Nocturne

16. Tattoo

Everyone was staring out into the city as we traveled along the streets, staring at the lights and the sights. I felt at ease here surprisingly, maybe it was because of the city, and maybe it was because of the people, but I was happy. Nolan seemed just as amazed, his eyes wide as the neons reflected in his blind iris. It didn't take us long to get to where we needed to be, and the guy was right, this seemed like one of the shadier places in the city. Eventually we saw the sign for the Rendezvous club, bright pink among the greens and yellows. Marshall parked across the street where we hoped no one would try to rob us before we headed inside.

"I need your ID's, please." A man at the entrance tried to stop us, but Osiris took charge.

"We're here looking for a few of our friends," she purred, crossing her arms beneath her chest. The bouncers eyes were on her goods instantly. "Do you think you could help us out?"

"W-Well, what are their names?" He stammered, clearly distracted.

"Devorah and Medusa Novak." I spoke up, and his eyes seemed to clear for a moment.

"Oh, you should've said so!" He opened the door instantly and everyone began to walk inside. We stuck mostly in pairs, and I didn't realize until we were already inside what this place was.

"Oh my God," I wheezed, turning my eyes to the floor once I saw the writhing bodies, "this is a gentleman's club!"

"A what?" Aeric asked from behind me, and Marshall must have pointed something out, because he clammed up instantly.

"This is...quite the show." Osiris said, surprise painting her voice. "I'm all for women manipulating men using their God-given weapons, but this is a little...obscene."

"This is what I call a good time." Marshall snickered. "Osiris, get a drink with me?"

"Gladly."

The pair split off from the group, and the rest of us were left to our own devices. Aeric had disappeared and it didn't surprise me to find him having shielded Noelle's eyes as he marched her right back out the door. Margo and Crowe both seemed a little shellshocked, too modest to indulge in the shows and probably not brave enough to back out.

"Do you two want to stay here and keep an eye out for us?" I asked them, and they nodded gladly.

"Anythin' but going further into this mess." Margo mumbled, her eyes wide. Crowe just seemed caught up in the whole thing and was anchored to his spot, too choked up to speak.

"Never in my life did I think I'd ever walk into one of these places." Nolan said as I rejoined him, and I gripped his hand tight.

"Yeah, me either. What in the hell would those two be doing here?" I asked, and was answered almost immediately with the appearance of the spotlights in the middle of the room.

There was a woman in an oversized cage, clad in nothing but a lacy corset, a matching thong, and high heels. White-inked snake tattoos running up her arms caught in the black lights, seeming to slither along with her body against the bar in the middle. Even in the getup I would've recognized Medusa's dreadlocks anywhere and I was surprised to see her eyes glowing with the same color on her arms. I put two and two together and realized that she was wearing contacts that reacted to the UVB light, meaning that they blocked her sight from harming anyone. I couldn't do anything but watch her as she enjoyed herself. Medusa was loving the attention, feeding off of it and blowing kisses to the men who circled around her. Money went flying in the air and I just shook my head in amazement. She went from being scared of men to manipulating them.

I left Nolan's side, walking right up to the edge of the bars just as her dance seemed to end. The lights focused on the other girls and she began collecting the cash; I pulled a twenty out of my pocket I'd stashed in case I needed it and she seemed to take a look at my outstretched hand like she was picking out some choice words for me.