Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

(The Werewolf, the Hunter, and the One Left Behind)

After a long flight the next day, Calliope, Asmodeus, Dysnomi, and Nagaveni get off the plane at the airport. It's not long before the group's grabbing their luggage and taking a car downtown to check into the hotel they booked, where they drop off their bags in their suites and change for a night at the bar.

Calliope changes into tight, distressed skinny jeans and a loose black t-shirt that's cropped right above her navel, allowing her gleaming silver and diamond piercing to show, along with the tattooed mermaid tail that follows along the side of her left hip bone, ending with beautiful coral and other colorful sea plants bursting from the waistline of the tail at her lower back. She styles thick Viking-style braids along each side of her head, letting them hang down at the sides, the rest of her hair falling loosely along her shoulders and her back. She pulls on thin, high-heeled black ankle boots – complete with laces and a silver buckle at the ankles – before replacing the regular half-inch tunnels in her ears with a set of golden tunnels that have golden pentagrams dangling from the ends. The golden Hand of Restoration is still sitting on her hand, though she's certain it's no longer working. She hopes she's wrong, of course, but she doesn't seem to be healing anymore – her hand and elbow still have deep bruises on them, and her chest still sports the long cut that Menoetius gave her.

She checks her face in the mirror, gently touching the now-scarring red slice across her cheek – the one cut that seems to be healing – and the jagged red mark along her forehead that goes into her hairline. She sighs, feeling a bit sad, then she jumps when she hears a sharp knocking on the door to her suite.

She hurries over to answer the door and finds Nagaveni standing on the other side.

"Whoa, you look gorgeous!" Nagaveni exclaims.

"You must be talking about yourself, 'cause look at you!" Calliope replies, whistling at her.

Nagaveni blushes and dismisses the compliment, but Calliope's serious. Nagaveni put on a pair of black skinny jeans and a tight, long-sleeve hot-pink shirt that she has tucked into her jeans. Her silver Serpent Tamer amulet is hanging around her neck, meaning her snakes have been put to sleep. In their place, only long black hair can be seen flowing over her shoulders and back, all the way to her waist. She's wearing a pair of three-inch hot-pink heels, and a pair of linear diamond drop earrings dangle from her ears.

"Are you ready to go? I think the guys are already waiting in the lobby," Nagaveni says. She sounds excited and her eyes sparkle as if to prove it.

"Yep, I'm ready. My contact will be meeting us at the bar when it gets dark, so we've got time to kill. Might as well get a drink or two while we're waiting." Calliope grabs the key to her suite before hurrying out the door, shutting it behind her, and following her best friend to the lobby.

When the girls get downstairs, they see Dysnomi and Asmodeus standing across from each other, while pointedly ignoring one another.

Dysnomi lets out a wolf whistle and says, "Damn, look at you two. You both look amazing!" He looks at Nagaveni with a friendly gleam in his eye, then turns his gaze to Calliope, letting his eyes roam down her body and back up, a smirk playing on his face as usual.

Nagaveni blushes and looks at the floor, while Calliope returns his gaze, taking him in.

'He's looking as good as always.'

He's wearing a black tank top and black jeans with black combat boots on. His shoulder-length hair is perfectly disheveled, and he's got it flipped to one side. It almost looks like he just woke up… 'or just had sex.' His black and gray tattoos line both of his arms, from his shoulders to his wrists, making the rest of his pale skin look even lighter. He's got plain gold chains on his wrists, around his neck, and one hanging from the left side of his jeans.

Finally, she meets his eyes, watching the golden specks shine in them. "You're not looking so bad yourself," she responds. "Love what you did with the hair."

He smiles and runs his hands through it, mussing it again. "Oh yeah? You like that, huh?" he laughs.

Asmodeus shoots a hard look at Dysnomi – eyes darkening for a moment – before finally breaking his glare to look at Calliope. "You look so beautiful," he says, breathless. "I gotta say, I've dealt many contracts with beautiful women – models, actresses, dancers, singers – but none of them can ever hope to attain the beauty you possess." He looks her up and down, and she can see in his piercing gaze how much he wants her. "…I didn't know you have a tattoo," he says, shocked. "It fits you, though. The tail, the sea plants, the beautiful colors… ¡Me encanta! It certainly looks amazing on you, as does everything else."

