I'm baaack! Sorry I haven't updated sooner, but my computer was viciously
attacked by a nasty virus and it took all of my brother's skill to cure it.
And for that I shall be eternally grateful because now I can add my next
installments to this story. You see, I didn't stop writing, I was just
unable to upload them, so be prepared for a larger than usual installment!
Loved all of your reviews, please keep them coming!!!
A/N: The title to this chapter is also the title of a Billy Joel song. There are some unforgettable lyrics in that song that I just can't resist quoting.
"I'd rather laugh with the sinners, than cry with the saints, The sinners are much more fun. And only the good die young." "Only the good die young" by Billy Joel
This isn't a songfic, truth is I don't see much point to them, but like Talia, I do like my music and so, a few songs are, and probably will be in the future, mentioned in the story. I've only taken the title from Billy Joel's song and I've also mentioned some lyrics from Meatloaf's "Bat out of Hell".
Chapter 9: Only the good die young
Talia walked confidently into the dark, shady-looking and obviously rough, bar. Definitely not where a good girl should be, thought Talia with a secret smile. Not a single of these people seemed friendly, but some glances shot at Talia were a little too friendly. If she had looked stunning in the simple clothes she had worn at school that morning, then she looked even more so in black leather.
She walked with feline grace to the bar, sat on a, less than clean, barstool and ordered a beer. The barman, like every other person in the place looked at her curiously, then placed a bottle of cold beer in front of her. She was obviously underage, but he didn't let that bother him. She took out some money from her pocket and tossed it on the counter.
Talia turned on her barstool, so that she faced the rest of the room, before taking a large gulp from the beer in her hand. She let the alcohol wash down her throat as she took in the smoky atmosphere, the leather, the tattoos, the jukebox blaring in a corner and finally the pool table at the other end of the bar.
The pool table was in use by two men in jeans and leather. The larger and older of the two was potting one ball after the other. His companion stood quietly aside fuming, helpless to do anything to stop him. It was easy to guess who would be the winner of that game. She slowly walked over to the table and reached it just as the winner raised a hand, palm pointing upwards, at the man by his side. The other man placed an undetermined amount of crumpled notes in the outstretched hand. The expression on his face was one of disgust, but that didn't stop the meaner-looking man by his side from taking the money or from breaking into a large smile that revealed several missing teeth.
"How about a game?" she said causing the two men to turn around.
The winner of the previous game turned towards the sound of the voice. Then he looked down. He let his eyes roam over her young, yet unmistakably feminine figure. His toothy smile broke out again.
"What're you doing around here, little girl?" he asked a smile still playing on his lips. "Did you lose your way to grandma's house?"
"Do you want a game?" Talia asked the great oaf of a man standing in front of her.
"We play for real money here baby, monopoly money ain't no good to us," he said.
The man obviously thought himself a comedian.
"How much?" Talia demanded.
"Fifty bucks a game."
"I'm up for it," she challenged. "Actually, why don't we make it a little bit more interesting?" she offered, a twinkle in her eyes.
"What are you offering?" the man asked, intrigued.
"Two hundred dollars," she said.
The big man looked at her, stunned. She had guts; he'd give her that.
"You got the money?" he asked skeptically.
Talia put her hand in her jacket pocket and pulled out small pack of notes. She counted out two hundred dollars, which left her with only a ten-dollar bill, and laid them on the pool table. Her rucksack of bare necessities from a week ago had contained a substantial amount of money and only a single change of clothes. She had after all been prepared for making it out in the mortal world on her own, if the Haliwells had decided not to take her in. She was clever enough to know that what counted most in this world was money, much like power had in the world she had been so determined to leave behind.
Her adversary's eyes grew wide at the sight. The same old grin flashed out again. This would be easy money, he thought.
"Like taking candy from a baby, Blade," said one of the other people who had in the meantime gathered round.
The crowd yelled their support to the man they called Blade. All, but the man whom Talia had only moments ago watched Blade beat at pool. He stood in the shadows with his arms crossed watching with interest the scene that unfolded before him.
"Mind if I break?" asked Talia while rubbing some chalk onto the end of the cue.
"Go right ahead," said Blade.
Talia placed the white ball on the green felt. She then leaned over the table and aimed carefully.
The harsh sound of the jukebox interrupted the tense silence that had descended over the bar. Someone had chosen Meatloaf's "Bat out of hell" and the introduction of the song was the only thing heard, as Talia took the shot.
The white ball hit the rest of the balls at lightning speed. Three, coloured balls found their way to the holes at the sides of the table with a thud. Blade scratched his bald head in confusion. He suddenly wondered if he'd made a mistake. Talia moved deftly around the table to take her next shot.
