10: Nightlife

"So not our scene…" Adam muttered to himself. By his side, Ruby nodded in complete agreement.

They were waiting in line to try and get into one of Hallow's nightclubs. After searching the internet for nightlife activities in Hallow, they'd chosen this one as the best option for finding out more about vampires. It was called 'The Pump'…

The name was a little on the nose but not blatant enough to attract attention by itself. If not for Inky, Adam and Ruby wouldn't have considered this place to be a valid option. But after Adam's Shadow pointed out that 'Pump' could be referring to a heart pumping blood and that vampires were known for being insufferably smug, they had to admit that this was a good place to start.

So they waited in a cramped line, packed in against other people and each other like sardines. It moved so slowly as well. It was practically torture for the normally asocial Adam and Ruby.

Men and women in skimpy clothing surrounded them. Most of them were dressed as sluttily as the vampire from earlier. Exposed skin and bright colors were the name of the game tonight. Adam and Ruby didn't get the memo…

Adam's expression had been set in a constant glare ever since they got in line. More than one presumptuous woman had tried to pinch his butt, grope him, or otherwise come onto him. He shot them all down ruthlessly. He tried to be nice about it at first but that quickly changed after the first woman to try and cop a feel.

They weren't even in the club yet and they could already feel the bass of the music vibrating their blood. Adam was also quickly approaching his introverted limit for dealing with people. Especially with how Ruby was being pushed and tossed around due to her small size. He did his best to defend her with his bulk but he was about five seconds from starting to shove people back.

Suddenly, there was another shuffle of shoving movement from the line, and a girl not much bigger than Ruby came seemingly flying out of the crowd. The girl then stopped in mid-air, righted herself, and landed gracefully on her feet as if she hadn't just defied gravity and inertia.

The first thing Adam noticed about her was the gravity-defying stunt she'd just pulled so casually. The second thing was how she was dressed. She wore all black in a style that was undeniably Goth and immediately got Adam's blood pumping. The only color in her outfit other than black was the red of her striped stockings and high-top Converse.

The black slip of a dress she wore hugged the curves of her figure, hinting at the wonderful body underneath without being obscene. The dress was short-sleeved but additional sleeves, sheer enough to be seethrough, covered the rest of her arms. When taken with the girl's red and black stockings, almost none of her skin was left bare.

Her face was heart-shaped — with petite black-painted lips, brilliant blue eyes, and a button nose — and certifiably adorable. Not Ruby-adorable, but damn close. While she lacked Ruby's pure and wholesome vibe, this girl substituted with a sense of energy and unending confidence in herself that was just as attractive.

She turned a wide smile upon Adam and Ruby, showing off just the barest hint of elongated canines, "Woo! That was a close one! Sorry about that!"

"Uh… no problem. No one was hurt. Just, uh, be careful where you're flying next time, yeah?" Adam said.

The girl giggled as if Adam had just made the funniest joke, "I guess I got a bit excited. It's my first time out of the castle after all! I'm so pumped to see how all the Human boys get down!"

Adam and Ruby looked at the girl queerly for her outdated slang and Adam asked, "Castle?"

"Yeah, you know, the one up on the hill outside of town? You can't miss it. Dad likes to keep me all cooped up. For my safety or something… Pft, as if anything out here could hurt me…

"Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Mavis! It's nice to meet you two! Especially you, Mister~" Mavis introduced herself, practically purring at Adam with sultry, bedroom eyes.

Ruby growled adorably next to Adam, drawing Mavis' attention to her. Mavis met her eyes, cocking her head but never losing her excited grin. An understanding seemed to pass between the two Goth girls in a fraction of a second, unnoticed by Adam or anyone else around them. They gave each other satisfied nods and the world resumed.

"Hi, Mavis," Adam greeted, introducing himself in turn. "I'm Adam and this little cinnamon roll is Ruby. We're a bit out of our depth here…"

"Oh! Yeah, I noticed that!" Mavis said cheerfully. "Here, let me see if I can help!"

Adam and Ruby exchanged glances as Mavis turned her back to them. There was a flash of her eyes as she turned, unnoticeable by everyone other than Adam and Ruby. It was like her blue eyes turned blood red for a moment there…

"Give them some space!" Mavis practically growled, her voice reverberating with… something… that seemed to pass harmlessly over Adam and Ruby.

