The atmosphere inside of Pandemonium was intoxicating. The demons were quickly and simply dealt with, a few standard eidolons, nothing overly exciting. Clary sat at the bar with the gang, as per usual. She was doing her best not to order anything too alcoholic, she needed a clear head. Jace on the other hand, held his liquor well and was on his third drink of the night. Smoldering gold turned onto emerald green and before she could think anything of it, he grabbed her hand and pulled her gently to the dance floor.
The coloured chiaroscuro lights and heavy trance music were intoxicating, suppressing Clary's common sense and invigorating the woman inside of her. They writhed together to the fast pace of the music and all the elements of the night, the lights, the heavy music, the slight amount of alcohol pulsing through her veins and her proximity to Jace began to reignite the fire of arousal in her stomach. She wanted him more than she had 7 nights ago, more than she had months ago on the night of the panic attacks, more than she had ever wanted anything except for how much she wanted to erase the memory rune lacing its way across the small of his back.
Sweat began to line their bodies and dehydration became evident. Jace, being the gentleman he so often claims left to find the cure. Before he'd been gone a minute a demon they'd missed noticed Clary and approached her. It appeared to be a class four, possibly 5, eidolon, like the one that gave her blood poisoning. Internally she gulped but also thanked the angel she hadn't had much alcohol to drink. The demon approached her swiftly, a dangerous, predatory grin arcing across its face. The glamour showed a young male, very muscular and very country.
"Howdy, li'l lady. What's a sweet young thing like you doin' dressed so scandalous?" The grin grew wider.
"Scandalous? And to think I was aiming for a classy escort." She scoffed. Isabelle was supposed to bait and the group had given the all clear. Mistakes all round tonight.
"My, my, temper, temper young one. You definitely achieved that. I was merely complimenting your efforts. I apologise for the offense taken, may I make up for it with a dance?" This one was awfully wordy for a demon; most didn't try so hard for a mundane. But as much as she wished to deny him, the shadow hunter in her refused to.
"One dance." She stated bluntly before softening her tone. "Maybe two if I'm feeling particularly charitable." She narrowed her eyes subtly and began to sway with the music. He reciprocated immediately and they began to dance in time to the heavy beat. Clary caught Jace's concerned eye for a fraction of a second before turning to the being before her. "Hmm, charitable it is, then." She grinned lazily and placed her arms around the demon's neck.
"Not to push my luck, but there is a mostly empty storage room out back if you'd like to get out of here for a bit." The predatory grin returned across his face bringing nothing but unease to Clary's stomach.
"Definitely pushing your luck on any other night but as it happens tonight charitable seems to be the order." She grinned and lowered her hands, bringing one to the crook of its elbow. "Lead the way."
She was pulled through the teeming masses, like sockeye salmon swimming upstream. The others followed slowly from behind, trying to blend in to the masses. The storage room was the same one they generally used for this kind of thing, which reduced the logic of the demon leading her directly to it.
She began to worry that the weapons she had weren't going to be any where near enough. She only had two seraphs left, the short sword at her arm, and less than 4 daggers in her belt. She had maybe half of what she began the night with, and barely enough to be facing the demon she was. He pushed the door open roughly and drew her inside, locking it behind him.
"I don't think I've seen you around here before." He said, his rough voice bouncing around the room.
"You're asking if I come here often? Once a week at most, I'm not normally one for dancing so you'd probably glance right past me." Unease began to weigh her gut.
"I don't think it possible to merely 'glance' past you love. Personally, the Tuesday atmosphere is my kind of gig. Must be why we haven't been acquainted." The demon moved for Clary, winding his arms over her shoulders. Her sore one twitched at the contact, snapping her back to reality.
"Must be," She returned. A flash of silver and black split through the scene. Clary's short sword sprung free from her wrist lashing at the arms of the demon, forcing him back enough to rethink his approach.
"Shadow hunter." He hissed, spitting the words as though they burned his tongue. "Such a shame, I thought we were beginning to get along." He lunged for her, the glamour gone and claws extended. Clary swiftly spun out of the way, lashing out with her sword as she did so, catching him across the back.
"Bitch, this is my favourite jacket. You're going to pay for that." He snarled, lunging again.
"Only in your blood." She grinned deviously. Her moves defined in a deadly grace that Jace had trained her to acquire. She swapped hands and used her now free right to launch a dagger at the demon's head, a blow too easily dodged. Clary swore under her breath and removed her one of her two remaining seraph blades, naming it for the angel Kushiel. It broke through the darkness in a fantastic display of holy light. The demon shrunk away at the lights contact but retained his ground firmly.
"Ah, Kushiel, the angel of punishment of the Christian and Judaist houses. How fitting, you a servant of no religion choose the angel of Punishment. Pathetic, all of you filthy apes." The demon snarled violently before lunging again. Clary danced in a swirling arc of white and silver, two blades moving as one to tear their target. She sliced again and again, the slashes barely seeming to affect the demon before her. "Oh how swiftly mortal life does fade, and how swiftly does the fascination you hold." IT grinned, like a predator closing in on its prey. Clary deftly swapped her short sword with a second seraph. This one named Phanuel. "Your dance did entertain me some but now you are like a fly who needs a firm swatting. And please. I knew of Phanuel, he was not one for repentance and hope." The demon moved with blinding speed for Clary, her golden blood barely allowing her to make the adjustment with her right hand in time. She struck out behind and forward at the same time, Phanuel striking forwards, Kushiel striking back in anticipation of the demons attack. Her right struck flesh and the force from the fleshy wall behind her recoiled. The demon froze, Eidolons, unlike so many others, possessed hearts and her blade had grazed its surface. Almost instantly she swung with her left hand in a clean arc that struck through the demon's neck, decapitating it. The demon's body shuddered in response, releasing a wave of force that knocked Clary into the exposed wall support behind her with a deafening crack that shook the whole room. The demon began to close in on itself, disappearing back to its home dimension, right as the others found their way through the door.
"Took you long enough. Next time just kill me yourselves, it would be so much easier for us both." She stood shakily, a rattling cough making its way through her lips.
"Shit, you okay Clare?" Isabelle exclaimed, rushing to help her up.
"I'm superb Iz." Clary replied, rolling her eyes so subtly only a certain golden haired boy noticed.
"You guys head back out and see if there are any others we missed. I'm going to get Clary home. Before anyone offered protest Jace had his stele pressed at her elbow, mendelin and iratze runes flowing from its tip.
"Yeah, home." She said. 'I don't even know what that is anymore.' She didn't. Jace scooped her up into his arms and took the back exit, Alec and Isabelle disappearing back into the club.