~"Someone is screaming, in the fires of Hell, and we're down in the valley tonight"~
The man in the shadows watched Talia's every movement as she expertly potted her own coloured balls one after the other until soon the table contained nothing but Blade's striped coloured balls and the black. Talia reached across the table one last time. She was hardly tall enough to reach all the way. Stretching to make the shot, the low cut leather trousers slipped even lower to reveal to the stranger, the tattoo on her lower back. The tattoo came as a bit of a surprise to the man watching. It wasn't very big, but the stranger immediately recognized it as a phoenix, the bird of fire, it's great, outspread, flaming wings were what gave it away. His gaze was then reverted to Talia's determined face as she potted the black ball. She really was magnificent, the Source's daughter.
~"There's Evil in the air, there's thunder in the sky, and there's a killer in the bloodshot streets"~
"I think you owe me some money," he heard Talia's cool voice say as it was her turn to stretch out her hand, palm turned upwards.
"You set me up," yelled the man who felt humiliated at having just been beaten by a young girl, who hadn't even give him the chance of a single shot.
Talia rolled her eyes. He was going to be difficult.
"Are you refusing to pay?" asked a man's voice from behind Talia.
Talia turned around to see the handsome, dark man she had watched being beaten by Blake at the game earlier. She regretted not really noticing him, earlier. Despite his rough appearance, or perhaps because of it, she found herself drawn to him. He was tall, though not as tall as Blade, with wide shoulders and powerfully built. His gray eyes, though currently looking at Blade with an icy glare, betrayed intelligence and hid a mystery that Talia found captivating.
"She set me up!" whined Blade.
This elicited a few laughs from the crowd at his expense.
"She beat you fair and square," said the stranger as he placed himself between Blade and Talia. "Give her the money," he ordered with a growl.
Something in the stranger's eyes made Blade's skin crawl. It wasn't so much what he said, but the way he said it, that finally made Blade hand over the money to Talia. A "or else" hang in the air and Blade didn't want to hear it, much less find out what it actually was. Suddenly Blake couldn't get away fast enough.
The stranger then turned to look at Talia, an unidentifiable something in his eyes that made her shiver.
"I could've handled him you know," she said trying to hold onto her temper that had flared up at his intervention.
"I know," he answered calmly immediately diffusing her anger.
Talia didn't say thank you. After only a week away from her evil kingdom, the Princess of All Evil still found the word difficult to say.
"I'm Talia," she said making her name into a peace offering instead.
"Valdis," he drawled.
There was long pause as they both stared into each other's eyes. A million unspoken emotions were shared in that look.
"Let's get out of here," he finally whispered hoarsely.
She nodded and he grabbed her hand leading her out of the bar.
~"Like a bat out of Hell I'll be gone when the morning comes"~
But the morning hadn't come yet, and Talia felt herself abandoning all, to the mysteries of the night.
Loved all of your reviews, please keep them coming!!!
A/N: The title to this chapter is also the title of a Billy Joel song. There are some unforgettable lyrics in that song that I just can't resist quoting.
"I'd rather laugh with the sinners, than cry with the saints, The sinners are much more fun. And only the good die young." "Only the good die young" by Billy Joel
This isn't a songfic, truth is I don't see much point to them, but like Talia, I do like my music and so, a few songs are, and probably will be in the future, mentioned in the story. I've only taken the title from Billy Joel's song and I've also mentioned some lyrics from Meatloaf's "Bat out of Hell".
Chapter 9: Only the good die young
Talia walked confidently into the dark, shady-looking and obviously rough, bar. Definitely not where a good girl should be, thought Talia with a secret smile. Not a single of these people seemed friendly, but some glances shot at Talia were a little too friendly. If she had looked stunning in the simple clothes she had worn at school that morning, then she looked even more so in black leather.
She walked with feline grace to the bar, sat on a, less than clean, barstool and ordered a beer. The barman, like every other person in the place looked at her curiously, then placed a bottle of cold beer in front of her. She was obviously underage, but he didn't let that bother him. She took out some money from her pocket and tossed it on the counter.
Talia turned on her barstool, so that she faced the rest of the room, before taking a large gulp from the beer in her hand. She let the alcohol wash down her throat as she took in the smoky atmosphere, the leather, the tattoos, the jukebox blaring in a corner and finally the pool table at the other end of the bar.
The pool table was in use by two men in jeans and leather. The larger and older of the two was potting one ball after the other. His companion stood quietly aside fuming, helpless to do anything to stop him. It was easy to guess who would be the winner of that game. She slowly walked over to the table and reached it just as the winner raised a hand, palm pointing upwards, at the man by his side. The other man placed an undetermined amount of crumpled notes in the outstretched hand. The expression on his face was one of disgust, but that didn't stop the meaner-looking man by his side from taking the money or from breaking into a large smile that revealed several missing teeth.
"How about a game?" she said causing the two men to turn around.
The winner of the previous game turned towards the sound of the voice. Then he looked down. He let his eyes roam over her young, yet unmistakably feminine figure. His toothy smile broke out again.
"What're you doing around here, little girl?" he asked a smile still playing on his lips. "Did you lose your way to grandma's house?"
