Volcano Pack:                 

The clubs are where all the partiers come, where all those who seek a good time come out and about. While at one time they were the most active at night, since the vampires have taken over, human patrons have been scarce. However, there are still a few hard core peeps who will rock all day and through the night too of both vampire and human origin.

Leah glanced down at him when he spoke, her face revealing her blatant disbelief as she snorted, flicking her ears up and out so that she might catch all the sounds, her nose twitching as she absorbed all the scents that lingered in this place - sweat, hormones, body odor. Alcohol, cigarettes, even the faintest perfume of marijuana...Leah supposed whoever had been doing that figured they'd gotten away with something, as the club owner seemed oblivious to the fact that particular stench still crept through the air, as did most of the employees, scantily clad women who made their rounds ensuring that the men were satisfied with what they were drinking and what was going on, in addition to giving them some sort of eye candy throughout the long hours of the night, a trait and feature Leah found particularly disturbing. She might not be the greatest at socializing in the world, and she might not be the one to have the most self respect or a particularly high self esteem, but she at least held enough of both not to dress in such a manner. Then again, as thin and bony as she was, it wasn't like anyone would waste their time or hold their breath looking at her. She huffed, a slight snarl curling the lips upon her maw as she returned her dark gaze to the girl who offered to lead them, then gave a curt nod, granting permission to show them the way, though Leah's gait was slow, cautious and apprehensive, not quite sure she trusted this place or these people just yet - whatever Nick himself said. After all, she'd just met the little brat himself a few hours ago; a shred of guilt entering her heart even as the thought crossed her mind - she'd just met him, yes, but she could already tell he wasn't a brat, never had been, most likely never would be, but that didn't mean she had to like him. Not at all. It also didn't mean she had to hang around this club any longer than necessary to ensure that he was safe and would be kept that way....but why on earth would she even go to the trouble if her professed hate for kids ran as deeply as she claimed? The answer to that eluded her, and the very situation in which she found herself was quite baffling to the young female, to say the very least, thoughts she quietly reflected on as she made her way up the stairs, ascending to the cleaner, more pristine parts of the club that were free from the noise and clamor that preluded them downstairs, and that had also sent shards of pain lancing down and through the tender appendages that were the slots in her ears, sending a coursing shiver running down the length of her amply short spine.

Nick simply held onto her and stayed beside her the entire time. When they entered the upstairs the girl called out" Alex "she said in a slightly more higher pitch but not loud enough to hurt anyone's ears let alone a wolven's ears. Alex stepped out. it was clear the moment she stepped out that she had been crying and was worried sick bout her little brother. seeing her little brother Alex rushed forward" Nick "she cried." oh thank goodness you're alright.. I've been looking everywhere for you... calling anyone I could think of "She said softly. which calling anyone she could think of properly kicked her in the gut with the cellphone bill. which was a crappy phone to begin with. Nick frowned seeing how his sister was and felt bad for making her worry.

