Fel was perfectly aware of the two men that followed her, for all that she gave no sign of it. They were the same two that had tried to slip something into her drink back at the bar. It was because of that and the crude come-ons they’d made that she’d manipulated the situation so that it was easy for them to follow her out of the bar “without her knowing.” Finally she stopped at a bus stop, one marked only by a single, skinny sign, in a spot where the two men would be able to sneak up on her and corner her. Or that would have been the case if she wasn’t… well, Fel.
She heard them long before they rounded the corner, though she pretended not to. She kept her back to the direction they were coming from until they were too obvious to ignore.
“Well if it isn’t the sassy one from the bar,” the first sneered. Fel still didn’t bother to turn to face them.
“She should give us a little sweetness for being so sour back there,” the other quipped. Fel stroked the amulet in her pocket to drop the subtle illusions she kept over her teeth and eyes.
“Come on, honey. Give us a little sugar,” the first coaxed nastily. Emboldened by her lack of response, the first stepped forward quickly, reaching to grab one of her arms.
Fel used her inhuman speed to whirl around so fast it would look like she hadn’t moved, but had simply been facing away one moment and facing towards them the next. She tilted her head expertly so that the street lights caught in her yellow eyes and made them seem to glow demonically, the effect aided by the darkness of her black skin. Her mouth was agape in a feral expression, exposing elongated and pointed fangs. She hissed slightly.
The men let out a yell and recoiled, then turned to flee. Fel caught the closer one easily. She grabbed his left arm at the elbow and dug her fingers into the pressure point there. With her right hand she grabbed his shoulder, and dug her thumb into the pressure point on the side of his neck. Both would be temporarily but excruciatingly painful, but would have no lasting effect and would leave no mark. The man cried out and fell to his knees. Fel bent over and whispered in his ear. Both hands were on his shoulders now, her one thumb still resting above the pressure point. The man nodded, his face contorted. Smiling, Fel straightened and took her hands from his shoulders. She made no sound in leaving, and she did so swiftly. The man stayed there kneeling for several moments longer before realizing she was gone. He fled into the night.
Fel smiled happily to herself. That had gone rather well. She walked briskly back towards the bar, where she’d left her truck. She knew that in the long run she really wasn’t making that big of a difference, but if those two hadn’t come after her tonight, they would have gone after someone else. Besides, the one guy would at least always think twice and look over his shoulder next time he decided to try something like that.
Still smiling to herself, Fel triggered the amulet again to replace the illusions. Yellow eyes darkened to a light brown and pointed teeth became rounded. She looked up at the starts. The night was still young. Maybe she’d hit another bar. No time like the present time to have a good time.
Fel smiled to herself a little as she came up to her truck in the parking lot. She loved her truck – it was the kind of vehicle could go anywhere, the kind of truck that usually got more than a second glance. Three or four was more common.
It was the new Chevy 4×4 pickup, with modifications. She’d gotten a friend to paint it for her. Shiny and black, it had panthers painted on both sides. The one on the right was stalking forward, low to the ground. His tail curled at the end in a twitch. The one on the left side looked straightforward, his face twisted in a snarl. The tailgate was painted so that it looked like an absurdly large cat had rent eight gashes into the metal with his claws. Beyond that, the truck had a major lift kit, massive tires, a bush bar with a winch and bush lights, and off road lights above the club cab. It was her baby.
Fel ended up heading for the Twisted Dragon. It was the only place in town where others who were… more than what they seemed – usually just mages, but others as well – gathered in any number or on any kind of basis. The owner, a mage himself, uniquely understood those who frequented his bar. Of course, normal people went to the Dragon too, the vast majority of whom didn’t have any idea it was anything more than just another bar.
Fel was mostly just going there because it was an awesome party-house on Friday nights – tonight.
