The evening had been quiet as it flowed into night. The wooden sign swung slightly on its hinges just outside the door to the dimly lit bar. The young woman sitting on a bar stool glanced at it, reading and rereading "Rousseaus" that was engraved in white letters upon it. Her sight growing weary of the same word, traveled down to street level to watch some passerby's before finally finding her way back to her drink.
She swirled the cup in her hand, causing the several bracelets resting on her wrist to jingle and twitch. The various silver rings on her fingers clanked against the glass as she brought it to her lips. Slowly, she lowered the drink down gently on the bar top, letting her eyes wander over the selection of bottles on the shelves ahead of her.
The woman tossed her dark mahogany, wavy hair to one side before returning her attention to the beverage. She sighed slightly, noticing how low the clear, brown liquid was becoming. 'It's still early,' she thought and contemplated ordering another Old Fashioned. She swirled the glass in her hands as she debated with herself.
After a few minutes, she shrugged, going against better judgement to get the bartender's attention. She crossed her legs, dark skinny jeans sinking into rugged knee high boots. To her surprise, before being able to flag the bartender down, a large man abruptly invaded her personal space by sliding in between her and the lonely bar stool next to her.
"A pretty little thing like you shouldn't be alone. How 'bout I buy you a drink?" he voiced a bit drunkenly. The woman grimaced slightly before she rolled her eyes at the fellow. Quickly, she chugged what was left of her beverage and slammed the glass on the wooden table top before turning somewhat to the stranger's direction. She couldn't help but notice how the rugged grey t-shirt barely fit over his round stomach. His dirty blonde goatee was unkempt and she couldn't decide if his bulbous head was just shaved or if it was balding. If she wasn't so used to creeps like him trying to hit on her, she would have gagged.
Simply, she rested an elbow on the counter, lent back in the chair and responded, "I can buy my own drink. Now please, leave me alone." She shifted again, straightening out the bright blue high neck tank top while trying not to let her annoyance get worse.
"I don't think you heard what I was saying," the stranger becoming angry, "You're gonna spend the night with me." He lent in more aggressively. She could see beads of sweat lingering on his ugly forehead before she shut her eyes.
"Shoo fly, don't bother me," she waved her hand, motioning for him to leave and signaled the bartender for another drink. She mindlessly tucked her hair behind her ear, noticing the blonde chunk had fallen in her line of vision .This time, the intruder banged his palm closer to where her elbow lay. She bit her tongue in frustration. She sucked in a deep breath, preparing to give this guy one last chance before she took matters into her own hands. She began to offer her rant, "Dude-"
Just as quickly as the creep appeared before her, the woman was suddenly aware of another presence to the other side of her. The sound of the new voice was gentle, yet fierce and all so charming, "I do believe the lady asked for you to be so kind and let her be. Now, before you let your steaming rage get your better judgement, I suggest you respect her wishes and enjoy your evening someplace else." The woman caught her mouth slightly opened as she watched the large man glare over her head with a scowl and reluctantly left. She wasn't exactly sure how she should react to the new voice. She stared down at the bar top for a few moments but the stranger's words continued, captivating her attention towards him, "I feel I must apologize for such ignorant manners. I do hope that your time here wasn't that much upset from that brute's intrusion."
Her eyes met directly with dark chocolate eyes and she felt her heart skip a beat. The man's strong, square jawline was clean shaven. Thick brunette hair was mildly slicked on top of his head. His attire was remarkably and unexpectedly a suit and tie. He was her very definition of classy. The smoothness of his voice captured her ears once more, "I don't mean to be so rude in ruining your night, but if you wouldn't mind uttering a single word to appease me, I would be more than happy to leave you to your solitude once again. If I may ask your name?"
She stared at the handsome man leaning nonchalantly next to her. She caught her mouth still agape as she couldn't believe how intriguing his presence was. 'You can have anything you want if you keep talking like that,' she thought. She shook her thoughts out of her head and looked up at the man. "Addy," she barely muttered, "You can call me Addy."