As one, the crowd of thirsty club bitches that had gathered around Adam stepped back. None of them seemed aware of what they were doing or why they were doing it. They just obeyed Mavis' command as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Soon after, the crowd's attention naturally began to drift off of Adam, finding something else to do or someone else to thirst over.

Mavis turned back to them. The bright, energetic smile was back on her face like it had never left, "There we go! That should take care of that problem!"

Adam and Ruby looked at each other again. Then at the crowd seemingly ignoring the three of them. Then at Mavis' seemingly ever-present smile. Then back at each other. Mavis watched this all, ignorant of what was going through their heads but amused by how in sync the two were.

"Can you give us a second alone?" Adam requested politely.

Mavis' reply was perky and entirely unbothered, "Sure!"

She turned around, facing forward in the line. She hummed happily, holding her hands behind her back and swaying cutely as she waited. Adam pulled Ruby into his side and turned the both of them around as well. They huddled together, Ruby blushing slightly at their proximity but focusing up when Adam began speaking.

"So… what do you think? Vampire?" Adam asked.

"Definitely," Ruby agreed, nodding a bit too hard. "It's like she's not even trying to hide it. What do we do now?"

"I think our best bet for information is to stick with her," Adam suggested. "But we'll have to be subtle about it. She's not hostile yet and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Yeah, she's nice…" Ruby's tone hinted at something Adam couldn't decipher. It wasn't jealousy, more like consideration. But Adam couldn't tell what Ruby was thinking about.

"Right…" Adam set it aside for now and turned back to Mavis with Ruby following him. "Hey, Mavis? What do you think about hanging out with us tonight? Us loners gotta stick together, right?"

Mavis spun around faster than either of them could blink, "Yeah! Wait… How'd you know?"

Adam shrugged, "Just a hunch. You did say that this is your first time out of the… castle… Why'd you decide to come to a club like this for your first night out anyway?"

Mavis giggled, "Oh, that's simple. My Dad knows the owner. They go, like, waaaaayyyy~ back or something."

"Huh… If your dad knows the owner, why are you waiting in line? Shouldn't you be able to skip ahead and get in with no problem?" Adam asked curiously.

Mavis blinked in utter surprise, "You can do that?"

The shock on her face only lasted for a brief moment before she was smiling again. She grabbed Adam and Ruby by the hand, pulling them along behind her with uncharacteristic strength. Mavis was strong, even for a woman of this world…

The crowded line parted for her naturally and she seemed to float along as she pulled them, beaming a smile over her shoulder at them, "C'mon! I wanna get inside already! I've heard so many good things about this place from Auntie D!"

"Auntie D?" Ruby somehow managed to ask in the chaos.

"Yeah! She's the club's owner! As I said, she and my Dad go way back! She's kinda scary but really cool too!" Mavis answered, coming to a stop at the front of the line.

A bouncer blocked the club's door, entirely unimpressed by Mavis' line-skipping stunt, "Y'all got ID?"

The bouncer was perhaps the most well-muscled woman Adam had ever seen. She wasn't actually that tall but that didn't make her any less intimidating. Her abs had abs and her thighs looked like they could crush a watermelon with ease. The amount of work she'd obviously put into her body was impressive and she showed off that effort with just a sports bra and skintight spandex shorts. If only she was Goth… [AN: Leanbeefpatty insert just because ¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

Mavis froze, suddenly looking guilty and sheepish, "Uh… Noooooooooo~…? But I know the owner!"

The bouncer sighed, "That's what they all say… Alright, I'll bite, kid. What's your name?"

Mavis' smile returned in full force, "Mavis Dracula! Lady D is my Auntie!"

The bouncer froze halfway through making a shooing motion with her hand, "Mavis… Dracula…? Ah, shit, kid, I didn't think you were bein' serious. Go right on in. And, uh, maybe don't tell the boss about this next time you see her…?"

"Thank you!" Mavis beamed. "They're with me. Can they come in too?"

The bouncer looked Adam and Ruby up and down, "… Yeah, they're cool. Make sure to keep a close eye on your gentleman here, ladies. The bitches in there can be ruthless… Especially when it comes to a prime piece of meat like him…"

Mavis pulled a mock salute that somehow came across as completely genuine, "Will do! C'mon, let's go dance!"