"Oh, you didn't know about her tattoo? I'm surprised… I thought you had gotten pretty intimate with her before," Dysnomi says with a sneer, his disgust evident in his voice. "I mean, I know you at least planned to, didn't you? It must be so hard to control yourself around beautiful women like her, especially when it goes against your nature to control yourself at all."

Calliope watches Asmodeus as his eyes turn black and he takes a step toward Dysnomi. Asmodeus looks like a god with his flawless skin and his silky black hair pushed to the side, showing off his undercut with lines shaved into it to look like flames. Asmodeus is wearing a blood-red long-sleeve shirt that he's left halfway unbuttoned, leaving his taut chest muscles and abs exposed – further confirming his godlike appearance in Calliope's mind – and a dark-black pair of skinny jeans that have a hole in one knee. He's also wearing a black pair of flat shoes, and he has a thin chain around his neck, along with a thin necklace that hangs down lower, holding a stainless steel horned demon skull piece between his pecs.

"What are you implying, trickster?" Asmodeus's voice cuts through the air, sounding demonic and penetrating, as if it's piercing through their souls.

Dysnomi doesn't back down. Instead, he takes a step forward himself, using his magic to project an image of himself in an attempt to appear more threatening. "You heard me, demon," he says, his magic causing his voice to surround them, blocking out all other sound. "You're a piece of shit. Coming here now, trying to act helpful after you broke her! I can't even touch her shoulder now without her jumping! Do you feel no shame for what you've done? Look at her! She's not even healing like she's supposed to! She has scars! You just had to have that bronze dagger, and because of it, the damage is permanent! Even if she hadn't returned your advances that night, you would have just taken her anyway before fucking beating her to death!"

"Stop it, both of you!" Calliope yells. "We're in public! Someone's going to see you!"

She reaches out, but Asmodeus lifts himself in the air, coming eye to eye with Dysnomi's very real projection. His body catches fire – thick smoke coming out from the flames. At the same time, Dysnomi uses his magic to lift a barrier between them and Calliope to keep her from interfering, waving her off.

Calliope and Nagaveni look around, ensuring that no humans are witnessing this catastrophe. The women share an exasperated look with each other – Nagaveni shaking her head with embarrassment, and Calliope mumbling, "These fucking children," under her breath.

"You judge me as if you aren't just as bad…" comes Asmodeus' demon voice. "Was it not you who had her the night I came, assuming it would be the last night you'd see her? You did that, but refused to warn her that something was going to happen."

Calliope goes stiff, grabbing her left arm with her nails, digging them in so hard she draws blood without even noticing. She feels sick at the realization that she had been used by both of them – Dysnomi just wanted to hook up, and Asmodeus needed a punching bag.

Nagaveni stands next to Calliope in shock, with a hand over her mouth – fingers covering most of her face.

"Please, stop…" Nagaveni cries, but her voice is too quiet for the feuding men to notice.

"Yeah, I wanted to know what it would be like! I wanted to know what could have been! I thought she was gonna die and that I'd never get a chance like that again… I was wrong, and I should have stopped you," Dysnomi replies, and suddenly, the group can see part of the scene playing in front of them. Dysnomi points at the scene and says, "Look at the way she walks – how her hand roams over her body. Look at the way she smirked at me. I was not gonna let her tease me like that, then leave me. Not that time. It was obvious she wanted me. I just had to make a move." They watch the scene as Calliope starts to walk away, then Dysnomi grabbing her wrist, pulling her toward him, and giving her a lingering kiss, before asking, '...Stay. Just for a while?'

"You're just as awful as me, then," Asmodeus says. "You wanted her – you needed her – as did I. The only difference is that I admit that when I felt like I had power over her, I did only care about what I could do to her. While you, even after watching yourself grab her and pull her to you, will continue to say that there was more to that decision than you just wanting to get laid before you missed your chance."

Calliope can't take it. Everything they've said hurts, and she's at her breaking point. Tears fill her eyes as she levitates between the two hateful men. "Do you both see me as only a body, as nothing more than something to satisfy you? I understand that I am essentially lust personified. I can't help that, but I thought you'd understand, 'Deus, since that's essentially what you are, but in demon form. I never treated you like that or talked about you that way. I thought you – and you, Dys – would recognize that I can be so much more… I'm sorry if I haven't proven any more of my worth to you than that..."

