Author's Notes: This is just a fluff little side-story that takes place sometime after "Between the Mists". If you haven't read it, for the purposes of this story you just need to know that Titania, my OC, is a goddess from another realm that had a love affair with Rayden once upon a time.
The inspiration for this story came from a photo I found online of two very Mortal Kombat-esque guys decked out like strippers. A link can be found on my profile.
Titania rapped her lacquered nails on the table where she sat alone at the nightclub. "This," she told the smoky air around her, "is why I was perfectly fine with the Elder Gods ignoring my realm."
It was an upscale place, requiring her to flash her fake membership credentials before being granted access, but at its basest it was still nothing more than a strip club for the rich and powerful. Titania dressed the part, in a crème silk blouse and matching skirt that fell to just above her knees. She wore her hair in a simple, elegant coif that ended in a tail down her back. Oversized sunglasses, the kind that all the celebrities were wearing, completed the outfit and hid her expression of distaste for the club's other patrons.
"Only you can find him," she mimicked the Elder Gods' voices. "You share a special connection." Titania snorted. "Oh dear, we misplaced the Thunder God. Whoops!"
A waiter in tight-fitting leather pants and not much else appeared at her elbow. "Beverage?" he offered in a sultry voice. Titania jerked away from him, startled, before remembering that she was supposed to be enjoying this. She lowered her sunglasses and let her eyes rake over his torso. "No," she drawled bemusedly. "Thank you." The waiter winked at her and sauntered off with more wiggle in his hips than a runway model.
The Elder Gods, as expected of any ultimate authority, had been less than forthright in their request. It was her understanding that they had set Rayden some kind of penance in the mortal world, and then…lost him. She thought that Rayden had probably lost himself deliberately, but when the Elder Gods make requests, there is only one correct answer.
At least she didn't have to track him down by mortal means. Gods are nothing if not impatient, and they were less concerned with attracting human notice than finding their wayward god quickly.
Why they thought she would be able to find him was something else they'd refused to answer. She'd set off into the wide world at random, trusting her instincts. It seemed a fruitless endeavor until she found herself standing outside of the nightclub, the main attraction splashed boldly across the sign above the door.
Performing Nightly!
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING
A bevy of other dancers, both male and female, had been parading across the stage all evening, but it was finally time for the highly anticipated main event. The lights began to dim and Titania pushed her sunglasses stubbornly up her nose, as if removing them would be an admission that she in any way wanted to be here.
A spotlight appeared on the stage and, in spite of her determination not to be moved, Titania's breath caught in her throat.
For before her stood not one but two perfect, godly, male bodies.
Both men were clad similarly, one in black and one in white: conical Asian hats with veils that concealed the details of their faces, skintight fabric bracers from ankle to knee, and briefs that looked like they were painted on, barely opaque enough to conceal anything. The black-clad man wore a vest constructed entirely of buckles and leather straps, leaving judicious amounts of skin visible. The white-clad man wore a long-sleeved, nearly-transparent jacket.
Titania's eyes were drawn to the man in white. While black leather was appealing, the white jacket was longer and hung open, just begging her to follow its lines all…the way…down. She drew a quick breath, forcing her eyes upwards, and gasped again.
The men's eyes, concealed in the shadows of the veiled hats, both glowed with white electric light.
And then they began to dance. Tribal drums and a flute were their only accompaniment, and the room fell into an expectant, focused silence.
It couldn't really be called a dance, except that they were on a stage where dances had been performed all night. The men moved together and, though there was nothing overtly sexual about their gestures, they stood so close and moved with such grace that there was something profoundly intimate and sensual about the performance. There was power there too, in those rippling muscles so impressively displayed for the slavering audience, and after a few minutes Titania noticed that the glittering eyes were focused with horrible, angry intensity on each other, not the crowd. To them, though they never so much as touched, this was not a dance but a battle.
She didn't notice herself being caught up in their spell until the dance abruptly ended and the room erupted in wild applause and catcalls.
She signaled the waiter, who swaggered over eagerly. "Get me a room," she told him, presenting the plastic card.
The waiter bowed, fingering the card greedily. His tip was a percentage of what she spent. "With which one?" he asked.
Titania's eyes darted to the stage where the two men still posed, to the man in white. "With the god of thunder," she smirked. Gotcha, Rayden!