"Addy…" the stranger's lips slipped into a smile at the corner as he said her name; she suddenly felt light headed. "It's a pleasure. If you wouldn't mind, I would like to pay for your drink before I leave you," and with that he took out some cash from his pocket as a new beverage landed in front of Addy. He nodded to the bartender as he set the money on the counter.
She was dumbfounded by the man's actions. She had never come across someone who treated her with that kind of respect but she found it refreshing and a bit exciting. She suddenly found herself panicking as the stranger was about to walk away. She didn't know what she expected but she realized she didn't want to spend the night alone anymore; something she never thought she'd want in a bar. Desperately, she attempted to sound half as classy as he, "So I don't even get your name? Pay for my drink, ask for my name, save me from some ass hat, but I don't get the pleasure of having your name? Now that's rude."
The man chuckled as he returned his attention to the woman, "I suppose that was quite discourteous of me, I apologize. Elijah," he held out his hand. Slowly, Addy gave in and went in for a hand shake. But Elijah took her hand and placed his lips upon it, forcing her breath to catch in her throat. His eyes locked onto her jade green ones, that corner smile yet again forming on his lips as if he knew exactly how it made her react.
"I uh, don't ever say this," Addy finally managing to find her voice, "but can I buy you a drink?" She felt her cheeks flushing with warmth as his stunning smile returned. "I mean, after all, it's the least I can do for getting that guy off my back."
"I will not let you pay anything for me," he answered, turning his sight towards the bartender. Addy bit the inside of her lip and returned her gaze down at the table top. She felt stupid for thinking she could get the attention of a guy like that for more than a few minutes. "However," he mused, causing her eyes to shift back up at him, "I wouldn't mind paying for the both of us if you will allow me the pleasure of your company this evening." To her amusement, Elijah had taken a seat on the stool besides her and was pouring a bottle of scotch into a glass.
Addy shook her head a tad, completely confused as how he had gotten a whole bottle of liquor without so much as flicking a wrist. She chortled to herself and took a sip from her own drink. She had no idea what she was getting into, she thought to herself while she held the glass in her hand. She didn't even know what now to say to the man. But luckily, Elijah had his own agenda. The man's smooth voice enquired, "Addy. I can only assume that is short for something?"
She took her time swallowing the alcohol in her mouth. She thought about not answering that question as she didn't want whatever this was becoming personal. Addy attempted to come off as confident, but her words felt insecure when she caught Elijah's brown lion eyes, "Maybe, maybe not. Just because you're buying me drinks doesn't mean I have to get all personal with you."
"Hmm," the man coolly grinned, "that may be true. However, I'm willing to make a deal. I will give you my whole name if you tell me your first name." Nonchalantly he took ahold of the bottle sitting in front of him and began pouring it into Addy's almost empty glass, to which she tried hiding a smile. He noticed her grin and kindly returned the gesture, "I'm Elijah Mikaelson. New Orleans was my home a long time ago until I had to leave. Now, my brother came back to town for…personal business. I followed him to make sure he doesn't do anything reckless."
"Wow, I was just going to settle for 'Elijah Mikaelson' not your life story," Addy snorted. She tried to ignore the fact that this was clearly a conversation she wasn't sure she wanted to get too deep in.
"I keep my word. And I wanted you to know I was serious."
Addy scanned the man's content expression, complexed at the way he willingly told her personal information. She came to the conclusion that he was an extremely proud guy and, probably, powerful by the way he kept a cool exterior. A sliver of insignificance quickly passed through her veins. She cleared her throat, "I guess I should keep my end of the bargain, even if I didn't actually agree to it. My name is Adelaide."
"Adelaide…" the word was silk sliding off his tongue. "What a beautiful name. Though I'm not sure it does justice to what it is attached to." Elijah's eyes aligned with Addy's once again.