With that, she lands on the floor. Asmodeus and Dysnomi drop all their magical effects as well, both men now feeling guilty. They start to come toward her to apologize, but she doesn't let them. Calliope wipes at the tears running down her face now, then storms out of the lobby.

Nagaveni gives both men an angry look before racing after Calliope. She wants to scold them, but she'll have to wait because her best friend needs her now. She looks back to see that both men are following behind them as they head out into the street.

"Wait," she says, stopping them. "You need to make sure none of the humans saw you. Check around. Dys, if anyone saw you, you need to enchant them." Dysnomi nods. Nagaveni nods at them and heads off to find Calliope.

(Dancing's Not a Crime)

By the time Nagaveni catches up, she finds her friend in the bar they're supposed to meet Calliope's contact at. The men walk in behind Nagaveni, just in time to hear her exclaim, "Whoa, what's she doing up there?"

They turn to see Calliope on the raised stage across the room from where they stand. She's singing a sad, sweet melody while leaning against a beautiful grand piano that's being played by a giant muscular man with light tan skin, shaggy brown hair down to his shoulders, and golden-yellow eyes. He's wearing an expensive black suit with a gold-colored button-up shirt underneath – a few buttons remain open, revealing a hairy, muscular chest. He's smiling at Calliope as he plays – not completely enamored like the crowd, but playful and flirty.

"What the hell is she doing? I thought we were supposed to lay low when we got here," Dysnomi says, sounding annoyed and jealous.

"Says the guy who just placed projections in the hotel lobby," replies Nagaveni, rolling her eyes.

Dys shrugs. "Fair point, I guess."

"On another note, look–" says Asmodeus, pointing at Calliope. "Her bruises are healing."

Nagaveni and Dysnomi look closely, and they see the deep bruises are almost completely healed, and the gash on her forehead is now a faint scar. They can't see the one on her chest, but with the way the others healed, they're certain it's nothing but a scar as well.

"I hope it didn't freak anyone out to watch her heal her wounds right before their eyes," Nagaveni says, rubbing at her temples. Her friends are stressing her out today.

'Why do they insist on giving me a migraine?'

When Calliope and the man at the piano finish their song, the bewitched audience gives a round of applause, begging for more.

"Sorry guys, but I need a break," Calliope says, fanning herself with her hand. "You've all been an amazing audience. Everyone, give a round of applause to my new friend on the piano, Amarok! I couldn't have done it without him." Calliope grabs the burly man's hand and they take a bow together. When they come back up, Nagaveni notices just how big the man is – he has to be at least 6'8" tall.

"That is a giant man," Nagaveni whispers as she heads up toward the stage, where Calliope is now climbing down.

"Hey!" Calliope exclaims, throwing her arms around Nagaveni's neck.

"Oh! Hi!" Nagaveni says, returning Calliope's hug. When they break apart, she looks up at Amarok, in awe of this man who looks like a bodybuilder. "I see you've made a new friend here at the… what is this place called again?"

"The Tipsy Piano," Amarok says. His voice is deep and authoritative, and when he laughs, she can feel the vibrations from it. "I may have had something to do with the name," he says, laughing again.

"Oh! And I got a drink named after me!" Calliope says, bouncing with joy. "C'mon, you gotta try it! You guys need to catch up with us anyway." She laughs, grabbing Nagaveni by the hand. She grabs Amarok with her other hand, dragging them to the bar, while Dysnomi and Asmodeus follow behind.

As soon as Calliope sits at the bar, the bartender – a slender black man with dreadlocks down to his chest and a silver hoop piercing in his lip – slides a turquoise-colored drink to her. She giggles and says, "Can I get one for all my friends this time? They'd like to try the drink you named after me."

"Anything for you, chere," the man says with a wink, already working on the other drinks.

"You're the best," Calliope says with another small giggle. Nagaveni can tell Calliope has already had a few drinks.

The bartender finishes up and slides the drinks across the bar to each one of them.

