her, which she felt a bit uncomfortable.

"Snow." Heather shook at her friend's timid attitude with a sigh. "You look beautiful, you always have. Now chin up and look forward as if you own the place." With a nudge of her shoulder, she gave Snow a boost of confidence.

Snow tried her best to push away her doubt and worry; she knew that acting suspicious wasn't going to get her anywhere. Probably, working the way that Heather wanted her too, she might blend in a whole lot better. Straightening her back, chin up, she did precisely what Heather asked of her. Confidence brew out of Snow's body, giving her a different allure than Heather.

Heather had a natural sexiness that all mermaids had, swinging her hips like a metronome as she walked. While Snow was different, a silent but doll-like natural beauty that gave a sense of soft and warm appeal that rivaled Heather's. She had a high class feel about her that told the others that these two girls were no easy prey. If one was to choose which of the two, anyone would have said both.

As they made their way to the front, the security guard came over with a smile as he rubbed his hand. He took a good look at Heather with a hint of lust that glimmered in his eyes. Heather smirked at him, showing off her simple emerald ring that caught his attention. Instantly, he recognized the ring, knowing full well who she was. His whole demeanor changed, straightening up with a grim expression.

"Welcome, but if you don't mind, a quick check?" the security guard motion her forward as he waved a metal detector in his hand.

"Get it over with." Heather was in no hurry to get in. The security guard quickly did his job, nodded, and let her through.

Snow was glad that she didn't forget her ring that identified her to the Dragon Express. Dragon Express was one of the top three guilds that took in monster parts, hunts, and missions that couldn't be generally found in the smaller guilds. She waved her ring in front of her, showing him that she was also from the same association.

The security guard nodded without a single hint of flirting with anyone of the two and took his job seriously. People in line noticed the sudden change, wondering who these two beauties were to be treated in such away. Most of the time, the guards would joke around with the Sleepers and sometimes would ruff handle the ones that caused trouble, casting them out. But instead, the two ladies were given respect as they were chaperoned in by another man.

"Hello," A tall, handsome Caucasian man walked forward. He wore a dark blue suit with a white shirt and tie. Even his hair was slicked back, showing off his angular jawline that accentuated his look. His gray eyes were watching Snow and Heather with interest as he brought his hand forward for Heather to take. "It is a pleasure to see the famous beauties of the Dragon Express to grace us with their presence."

"We just came here to meet a few people and to enjoy our night," Heather stated calmly, she took his hand, wrapping it around.

Then the man motioned with his other hand towards Snow, who reluctantly took it. She wasn't keen about being so close to him, especially because she didn't get a good vibe from him. Her guts were always right, but from the looks of the man, she got the feeling that he was someone important.

"My name is Jay Rogers or Mr. Rogers, and I'll be your host." Roger's smiled, which brought out his natural charm even more.

Snow and Heather was brought into the club. The moment they entered, it was quite different from the usual Sleepers clubs. In the darkroom, lit up with neon lights, a speckled blue star-like dust floated in the air. Beautiful lamps like chandelier were dangling on the ceiling as it gently glowed as if they were candles in it, giving it a romantic vibrancy. In the center of the room was a large square bar that had an aquarium tank that took a good portion of the floor. Inside the tank was a mermaid who danced and swam with the music, catching people's attention. For Sleepers, they assumed it was a show and didn't think much of it, but Snow and Heather knew better.

On the left were open dance floor with flashing lights. The Dj was stationed on a booth as he played the top songs from the Sleepers human world. They were also boxed booths and tables on the outer edges, all around the room, eventually leading up towards the stairway that led up to the second floor.

In the back, Snow saw a small waterfall, cascading down into a large fountain, where she saw a few mermaids swimming in it. Quite a few males were over by the fountain, attempting to catch their attention as the mermaids giggled and sweetly gave them a charming smile. She had the feeling that the second floor had a large pool because quite a few more mermaids were looking over the balcony, chatting with each other.

Dazzling male and female elves were wearing bartender clothes that were serving the house specialties.

Snow was surprised that they were elves working in the club, mainly because they weren't the type to be in such humanistic nightlife.

Rogers saw Snow's gaze fall on the elves, and he replied, "We are in contract with the local elves, where we provide Magic Ruby Stones in exchange for their local Evergreen Alcohol. The downside is that we can't handle them; instead, they have sent over their kind to handle their exotic drinks. Which, I must say, is the number one alcohol that is being sold in our club." He stated proudly, "People far and wide come over to try it. Would you ladies would like to take a drink? It's on the house."

Heather instantly replied with an excited expression. "I would love too."

"Great." Rogers waved over one of the elf waitress; she was a silver-haired beauty that had an ethereal look. Her big gray eyes and soft appearance made her eye-catching. "Bring these two the Moonlight Special."

The elf nodded and headed towards the bar.

"Heather," Snow hissed behind Mr. Roger's back. They came here to do business more than play around, and she was in a hurry to get to the phone.

Heather instantly realized what Snow wanted. "Sorry, Mr. Rogers. We came here on appointment."