Before they could blink, Adam and Ruby were once again being pulled insistently by the hand. Adam tried his best to ignore the bouncer's admiring gaze on his newly transformed muscles as they passed her into the club. At least she kept her hands to herself though.

"God damn…" the bouncer muttered to herself after the trio went inside. "When was the last time I saw a hunk with actual muscles…? They certainly didn't make boys like that before I was turned…"

The moment they entered The Pump, Adam, Ruby, and Mavis were assaulted by an almost solid wall of sensation. The music was loud enough to pump their blood for them. The lights were dim with a blood-red tint, broken up only by flashes of color that seemed to sync with the music. Thankfully, they had room to breathe now that they were inside.

Compared to the line outside, the club was practically spacious and expansive. An open floor plan allowed for plenty of room for movement and dancing. People gathered in groups, naturally leaving pathways between themselves that someone could use to navigate the club.

The ceiling of the club was high and arched, disappearing into shadows at the very top of the club. The architecture looked more fit for a church or cathedral than a nightclub. The rest of the decor followed along with the dark gothic vibe.

False columns reached for the arched ceiling, supporting nothing and only adding to the club's aesthetic. A bar lined the wall nearest to the club's entrance, constantly brimming with activity as almost unnaturally beautiful bartenders served customer after customer.

Other than the bar, booths with tables were situated off to one side of the club. A decent amount of the booths were occupied, allowing clubgoers a somewhat quiet place to take a break from the energy of the club.

The dance floor was obviously the focus of the club's main area. It was suitably crowded with men and women, dancing, flirting, and just generally having a good time. Perpendicular strips of reinforced glass set into the dance floor formed what looked to be a giant, disproportional cross. If that didn't clue Adam and Ruby in that this was a club by vampires, for vampires, the statue of a fallen angel on the back wall and the — thankfully empty — cages hanging above the dance floor certainly did.

Then there were the people of the club themselves. They treated the dance floor like a place to throw away all inhibitions or societal norms. Adam and Ruby didn't know whether that was normal for a nightclub but it certainly didn't put them at ease.

More than once, they witnessed a supernaturally beautiful man or woman leading someone of their preferred gender off the dance floor. The 'victims' all had the same Lust-drunk looks on their faces, following along behind their seducers as if they'd be willing to throw themselves off a cliff for the smallest hint of a reward. Some of the supposed vampires didn't even bother leaving the dance floor, simply latching onto necks while they danced like they were having the most aggressive grinding/makeout session in the world.

"I-Is… Is this normal?" Ruby quietly asked Adam, still having to shout slightly to be heard over the music.

"I don't think anything about this night can be called normal…" Adam deadpanned in response.

"Uh… Wow…" Even Mavis looked slightly taken aback. The look she shot Adam after seeing the way people were grinding and dancing with each other was positively naughty though.

Her trademark grin quickly returned to her face, "Let's dance! I've never danced with a boy before! C'mon, Ruby! Let's give him the time of his life and make all these other girls jealous!"

Ruby squeaked and the next thing she knew, she was on the outskirts of the dance floor in Mavis' arms. She blushed at the feeling of the (probable) vampire's soft body against her own. Adam wasn't far behind them though, and when he naturally slotted into place behind Ruby, her blush went nuclear.

Mavis' grin took on a mischievous tint as her eyes flicked up and down between Ruby's face and Adam's behind her. Then the perky gothic vampire started to move to the music and Ruby found herself instinctively following along.

She felt the wall of muscles that Adam had become on her back, pressing into her and making her core drip. She felt her body heat up and her blood start to pump. She felt Adam's hands gravitate to her hips and her mind stuttered. She felt the softness of Mavis' chest against her own as the sheltered vampire leaned closer with a knowing grin on her face. And Ruby found herself smiling back, just losing herself in the sensation of having Adam so close to her thanks to this unpredictable ball of energy that was quickly worming her way past Ruby's social anxiety.

Ruby gave herself over to the music, letting Mavis and Adam guide her from either side. The implications of this little dance would come crashing down on her soon enough. For now, though, she was too lost in the moment to give her anxiety any power over her…