"Thanks, brah. These are great," Amarok says, taking his in his massive hand.

Calliope raises her glass up and says, "To New Orleans… to my new friends…" she winks at Amarok. "And to this amazing drink that Zephyr created for our enjoyment. I present to you all… the Siren's Lament."

"Calli!" Dysnomi hisses at her. "Why would you tell them that you're-"

Before he can finish, Calliope raises a hand, stopping him. "Relax, Dys. Amarok is a werewolf." She shrugs when she says this, acting casual, as if her friends were supposed to know that.

"Whoa, you're a werewolf?" Nagaveni asks, in awe.

"Yeah, I am," he laughs.

"That explains how massive you are," Nagaveni replies, shaking her head. "I was trying to figure it out. You're like, the tallest person I've ever met."

"You should see me in wolf form then," he laughs. "Easily eight feet tall."

"But Calli…" Asmodeus cuts in. "What about the bartender? You told him, too."

Calliope waves a hand, dismissing him. "Zephyr is an elf."

Zephyr hears them and joins in, saying, "I figured mon chere wasn't human when I saw the Hand of Restoration on her finger. Those aren't easy to come by. That inscription there-" he points to it. "Is what gives the ring its magic. It changes to say something different for each person who wears it."

This intrigues Calliope. She sits a little straighter in her bar stool, curious, and asks, "What does it say for me?"

Zephyr takes her hand to inspect the ring, turning it over as he reads the elvish runes etched into the side. "It says…" he starts. Then he pauses, making a 'hmm' sound.

"What is it?" Calliope asks. "Is it something bad?"

"No, no," Zephyr replies. "It says, 'ᚨᚾᛞ ᛃᛖᛏ ᛁ ᛋᛗᛁᛚᛖ' Hm." He speaks in Elvish, giving a sound to the runes engraved on her ring.

"Umm… mind saying that in English for me?" Calliope asks with a small laugh and a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, of course. It means, '…And yet, I smile.' I'm sorry I can't provide you with more insight about what it means though."

Calliope smiles, saying, "Not to worry, Zephyr. I know exactly what that means."

Just as she finishes her drink and is feeling a nice buzz, a slow, romantic song comes on over the surround-sound speakers. She grins, swaying her hips side-to-side in time with the music as she stands. She gives a sly look to Amarok and holds her hand out to him. "I'm not dressed for the occasion, but nevertheless, would you like to dance?"

He flashes her a wide smile and bows deeply, saying, "I would be honored to dance with you, beautiful." He takes her small hand in his giant one, enveloping it, and leads her to the edge of the floor.

She lets him lead her around the small floor, in-between the booths and the bar, gliding with more grace than she's ever known anyone to have. Calliope's left hand is placed delicately on his broad shoulder as they dance, while Amarok's right hand is placed on her hip. At least, it's meant to be on her hip, but his hands are so large, his fingers wrap around to the dip in her back.

Amarok glides his hand up Calliope's side and over her arm, finding her hand at his shoulder and pulling it away with a tenderness Calliope has rarely felt. He paces back, holding her away from him. He leads her into an elegant spin that ends with her pressed into his chest.

Calliope can hear Nagaveni gasp with excitement and clap, but she's so distracted, it sounds far away. The only thing keeping her grounded in reality is Asmodeus's feelings of jealousy, which invade her mind.

'Calm yourself,' she thinks to Asmodeus. 'It's just a dance. I'm allowed to dance.'

'I know, Calli. I'm sorry. I'm trying not to be jealous, I really am,' comes Asmodeus' reply inside her mind.

As the song ends, Amarok wraps one arm around her waist and dips Calliope down until her hair is almost touching the floor. She clings to him, relishing the feeling of him holding her. A strand of hair falls from behind Amarok's ear, landing on Calliope's cheekbone and causing her to let out a slight gasp at the feeling of his soft hair caressing her skin. Amarok's golden eyes look down at her succulent lips before meeting her gaze. Calliope can feel an animalistic desire in him – one he works hard to control. Before she can ask about it, however, he pulls her up and takes a few steps away from her, running a hand through his hair sheepishly.

He lets out a breathless laugh, and says, "You're really somethin' else, you know that? What are you doing in NOLA, anyway? It's not Carnival season."

