“…two guys who are pretty drunk,” said Colette. “I’m getting her saying to herself that she’d like to have
them thrown out.”
“Any reason in particular?” I asked.
“Other than being drunk?” she asked back. “They’ve been obnoxious and hitting on her all night, even before
they started drinking. When she doesn’t respond to their come-ons, they insult her.
I commented, “Quite the pair of charmers.” I looked to see if I could pick out the two guys Colette
mentioned. It was hard considering the lighting in the place. It seemed that the waiters and waitresses in
this place didn’t have assigned sections and had to cover too much ground. I found the pair of troublemakers
eventually. They were about ten tables away from us, more toward the center of the bar. “Found ‘em,” I said.
“I’m assuming, that is.”
“Why don’t you try to read their thoughts?” suggested Colette.
“Sure,” I said. I concentrated my thoughts on the two drunks. What I picked up was jumbled and confused. I
realized I had attempted to read both of them at the same time. I couldn’t distinguish between them so I
focused on them individually. The first guy had nothing on his mind but beer and sex. Specifically he was
going around the bar and picking out the women that, in his own thoughts, he’d like to suck his cock. There
was little else going on in his thoughts, which by my reckoning confirmed his drunken state.
The second guy didn’t have much more on his mind than his friend. But I picked up a few things that were
different from the first guy. The second guy’s thoughts were a bit clearer, as if he wasn’t as drunk as his
friend. While he thought primarily about beer and women as well, he also thought about violent things. He
had thoughts of being in fist fights and using a knife on people if he had to. I couldn’t gather if he had a
knife with him or not.
“Those guys are definitely assholes,” I said. “Possibly dangerous, too.” I quickly explained to Colette what
I learned.
“Better keep an eye on it,” she said.
“Can I ask why the interest in her?” I questioned. “Do you see something in her?”
“Questioning me, eh?” she chuckled. “I don’t know, maybe. Why, is she not your type?”
“She’s not what I would picture as a ‘bride of Dracula,’ so to speak,” I answered.
“Think outside the box,” she responded. “Something tells me that she’s got a darker side she’s too afraid to
recognize. In fact…I’m going to try to find out.”
Rose was nowhere to be found at the moment. While we waited for her to reappear over the next several minutes
we both finished our blood. As if an empty glass was some kind of homing beacon in a bar, Rose appeared right
before us. “Ready for another?” she asked. She still seemed a bit morose.
I glanced at Colette who had already begun to stare intently at Rose. She must have been probing for the
information she wanted, what Rose’s dark desires might be. “I think we’re still OK for right now,” I said. I
decided to keep her distracted so that Colette could finish. “Sorry to pry, but it seems like you’re having a
rough night.”
“Eh,” she said with a sigh. “Not as bad as some others. Just one table of jerks that’s making it bad.”
“Oh,” I said. “College guys?”
“A little older than that,” she said. “At this point I’m just waiting for them to grab my ass. Once they do
that I can get them thrown out.”
I was surprised by her statement. “You have to wait for them to do something beyond get overly drunk before
you can do that?” I asked.
“Club policy,” she said as she rolled her eyes. “Too afraid of bad publicity.” She looked around and sensed
she was needed at another table. “I’ll check back again,” she said as she took our glasses off the table. I
didn’t expect her to do this, which was silly since that’s what waitresses will do. I quickly wished that
whatever residue might be in the glasses was wine again, and not blood.
Once Rose was out of earshot, I turned to Colette. “What did you find out?” I asked. Colette didn’t answer.
She was in a trance. “Hey! Snap out of it!” I commanded. I even snapped my fingers in front of her face.
“Huh, what?” Colette said. “Oh, shit. I got stuck, I think.”
“Well what did you find out?” I asked.
Colette looked out of sorts. “She might have…potential. But I think we should wait,” she said.
“Why? Something wrong?” I asked.
“Not wrong,” she answered. “Just…interesting. Trust me on this, it’s too complicated to explain in here.”
I didn’t want to start another argument, so I ceded to her request. Just at that point I looked over to the
table of drunk guys. Suddenly…