The song 'Building a mystery' played in the background as Jess
casually opened the front door for Alice. "Ladies first," she smiled.
"You're quite the gentleman," Alice smiled up at her as they
walked inside together. "I didn't even know this club was here," she
added softly, long black hair flowing down over the red dress.
"Part of why they don't have any signs outside," Jess agreed.
Her own black hair was cropped short, a simple white button shirt and
black pants completing the look.
As they walked forward into the bar itself they saw the back
wall, a massive mural painted up on it. The woman stood in the forest,
drawing a bow back smoothly, her slim athletic body scarred and
battered. Still she was beautiful, a warrior facing her enemies with
strength and courage. Just below the image a simple line of text read,
'The Daughters of Artemis.'
"It's beautiful," Alice murmured, her eyes wide.
"Let's go grab a table," Jess said, gently taking Alice by the
arm and moving them through the press of people.
The bar around them was half full, women of various types
scattered around them. The bar beside the mural was busy but the tables
scattered around the other side were only half filled. A half stage was
set up not far from the seats and a woman sang haunting love songs.
"That looks just like that singer...." Alice trailed off.
"It's not," Jess said, holding out a chair for Alice, "but I can
see why you'd think so." Once she sat down Jess pushed the chair in
before grabbing her own seat, "She's a doppelganger, able to copy anyone
she wants."
"You're serious," Alice blinked.
"I keep odd company," Jess said softly, a slight smile on her
face.
Alice nodded thoughtfully. She flashed a smile before casually
saying, "I guess I'll just have to get used to it, then."
Jess reached out, gently brushing her hand over Alice's before
drawing it back once again. "Thanks," Jess smiled.
"Jess!" a woman's voice cried as arms wrapped around the
startled Jess from behind, "You should have sent someone to tell me you
were here!"
"I just got here," Jess laughed, disentangling herself quickly.
She looked at Alice and said, "Alice, this crazy woman is Circe."
The blonde threw her long mane of hair back before giving Alice
a thoughtful look. Circe grinned, "Hey, nice to meet you Alice."
"Thank you," Alice smiled. She paused, unsure what to say, so
she fell back on a safe subject. "That's a lovely mural on your wall,"
Alice said.
"Some of Jess' best work," Circe agreed cheerfully. Not noticing
Alice's surprise she added, "Of course, that was back in Jess' angry
young artist phase."
"Jess painted it?" Alice said, blinking as she processed that.
"You didn't tell her?" Circe gave Jess a look.
"Unlike certain people," Jess said dryly in reply, "I don't care
to blow my own horn."
Circe snickered softly. "So what are you two having tonight?"
she asked curiously, a impish grin on her face.
"Two of the house specials, I think," Jess said then looked over
at Alice, "would you like something to drink?"
"Just cola, I think," Alice said, watching Jess and Circe
interact. 'I wonder if they were ever lovers?' she found herself
thinking.
"Make that two colas," Jess said to Circe.
"No Scotch?" Circe chuckled quietly, "I doubt you really need to
hold back in front of your pretty little friend here."
"Cola," Jess repeated, her voice dropping dangerously.
Circe just laughed, "I'll be back in a bit."
"So you painted that," Alice murmured, "you seem to keep
surprising me." She tilted her head to the side, "But what did she mean
by angry young artist?"
Jess made a face at that, "I was hoping you didn't hear that."
She sat back with a sigh, "Part of my... mixed reputation comes from
that time. For a while there I was getting drunk every night and getting
kicked out of some of the more reputable bars."
Alice looked over at Jess, imagining her drunk and enraged, then
shook her head. "Somehow I can't see it," she admitted.
"Trust me, it happened," Jess said. She looked around them as
she said, "I stumbled on the Daughters and thrashed the place, but Circe
insisted I pay the damages. I didn't have the cash so she and her
partner had me do the painting in trade."
"It really is lovely," Alice said softly, feeling pleased at
seeing Jess blush.
"That it is," Circe agreed, the tall blonde beauty dropping off
two heavily loaded plates of spaghetti, a bowl of garlic bread, extra
grated cheese and the two glasses of cola. "Holler if you need anything
else," Circe added before taking off.
"My lord," Alice looked down at her plate in awe, nearly
overflowing with all the food.
Jess laughed gently. "Yeah, that's one of the reasons I like
coming here," she admitted, "you can get a fair sized meal at a good
price."
Alice used a fork and spoon to carefully scoop up the noodles
then smiled, watching as Jess slurped down her food with enthusiasm,
unconcerned with any mess. With vigor she imitated Jess, the two of them
eating away happily.
"There was something I meant to ask you before," Alice took a
drink of her cola, "how come I've never heard of any of this... magic?
It seems so much more common now that I've met you that I wonder why I
never saw it before."
"You'll have to take a fair bit on faith," Jess cautioned her.
"I'm willing to listen and see what I believe," Alice answered,
using some of her garlic bread to scoop up the rich tomato sauce.
"Fair enough," Jess smiled. She tilted her head back in thought
before saying, "Science tells us a history of the world that is true as
far as it goes, but it isn't complete. Before man and dinosaurs there
was something else here, a race unimaginable. We don't know what they
called themselves, our best name for them is the Elder Gods."
Alice blinked in surprise, "Like in H.P. Lovecraft?"
"I don't think he had any inside knowledge," Jess said, "but he
did tap into some kind of primal knowledge. The Elder Gods were driven
from this world by the rise of mortal life, but not before tainting some
of that life for their own purposes."
"The supernatural beings," Alice murmured.
"Exactly," Jess nodded. "Werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters,
succubii and dozens of others were created by there gods, hoping that
their creations would wipe out humanity for them. That," she paused,
"and the magicians."
Alice paused, her glass halfway to her mouth. "You're not
serious," she said, putting it down.
"The ability to use magic isn't natural for humans," Jess gave
her a ghost of a smile, "otherwise everyone could."
"I see," Alice ftrowned, considering something else that Jess
had said. "So why haven't those changed by the Elder Gods done what
their creators wanted?" she asked.
"They're still human, ultimately," Jess pointed out simply,
"they had no reason to help them. Most of us touched by the supernatural
merely try to make our way through the day doing as little damage as
possible."
"Most, you said," Alice noted.
Jess sighed. "And like humans we can let our baser natures take
over," she said, "that's where stories like Dracula and the Wolfman come
from. And it's part of why I do what I do, to help people hurt by the
supernatural and to stop people like that."
"Like me when that creature attacked," Alice mused.
"Or saving Hunter from slavery," Jess added. Alice looked
startled and Jess shrugged, "I asked her earlier, she said it was all
right to tell you."
"She never said anything," Alice whispered, thinking of the
brash, confident Hunter.
"Would you?" Jess asked gently.
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