She gulped, her body glistening with a nervous sweat. It'd been the first time she'd left the property since being turned, at least for personal matters rather than work-related reasons. There were so many warm bodies surrounding her, entirely oblivious to the lurking danger in the form of a nineteen-year-old girl having a nervous breakdown on the metro. Seras whimpered. Even in civilian attire, she felt she didn't fit in with the crowd and stuck out like a sore thumb.
For the last week, she'd been anguishing over whether she had done the right thing. Otherwise, she would've released an unrepentant monster back onto the streets of London, gravely betrayed Sir Integra's trust, and tied her own noose. Seras was confident it was the latter but couldn't sit on those feelings for long. She had to be sure.
But, really, he couldn't have left a more cryptic clue than a keychain. It was cheaply made, depicting a winking duck, and was very clearly worn as if it'd been in his pocket for years. It looked like it belonged on a teenage girl's purse. Still, she'd been searching all over London for one like it– every gift shop, vendor, and petrol station. Unfortunately, she'd come up short every single time.
"Maybe it's symbolic," she muttered under her breath.
Seras stepped off the train when the sliding doors opened, lost in thought and blatantly ignoring the man clumsily attempting to flirt with her. She looked up at a sign hanging from the ceiling and realized she landed in Soho.
She wandered around aimlessly; she'd already checked this area once and found nothing substantial. Eventually, she sat on a nearby bench, too tired to care if it was wet and soaked her skirt. The air was chilly and damp, and she shivered as a breeze passed and seeped through her jacket.
"I don't know how much longer I can keep at it," she said, defeated, and rested her head in her hands. "This is pointless. What am I even trying to do? What would I even say or do?"
The city quickly passed her by, laughter, chatter, engines, and honking horns filling the air and making her dizzy. Several restaurants, bars, and clubs lined the busy streets. It reminded her too much of her old life– her human life– before that awful priest ripped it away.
She was done looking for him and wanted nothing more than to forget all about this. She clutched the keychain in her fist, winding her arm to toss it into the street… until something caught her eye as she stared ahead.
Fifty feet before her was a filthy, desolate restaurant, which contrasted heavily with the bustling clubs and bars everywhere else. Paper ads were plastered all over the window, making it impossible to see the inside. The neon sign was dull and flickered, and a cartoon duck winked at the patrons below. She almost thought it might've been shut down if it wasn't for a couple excitedly pushing through the door.
"Golden Duck Palace? You've got to be kidding me."
Seras quickly crossed the street. The smell emanating from the restaurant was awful, like rotten seafood and horrible body odor.
A bell rang above her as she pushed the door open, and a small, elderly woman greeted her warmly. The couple that had entered only a few minutes earlier were nowhere to be seen. The smell and filth were twice as bad inside. The food must have been good if a place like this was still open, but she suspected anyone who ate there would've gone home with horrible food poisoning.
"How may I help you," the woman asked with a heavily accented voice.
"Um, excuse me, ma'am? Can you tell me anything about this?" Seras showed her the keychain.
The old woman took it from her hands and inspected it as if Seras had just handed her a gold nugget. After a minute, she nodded and gestured for Seras to follow her behind the counter and a ragged curtain. "Alone, are you? Well, I'm sure you'll find some nice company to bring home tonight," she teased, and Seras blushed.
At the end of the hall was a rusted freezer door that likely violated ten or more health codes alone. The woman grabbed the handle and grunted as she pried it open. Music and flashing lights immediately flooded through. The base was loud enough to rattle her bones.
"Welcome to Club M." The bell rang behind them, and the woman quickly shoved Seras through the doorway and shut the door behind her.
She glanced behind her, wondering if she should turn tail and run as fast as possible. Like any other club, it was crowded and unbearably loud. Bodies were everywhere, grinding and dancing to the music like a pungent mass. On elevated stages, women and men danced provocatively on poles. She blushed and hid her face as she passed one of the women, who'd thrown her top into the crowd and swung topless on the pole.
Seras suddenly felt an arm wrap around her waist, and a seductive voice whispered into her ear, "Hey, cutie~ You look like you could use some company tonight." Her face flushed once again, and the woman gave her a playful smile. She grabbed her hand and guided her to a nearby sofa. "My name's Lola, by the way."
She was gorgeous with brown coiled hair pulled into poms, which sat on either side of her head, and deep brown eyes stared into Seras' blue ones. Her thin, athletic figure was outlined by the lacy lingerie.
Seras sat with her hands in her lap and looked down, her face still beet red and a cold sweat running down her spine.
"Would you like a drink, cutie," she asked with a voice as sweet as honey. Lola waved her hand, and another woman, a cocktail waitress, came around with two glasses. "So, are you here by yourself, or are you waiting for some friends?"
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "I… guess you could say I'm looking for a friend- Actually, maybe you could help me!" Seras smiled. Maybe he was a regular– Jan seemed like the type of person interested in these places, after all– but it was up in the air if any of the staff could or would help.
"Would you happen to know a Mr. Valentine- err- a Jan Valentine? Is he here?"
Lola cocked a brow, her demeanor changing from soft and welcoming to more serious. It was like she was talking to an entirely different person. "And who's askin'."
"So he's here?"
"I didn't say he was or wasn't," she replied sternly. "I'm saying it's policy and bad business to give out our staff and clientele's information. We keep it discreet here. Besides, isn't my company enough?" She gave a pouty face.
When she saw Seras' face, she sighed. "Look, even if that fool is here– which I'm not saying he is– I don't know you or if you're safe. Our lives and reputation are on the line! And things are rough out there for us already. We can't lose another-" she stopped herself. "You seem sweet, but I can't tell you what you want to hear."
She sighed, rummaging through her pocket. I knew I shouldn't have come out here. "If you see Jan, can you return this to him?" She placed the keychain in her hand and got up from the couch. Lola looked it over for a moment.
"Wait," she called out, "Are you Seras Victoria?"
"Uh- Yes, I am." She looked taken aback.
"Well, why didn't you start with that?" She stepped toward her and placed the keychain back into her hands. She gestured toward another room separated by velvet curtains. "He's a bit… busy right now, but check the VIP room."
Her eyes brightened, and she hugged Lola, which genuinely surprised her. Seras thanked her before running toward those velvety red curtains.
Lola shook her head. "Poor girl has no idea what she's gettin' into with that one."