Addy had to blink and turn away, feeling his gaze was becoming extremely intimate. The bracelets on her wrist jingled as she swiftly reached for her glass. What the hell did you get yourself into, she thought taking a swig. She tried to change the subject before she did something she would regret, "Well, the inside of my car has been my home up until… hmm… oh, last week when I moved into town."
"Oh, really?" his voice was full of surprise and, Addy could have sworn, slightly filled with concern. "What brings your journey to a settle in this city?"
"It's the Big Easy. There's music and art paraded in the streets. Not to mention, some great booze," she replied as simply as she could. She had always wanted to venture to the city, to see the art, to participate in the festivals. Unfortunately, Addy had another more pressing matter that drove her here. She was hoping for sanctuary. She twirled a strand of her hair nervously between her fingers.
Elijah sat quiet for a moment, sipping his drink, gazing over the woman sitting next to him. "How are you enjoying your stay?" he suddenly asked.
Addy shrugged, not sure how to answer that honestly. Like she had said, she only got into town a little over a week ago. The apartment she was sleeping in wasn't officially signed over to her yet and she was only able to decorate it slightly. "I'm adapting."
He smiled at her response, "I'm not sure I can say I'm glad at that comment. There are many mysteries in this city, give it time."
"So I've been told," she mused. Addy turned her attention once again to the glass on the bar top. Now that the butterflies in her stomach had settled, she didn't know where her time here was heading. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Elijah staring at her. She took a sip from her drink, thoughts crossing her mind on what she should do next. If he's been here before, maybe he knows some lore on this place. Carefully, she expressed her ideas, "This…might be an odd question, but maybe you could humor me. You know, if you don't mind." The man next to her shrugged. "Alright," she started slowly, "Uh, well, besides music and art, I've heard…stories." At this, Elijah narrowed his eyes slightly, Addy hesitated. "What do you know about…the…history? There's a ton of rumors about New Orleans with things that go bump in the night."
The man opened his mouth to speak, but instead brought his drink up to his lips. Addy fidgeted with the shiny ring on her thumb. Finally, Elijah spoke, "There's many things that circle New Orleans. Witches are probably the most expressed here in the French Quarter. Whether you choose to believe their dealings is up to you."
"Okay… what about...other…things?"
"What have you heard?" his serious tone matched the look in his eyes as he caught a hold of the woman's next to him.
She gulped, considering herself carefully, "oh, you know. Sometimes people disappear. Sometimes wolves are heard, howling at the moon. Sometimes…people are found with puncture wounds on their necks… Nothing out of the ordinary…"
Elijah gave a furtive smile, "And why is someone like you so interested in these stories?"
"I find them intriguing."
"Well, they are stories. But this town will make anything seem real. I do hope you take care in what you hear and see."
Addy studied Elijah's disquieted face. She couldn't help but feel he wasn't saying what he really knew about this city. She figured she kind of ruined the mood with her question though. It was too bad as she thought he was extremely attractive. But it seemed her luck was short lived for tonight. She decided to make the move to leave on a good note, "Well, I think I'd better get going."
"So soon?" he asked.
"I know. But I've got stuff to do yet tonight." She noticed Elijah's expression was disappointed. "Thank you so much for everything. I'm hoping I'll run into you sometime?"
The man smiled at her last words, "I very much look forward to that chance. Until then," he gently took a hold of Addy's hand and once again kissed the top of it. She couldn't help but let a huge grin plaster her face as he wished her a good night.
Addy slung the tan hand bag around her shoulder as she trotted towards the door. With one last glance at the man sitting on the bar stool, she caught the gaze of Elijah watching her leave. The glass door shut behind her as she started down the side walk, smiling like an idiot. Maybe things are about to change, she thought. A sharp poke quickly shot in her leg. "Ah ow…" she complained quietly and knelt down. She reached inside the flap of her boot and pulled out a small switchblade that had come undone. "Well, that would have been dangerous," she chortled to herself, "I should tighten that screw when I get back to my place." She slapped the knife closed, tossed it in the bag, and Addy continued her stroll through the French Quarter.