They make their way over to the bar, and as they sit at the barstools – Zephyr sliding another drink into Calliope's hand with a wink – she answers. "No, it's not, unfortunately. I'm here on personal business. See, someone tried to kill me, and I intend to find out who."

"Why would someone try to kill you?" he asks.

"We don't know," Dysnomi replies.

"That's what we want to find out," says Asmodeus. "But they're damn sure gonna be hearing from me. They used me, and it almost worked."

"You almost killed her?" Amarok asks.

Smoke starts coming up from Asmodeus' clenched fists in his lap. "I fucking hate myself for it. I can't believe I let anyone manipulate me that way."

Calliope takes her hands and places them over his, extinguishing the flames appearing before any humans can see. "It will be okay, 'Deus. You'll see."

"I really hope you're right, mi amor. I just want you to be safe… even if I wasn't able to keep you safe from myself."

"You can't keep beating yourself up over that," Nagaveni says, leaning toward him, laying a hand on his arm.

"Why not?" Dysnomi says with an arrogant smirk and a shrug of his shoulder. "I mean, he did try to kill her. Maybe he should feel bad about it. Calli's a good person. I've never heard her say a bad word about anyone. Why should it be on us to absolve him of his guilt? She didn't even get to heal properly thanks to that damn dagger of his. She has scars. That isn't supposed to happen."

Nagaveni chimes in with a response seconds before Calliope, saying, "Oh, hush, Dys. You had the chance to help her, but you chose not to. So I don't want to hear a word from you about it." She jabs him in the chest with her forefinger when she says the last sentence, then she gives him and Asmodeus both a hard glare. "I expect both of you to stop this nonsense now. You both have caused Calliope enough stress for a lifetime. Give her a break for once. She's got a lot on her mind. She doesn't need you two fighting and making it worse."

Asmodeus hangs his head in shame while Dysnomi looks away, biting his lip with a guilty expression.

'Thank you,' Calliope sends Nagaveni in her head. 'I hate seeing them like this.'

'You're welcome,' Nagaveni thinks. 'They'll get over it, I'm sure. It just might take them a bit.'

Calliope is about to check the time, thinking it must be time for her to meet the woman that messaged her – someone with the handle 'LivingDeadGirl' on a chat forum – but she hasn't seen anyone come in.

Right before she grabs her phone, however, the door swings open and someone rushes in. It's a young woman with long, curly cobalt–blue hair, blue-gray eyes, and a skin tone that can only be described as… 'dead?' It's a medium-gray color, with many dark-gray scars all over.

The woman clearly tried her best to mask her skin. She's wearing a leather jacket over a t-shirt, jeans, boots, and a pair of gloves on her hands. Her bangs cover her forehead, and her cobalt hair is a decent distraction from the gray on her face. Though, Calliope notices a few people staring regardless.

'This must be LivingDeadGirl,' Calliope thinks, sending it to all her friends.

'Be prepared for anything.'

'We've got your back, Calli,' Nagaveni thinks.

The woman hurries over to Calliope, touches her arm lightly, and says, "There's somethin' followin' me. Come outside with me. I need to deal with it before anyone notices."

Calliope nods and looks at her friends, trusting they'll follow. LivingDeadGirl hurries toward a side door, pulling out a silver dagger. Calliope follows behind, pulling the Hell's Scream from the side of one of her ankle boots, and her friends follow behind her – including Amarok, which surprises her.

The side door opens to reveal an alley. They all walk out with caution, checking every inch of the alley.

"So, where is this thing that's following you?" Dysnomi asks her, giving the woman a skeptical look.

"You can't see it unless you're lookin' right at it. I don't know why. I've never encountered one of… whatever this thing is," says LivingDeadGirl. She scans the alley, waiting and ready with her dagger. "There!" she yells, pointing to the far end of the alley. It's a dead end, and it's dark, making it hard to see anything.

Calliope pulls the Hell's Scream up in front of her, to protect herself. As her eyes adjust, she realizes she does see something in the shadows of the alley.

What she sees shocks her, leaving her speechless. It looks like a massive shadow creature – easily four and a half feet tall, maybe taller. The shadow creature has them in its sight and starts running at them – fast!