Welcome to Gaia! ::

Shannon absently hummed to herself as she sashayed down the darkened sidewalk, her long skirt swishing against her legs even as she shrugged her wool coat a little closer. Fall was definitely here and the nippy nights were in full effect, if she wasn’t already buzzed the cold would have been bothering her alot more then it was at that particular moment. The club had been fun but there just hadn’t been anyone in particular she wanted to spend extra time with, flirt some free drinks from sure, she even danced with a few of them but no one worth her enticing any further. Not in her mind at least. “Ah well,” The caramel skinned woman giggled in the darkness, “There is always next time.” She paused for a moment to check her reflection on a store window only to glance behind her when she heard approaching footsteps.

A slight frown marred her face when her silver eyes didn’t see anyone around. No cars on the street, no pedestrians enjoying the fall night. She was alone. All alone. A normal person would already be worried but Shannon wasn’t ordinary. She wasn’t afraid, more annoyed actually. With a huff and a sneer she turned on her heel and continued on her way. There was a really good bar several blocks away from the club that she was planning to hit before calling it a night. If her pace picked up it wasn’t like there was anyone around to notice it. Her frown deepened when the sound of the footsteps kept pace with her but every time she looked back, either through window reflections or by actually turning to look, the area was empty. The hair on the base of her neck was prickling and if she didn’t know better Shannon would have sworn that someone was right behind her. Close enough to breath down her neck or brush her shoulder.

It was not a feeling she appreciated. “******** this,” with a growl the curvaceous woman suddenly started to sprint and raced around a corner into a darkened alley… the sound of the footsteps rapidly approaching behind her. Once she was in the darkness and out of sight she let the dark power out. Chaos flowed out of her, changing her, until Lieutenant Strengite stepped out of the shadows ready to crack some heads, or yank some starseeds, which ever came first. “I know your there,” She called out as she stalked out of the alley, glaring at the surrounding area. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Her voice took on a sing songy feel as she started to search the area for her earlier tormentor. Someone was going to die tonight and it wasn’t going to be her. “I won’t bite… much.”

Strengite straightened to her full height at the voice that drifted from out of the shadows of her recently vacated alley. The aura she felt marked the owner of the rumbling voice as fellow officer, a officer who hadn’t been there earlier so he was not her ghostly stalker. he must have come in from the other side of the alley because she was relatively sure she would have known he was there when she first powered up. Hmmmm, a captain if her guess was right. Might be worth flattering him or flirting with him… or both. At least until she had a more definitive decision on how she wanted to handle this person. “Don’t suppose a creep slipped past you did they?” She asked as she shifted back some so she was lit in profile by the street lights. The artificial glow, and her stance, highlighting her figure perfectly. One always needed to know the best way to present themselves.

“I was just enjoying myself when someone started to follow me, I thought it best to take care of the situation,” She shrugged and tossed her head, sending her pale curls cascading over her shoulder. “But they seemed to have disappeared.” A hard look flashed across her face before she pasted a flirty smile on and added, “however the offer for a little nibble is still on the table, if your into that kind of thing that is.” She arched a brow and kept her eyes trained on the dark alley, just barely making a shadowy form.

“Damn,” Strengite pouted some. She made sure that she didn’t look as angry as she really felt. Any person who decided to pick on a drunk girl needed to get their d**k ripped off then their starseed removed one excruciating inch at a time. Was it possible to feed a person to a youma while still alive and still get their starseed at the end? The woman made a mental note to ask Beni one of these days, even as she eyed the figure emerging from the shadows. Hmmm… her silvery gaze took on a bit more of a predatory look as she took in the yummy man who strode out from the darkness. Pale hair, light eyes, not a half bad body and the best thing of all… he was a captain. Who wasn’t on her team And wasn’t gay! Was her luck really that good? Was she reading him right? Because Beni could flirt with the best of them but he wouldn’t touch a woman in a sexual manner with a ten foot pole, so maybe the flirtatious comeback was just teasing.

“What’s a little nibble between interested parties,” the lieutenant ‘absently’ fiddled with the collar of her top, her nails lightly brushing the bare skin of her chest that the outfit exposed to the chilly night air. She flashed him a grin before biting her lip and glancing away, acting a little coy. Would he pursue? How hard did she want to make him work? He wasn’t so far up that just being connected would give her the leg up she wanted but he was a captain, so he had some connections. “So, what you out on such a cool night?” Strengite eyed him from between her lashes and shifted slightly actually feeling the bite of the chilly evening. Her uniform wasn’t exactly made for fall and winter would be downright nasty. Good thing she did most of her hunting in bars.

The offer of the coat had the lieutenant blink in surprise before she flashed him an honest smile and did as he suggested with his move. The coat was warm, much warmer then her own ‘coat’ and a welcome addition. He was nice, she could use nice, however one act of kindness did not mean that he was kind so Strengite didn’t completely drop the flirtatious act, she just let it fade a bit. “Thank you,” her voice was cast low and a bit husky, as if from a lover who had just woken up… or was very satisfied, and stepped back from him.