"Oh?" Mr. Rogers stopped and glanced at the two ladies in his arm. "Mr. Jay, I presume?"

"Yes and no." Snow spoke, she wasn't going to dilly dally to get her answer. She wanted to know now what had happened to Mr. Jay. "First, I came to meet Mr. Jay. I was wondering where he is."

"Mr. Jay is doing well. He was attacked by someone twenty minutes ago, and the Magical Police are here speaking with him. Would you like to go up and meet with him?"

Snow was shocked. She assumed the worse and thought that he was dead, but to hear that he was okay brought an enormous relief to her mind. The tenseness that she had washed away, leaving behind a more relaxed state of mind.

"He was attacked?!" Heather blurted out, surprised. She wasn't expecting such an answer as her mouth hung half-open and closed quickly. "What happened?"

"A drug addict came over and started a fight with him over some trivial things. He was apprehended and sent to his own kind's prison." Mr. Jay wasn't thrilled with the idea of Sleepers humans, causing trouble at his club. Snow could hear a hint of disgust when he stated Sleepers.

"Is he alright?" asked Heather, concerned.

"Yes, just a bit of a scare. That's all." Mr. Jay chuckled that sounded close to a purr.

"Could we meet with him?" Snow asked. She had a feeling that Mr. Jay wasn't telling everything, making her wonder why.

"Of course." He gave her a big smile. "This way."

He led them up the stairs, where there was a large pool, where the light changed colors every few seconds. People were swimming, while a few jumped in with their clothes drunk. Heather stared at the pool, excited, wanting to go in, but she held herself back.

As they walked towards the back, they came to a booth, sectioned off by a few guards. When the guards saw Mr. Jay, they opened up the ropes that divided the rest from the others, allowing them to enter.

Upon entering, Snow saw Mr. Jay surrounded by a large number of female mermaids, elves, and a few unfamiliar faces that she didn't know. From left to right, there was a high elf, wearing nothing but a one-piece woody's clothes that was a blend between plant and fabric with white and black goose feathers around her shoulders. Her silver hair ran down her back and towards the floor, pulled back with gel. Her sharp eyes, high nose, and cheeks gave her a model look that one sees in a famous fashion runway.

Next to her was a handsome Asian man, who had a more boyish face, with his hair in a comma curls with his black hair. His dark brown eyes gazed at them with interest as he held a cup of alcohol in his hand. For some reason, Snow got the feeling that he was some kind of wizard from the magical fluctuation around him. He was quite well built, under the nice grey suit that he wore.

Mr. Jay had an arm around a young mermaid with bright orange hair. He was half drunk, laughing at the conversation that he was having with her. From Snow's guess, Mr. Jay was around the age of mid-forties. He still looked very youthful. Compared to the other two who was neatly dressed, Mr. Jay was in more of a casual wear with the infamous Hawaiian shirt that he always likes to wear.

When he saw Snow and Heather, his eyes brightened up with pleasure. "Snow! Heather!" He spoke as if nothing was wrong with him at all. "Glad that you can make it."

"Mr. Jay…." Snow was unsure how to respond to Mr. Jay's sudden bright personality. In actuality, it made her a bit uncomfortable.

"Come sit down." He motioned her forward, telling her to sit across from the Asian man.

Snow let go of Mr. Rogers and took a seat. Mr. Jay slipped in next to her, followed by Heather, who was now basically wrapped around his arm. She was quite surprised that Heather took quite a liking to Mr. Roger's so quickly. It wasn't like her.

"This is Ms. Elyressa Elva, the high elf priestess, and Mr. Choi, a wizard who works as a top actor in Rose, who came to visit for a while."

"Just call me Andy." Andy spoke, "the formality is a bit too stifling to me." He gave them a warm smile.

On the other hand, Elyressa wasn't giving much of a warm greeting and just nodded.

"My name is Snow, and this is Heather." Snow replied, introducing herself. "We work for Mr. Jay at Dragon Express."

"Oh? The three famous beauties that work at the Dragon Express?" Andy spoke with interest; he leaned over.

"Famous beauties? I never heard such rumors before…." Snow was caught off guard by the sudden information. It wasn't something she often heard, probably never because most of her time was spent in Dragon Express.

Andy chuckled, enjoying Snow's expression. "Every Adventurer knows this."

Snow was surprised at Andy. "That's quite an old name you have brought up."

With a wave of his hand, he leaned back into the seat. "Adventurer. Hunter. They are both the same thing nowadays. We are still considered adventurers in this day and age, still discovering new things as we go. It wasn't even a month ago, a new tomb was discovered, and the monsters were slain."

"True…" said Snow, it was just that it wasn't often that such words were used. Instead, being called a Hunter was the new thing these days from the younger generations.

"Even now, we still use the word guild, but in the Sleepers human world, we are seen as a business company to hide our presence." Andy reached over to take a drink. The elven lady brought over more drinks as Mr. Rogers pushed the glass towards Heather and Snow. "Either way, whatever we are called wouldn't matter." He chuckled, taking a sip.