"Do you want a game?" Talia asked the great oaf of a man standing in front of her.
"We play for real money here baby, monopoly money ain't no good to us," he said.
The man obviously thought himself a comedian.
"How much?" Talia demanded.
"Fifty bucks a game."
"I'm up for it," she challenged. "Actually, why don't we make it a little bit more interesting?" she offered, a twinkle in her eyes.
"What are you offering?" the man asked, intrigued.
"Two hundred dollars," she said.
The big man looked at her, stunned. She had guts; he'd give her that.
"You got the money?" he asked skeptically.
Talia put her hand in her jacket pocket and pulled out small pack of notes. She counted out two hundred dollars, which left her with only a ten-dollar bill, and laid them on the pool table. Her rucksack of bare necessities from a week ago had contained a substantial amount of money and only a single change of clothes. She had after all been prepared for making it out in the mortal world on her own, if the Haliwells had decided not to take her in. She was clever enough to know that what counted most in this world was money, much like power had in the world she had been so determined to leave behind.
Her adversary's eyes grew wide at the sight. The same old grin flashed out again. This would be easy money, he thought.
"Like taking candy from a baby, Blade," said one of the other people who had in the meantime gathered round.
The crowd yelled their support to the man they called Blade. All, but the man whom Talia had only moments ago watched Blade beat at pool. He stood in the shadows with his arms crossed watching with interest the scene that unfolded before him.
"Mind if I break?" asked Talia while rubbing some chalk onto the end of the cue.
"Go right ahead," said Blade.
Talia placed the white ball on the green felt. She then leaned over the table and aimed carefully.
The harsh sound of the jukebox interrupted the tense silence that had descended over the bar. Someone had chosen Meatloaf's "Bat out of hell" and the introduction of the song was the only thing heard, as Talia took the shot.
The white ball hit the rest of the balls at lightning speed. Three, coloured balls found their way to the holes at the sides of the table with a thud. Blade scratched his bald head in confusion. He suddenly wondered if he'd made a mistake. Talia moved deftly around the table to take her next shot.
~"Someone is screaming, in the fires of Hell, and we're down in the valley tonight"~
The man in the shadows watched Talia's every movement as she expertly potted her own coloured balls one after the other until soon the table contained nothing but Blade's striped coloured balls and the black. Talia reached across the table one last time. She was hardly tall enough to reach all the way. Stretching to make the shot, the low cut leather trousers slipped even lower to reveal to the stranger, the tattoo on her lower back. The tattoo came as a bit of a surprise to the man watching. It wasn't very big, but the stranger immediately recognized it as a phoenix, the bird of fire, it's great, outspread, flaming wings were what gave it away. His gaze was then reverted to Talia's determined face as she potted the black ball. She really was magnificent, the Source's daughter.
~"There's Evil in the air, there's thunder in the sky, and there's a killer in the bloodshot streets"~
"I think you owe me some money," he heard Talia's cool voice say as it was her turn to stretch out her hand, palm turned upwards.
"You set me up," yelled the man who felt humiliated at having just been beaten by a young girl, who hadn't even give him the chance of a single shot.
Talia rolled her eyes. He was going to be difficult.
"Are you refusing to pay?" asked a man's voice from behind Talia.
Talia turned around to see the handsome, dark man she had watched being beaten by Blake at the game earlier. She regretted not really noticing him, earlier. Despite his rough appearance, or perhaps because of it, she found herself drawn to him. He was tall, though not as tall as Blade, with wide shoulders and powerfully built. His gray eyes, though currently looking at Blade with an icy glare, betrayed intelligence and hid a mystery that Talia found captivating.
"She set me up!" whined Blade.
This elicited a few laughs from the crowd at his expense.
"She beat you fair and square," said the stranger as he placed himself between Blade and Talia. "Give her the money," he ordered with a growl.
Something in the stranger's eyes made Blade's skin crawl. It wasn't so much what he said, but the way he said it, that finally made Blade hand over the money to Talia. A "or else" hang in the air and Blade didn't want to hear it, much less find out what it actually was. Suddenly Blake couldn't get away fast enough.
The stranger then turned to look at Talia, an unidentifiable something in his eyes that made her shiver.
"I could've handled him you know," she said trying to hold onto her temper that had flared up at his intervention.
"I know," he answered calmly immediately diffusing her anger.
Talia didn't say thank you. After only a week away from her evil kingdom, the Princess of All Evil still found the word difficult to say.
"I'm Talia," she said making her name into a peace offering instead.
"Valdis," he drawled.
There was long pause as they both stared into each other's eyes. A million unspoken emotions were shared in that look.
"Let's get out of here," he finally whispered hoarsely.
She nodded and he grabbed her hand leading her out of the bar.
~"Like a bat out of Hell I'll be gone when the morning comes"~
But the morning hadn't come yet, and Talia felt herself abandoning all, to the mysteries of the night.