“I was just enjoying myself until some t**t decided to ruin my buzz,” she tisked and pouted a bit before eyeing the captain. “Don’t suppose you would be up for a little fun? It would also help you hit your quota.” Her grin this time was definitely tinged with darkness. She ‘hunted’ in clubs and bars, taking her victims outside where she drained them before moving on. It was easy, fun, and was better with a partner. It might take longer to hit the quota but the drinks totally made it worth it.

Silver eyes flashed for a split second at the implication that her ‘stalker’ wasn’t real. She knew what she heard. She knew what she felt. She wasn’t some teenage t**t who was to drunk to tell fact from fiction. Strengite was a bit insulted but she covered it by shrugging and answering his question instead. “Not that kind,” She tisked and shook her finger in a mocking manner. “That's for latter.” Maybe, she silently finished. He was cute, a captain, looked game for some ‘fun’ so it wasn’t impossible but right now she would rather use him for his ability to gather energy then for what's in his pants.

After taking in the street signs around them Strengite nodded towards the way the captain came from, “There is a club about five blocks that way. It’s rather easy to draw a poor sucker out to the back alley and drain a little energy from them just got to be careful to leave him ‘drunk’ not dead.” She did it solo sometimes but it was easier to handle with another officer. Strengite acted as the distraction while the other person, normally one of her teammates, drained their victim till they sort of collapse a bit. At which point she normally went back inside and had a cab called for her date who passed out on her. Sigh, sigh, woe was her since he left her unsatisfied… new sucker hooked. Rinse and repeat. Granted she tended to stop after two just because it looked strange if her second ‘date’ passed out on her too. That didn’t mean that a new club couldn’t be used or she could do it all as a civilian, or if she started as a civi, Strengite. It all depended on how she felt.

“So what do you think? We could probably switch out at some point too so we both get to have a little fun.”

Oh now… those words were music to her ears. There were fewer words that Strengite held dearer then ‘just tell me what you want me to do’ and they almost all revolve around money, mainly ‘free’ and ‘gift’. She hadn’t forgotten the earlier comment but he at least put himself on better footing than before. Besides, that grin and that tone… it could make a woman weak in the knees if she wasn’t careful. Strengite smirked, “Just follow my lead lover boy.” With that she shook off the offered coat and powered down, her own wool coat with its faux fur collar was more than enough to keep her warm.

After passing him back the borrowed piece of clothing Shannon eyed his uniform and gave a little nod, “You should fit in, might be a little strange but I’ve seen worse.” Since she typically did this by herself she didn’t normally have to deal with a partner sitting out in the cold just freezing his nuts off. “If you decide to head inside as well just keep an eye on me so you’ll know when to follow us out.”

Shannon fluffed out her hair but froze at her name, she did not remember ever introducing herself to him. Either as Strengite or Shannon. He obviously knew her but the question was how. Was he one of the people she met at a bar? Could he have been one of those poor suckers she literally prayed on? Or was he someone she worked with? Worked for? Got her coffee from? Flirted with across a restaurant? Did it really matter? “Yes,” she tried to keep her tone light although she wasn’t terribly successful at it.

After a moment she straightened her jacket and tossed the guy a look that practically said ‘what's your problem’ and started to sashay past him in the direction of the club. “Thats my name, don’t wear it out.” She got a bit further before she paused and glanced back at him, “It would be a shame if you couldn’t use it later although I’ll also answer to Goddess.” Flirting was always a good way to cover uncertainty. It wasn’t like she would know who he was as a civilian unless he told her. Considering how he was currently imitating a statue that didn’t seem to be happening any time soon, so she might as well continue with the plan. Besides she really wanted a drink now... make that two.

Shannon glanced over at the male as he chuckled, a pale brow raising briefly at the powering down. He was planning on joining her in the bar as a civilian? That works too I guess, she mentally shrugged than appraised the guy’s looks for much more personal reasons. He was still yummy looking without the uniform, a little familiar actually but she met a lot of people so that wasn’t too strange. Him knowing her name was a indication of that really. But his question had her pausing for a moment before continuing towards the club. It had been an off the wall question but one that had her thinking of a liaison from a little while ago. A fun night that had developed into them using coffee as a euphemism for sex.

They had met dancing, they went back to his place and as they say in show biz, ‘one thing led to another’. The next morning they exchanged numbers and went their separate ways. None of this was abnormal for Shannon, she normally picked up guys this way however this time when she texted Axton a few weeks later to see if he was interested in a repeat performance she got a ‘message could not be sent’ reply. Finding it strange she tried calling and got one of those pre recorded messages that basically boiled down to the little fink gave her a fake number. That or he got a new phone but if he had done that then why not transfer his contacts over. She liked him! He had been hot, had money, and was a bloody ******** good lay. It was hard to find a combo of those three.

Annoyed at being reminded of the rat fink Shannon sniffed haughty and replied, “Barista of course. Only plebeians make their own coffee.” Not that she could afford to drink Starbucks often, so really she was a ‘plebeian’ when she was in need of a coffee fix. However, no matter how annoyed she was right then taking it out on the captain went against her desire to use him… one way or another. So she tossed him a teasing smile over her shoulder and added, “Then again it depends on who is making it… and what their wearing when they do so.” Heavily implying that coffee made at home was best made with little to nothing on and after a heavy night of passion. “Why? Are you in the mood for coffee rather than a beer? You do drink, don’t you?” She tossed her own questions back at him.