Andy was watching Snow's expression trying to get a feel of her; he was interested in what she would say and do. "So, with that being said. The three great divas or the famous beauty are none other than Heather, Lily, and you, Ms. Snow. All the hunters come far and wide to have their request, missions, and even a chance to talk with you." He chuckled.

Snow was startled that so many people came far and wide for them, just such thought boggled her mind. For what purpose, but to interact with them and flirt. Which almost all the males and even sometimes females customers did without shame. Still, this feeling of being known was something that she didn't expect.

"Snow," Mr. Jay chuckled. He was tipsy as his arm was slung around the mermaid's shoulders. He was chuckling into her red hair as she coyly smiled at Snow. "Have you forgotten the photoshoot that happens every end of December?"

"Yes….?" Snow wasn't sure where the topic was going at.

"We make Dragon Express yearly calendar every year." Mr. Jay replied with glee, catching Snow entirely off guard.

She finally understood why there were so many photoshoots done every year. It was to make a stupid calendar that was sold off to the masses. Her eyes darted towards Heather, who nodded her head at her, telling her that Mr. Jay wasn't lying. She then realized that she was the naïve one who didn't know that her picture was being sold, and she wasn't getting any profit!

"Wait…..you sold my picture without giving us any profit from it?" Snow's voice was slowly increasing in anger at the thought of how stingy Mr. Jay was. "No, better yet. Why wasn't I told?"

"Now. Now." Mr. Jay was waving his hand in front of him. "This was all marketing purposes. You have gotten your six months extra income every time." He spoke as if it wasn't a big deal.

Snow's anger slowly started to rise; she wanted to throttle Mr. Jay for the lies and using her picture without full consent. Now that she thought about it…..all those embarrassing cosplay photos…. Her cheeks turned warm.

"That small compensation doesn't equate to anything!" Snow yelled, pissed off.

"Calm down, Snow." Heather was looking at Snow worriedly. She knew that once Snow was angry, it was game over. "We can talk about this later. Right now…..we came here for a different reason."

Snow was simmering with heat; she was unconsciously crackling magical energy that amplified her glow around her. Her aura became stifling and dangerous; everyone who knew Snow knew that her unconscious magic flares were deadly. In most cases, it was known to stab at a person energy source depleting them and wounding them for a whole week, making it impossible to do anything but stay coupe up in bed.

"I know." Snow growled. She eyed Mr. Jay pissed. "Mr. Jay. You better increase my pay. I don't work for free, and all the pictures you have taken are not in the contract. Every snapshot you use to sell my image for profit for Dragon Express, you will give me a fair amount of profit. Or else, I will go to The End Judge and sue you." She was cold with her statement, not holding a single word back. Just because Mr. Jay was her employer didn't mean she didn't have the guts to stand up when she was being used unjustly.

"Sweetheart." Mr. Jay was sweating at the amount of pressure that Snow's magical energy was giving. The others who were around were taken aback by the overflow.

"Don't sweetheart me, Mr. Jay." Her voice cut through his weak attempt to compliance her.

With a sigh, Mr. Jay nodded. He knew full well that the judges were a hard case that would easily take up cases like Snow's. Especially being overworked and underpaid, the thought of him losing a significant amount of money wasn't something that he wanted, especially he knew that it was going to be a lot.

Snow's aura started to lower; she was pleased that Mr. Jay was going to agree. Working under Mr. Jay, she knew he wasn't the type to want to battle against a law case that he was going to lose. This was one such case.

"We'll get the contract done tomorrow. I'll be visiting you, Mr. Jay. Do not forget."

Mr. Jay nodded, he was displeased, but it didn't bother him too much.

"Now. Now." Mr. Roger smiled, breaking the cold and heavy silence that was lingering in the air.

"Why don't we enjoy ourselves for tonight." He raised his glasses, motioning everyone else too.

Snow took a look at the glass on the table and back and Mr. Rogers. She wasn't a big fan of alcohol, but she felt like she had accomplished something significant by making Mr. Jay raise her pay. It was always a struggle to get a dime out of him.

"Yes, to a pleasant night!" Heather quickly picked up her drink in a bright, cheerful mood.

The others picked up their drink and followed after. They all clinked their glass and took a deep gulp.

Snow was surprised at the smoothness of the drink which had a fruity like taste. At first, it was a harsh burn followed by a coolness that went down her throat and eventually into her stomach. Her cheeks slightly blushed from the warmth. The drink was quite enjoyable that she couldn't help but take a few more gulps, eventually finishing it without much problem.

"Good?" Heather asked with a pleasant expression. She was a heavy drinker and could take on this small amount of alcohol with no problem.

"Yea." Snow replied, "I would like another one." She spoke, a bit surprised she wanted more.

"Excellent!" Mr. Rogers replied. "Don't worry about the payment; tonight is all you can drink." He throttled cheerfully.

Eventually, she drank a few more, enjoying the fruity taste of the drink coursing down her throat.