Seeing the girl rushing out to greet them, Leah promptly pried the younger boy from her torso and flipped him so that he faced Alex, holding him out towards the elder female without a moment's hesitation, her message of, "Here, take him" plain for all to see, and easy enough for anyone nearby witnessing the spectacle to hear. "There you go," she grumbled, supporting his tinier frame under the armpits, her slender hands trembling slightly with even his scant weight - she knew then she'd overdone today, and she would regret it tomorrow, especially with the pace her visions seemed to be coming, but that couldn't be helped, she tersely reminded herself, waiting for the blond to take the child from her hands, resisting the urge to impatiently tap her foot. She wasn't good in social situations, wasn't very admirable when it came to conversing with another, and the thought of having to speak to these other people made her sick; Leah could now feel the bile rising in her throat, and shook her head, flipping her long blue hair back over a shoulder while she was at it, not wishing to have the stray strands who fancied themselves rebels drift into the snapping black pools that were her eyes, flicking her ears back as she curled her lip, her distaste for such scenes and surroundings once again plain for all to see, and easy enough to remedy. She didn't know Alex, wasn't aware of how much they were struggling or how tight money was, and so she couldn't understand the implications of such wording, but she knew rightly enough something was wrong, as this wasn't the proper place to go raising a child, especially one as sweet as Nicholas. When Alex took the little boy from her trembling arms, Leah permitted them to fall back to her side, tucking her pale hands back into the safety of her sweatshirt pocket even as she pulled her hood up about her face and ears, hiding her Wolven features while she turned on her heel, mumbling something about getting out of here - she was starting to feel crowded, beginning to think she was being stifled, when her steps faltered and she paused at the edge of the stair well, listing to the side as she leaned towards the railing, reaching out with one hand to grasp the flimsy wood and metal structure in a desperae attempt and effort to steady herself, the other hand coming up to brush across her eyes, fingers kneading across her forehead, feeling her heart pound within her chest before it leapt into her throat, her vision blurring as she felt fever heat swarm over her body, flooding her normally formidable systems, a cough escaping her lips as she wavered, sucking in a hiss of breath through clenched teeth. Mentally she prayed, if one could call it praying, screaming internally at herself, No! Not now, not now! I can't afford to fall out here - I don't know these people...I won't...be safe... This thought and more trailed away as her breath caught and her legs gave way, her grip upon the railing slackening as she crumbled, slumping to the side with a whimpering breath of a sigh, unable to sustain the strain of pushing herself so hard with only minimal rest any longer. Her balance lost, the lifeless form that was her body toppled down the stair case, creating a tremendous series of thuds and thumps before coming to a heart stoppingly still rest at the base of the steps, one pale hand lying lifelessly in front of the partially concealed features of her rather delicate face, little body shivering at the profession of cold, shaking from the immense drain of energy she had commenced today and the sheer strain of being lost, alone, and on the bitter run.

Alex picked her brother up the second she was at their side. She hugged him and dropped to her knees crying. Nick hugged her back and hid his face in her neck" I'm sorry I ran away "he whispered. Alex sniffled" don't worry about that right now... I'm just glad your ok "she whispered softly. they held each other for a moment. Alex glanced off when she saw the girl leave. She called a thank you for finding my brother to her before looking back at her brother. But both whpped around and looked towards the stairs when they heard the thuds and crashs. Alex told Nick to stay there and rushed over. Seeing the girl at the bottom of the stairs she rushed down and checked her over. After she knew she was still alive and didn't seem hurt she picked her up and carried her upstairs. She realized then that the girl was skinnier then one should be. 

Leah didn't respond to the call of thanks, nor did she stop to turn; she didn't face the happy family, she didn't say a word as to their reunion, merely glad that the pair had been put back together...and she couldn't help but feel a bit of pride regarding her own role in it, as she knew that Nick's situation could have ended worse than this, could have ended with his book bag stolen and his medications unaccessible. He could be lying on the street somewhere unable to catch his breath, gasping futilely for air, had she not come along, and it felt good to have done something worthwhile for once, and to have accomplished something worthy of her existence in life. But she suppressed those thoughts, stifled them as easily as she hid her true feelings and thoughts from the world, though it wouldn't have mattered anyway - once she fell all thoughts left her wonderful brain, her mind going black and dark as all outside stimuli, all sights and sounds, all knowledge, scents, all pertinent information fading away into the oblivion of nothingness.

Vaguely she felt herself being lifted, and she whimpered softly, but she was unable to do much else - all her energy reserves were depleted, her body exhausted, having been pushed to far, too hard, and much too fast. Alex could have felt where she was so skinny, could easily tell she was lighter than one her age, weight, and height was supposed to be, displaying in a subtle manner just how much of a sorry state and deplorable condition the youth of a girl was in.

Alex carried her up to one of the rooms and laid her down. She started to tend to her and with some help got an IV in her to help her out some. Alex started to check her over for any wounds or anything of the sort wanting to make sure she was ok. the friend started making something for them all to eat. 

Leah twitched in her sleep, head lolling to one side so that her face rested tenderly against one slender shoulder, long blue hair drifting over the lightly curving structure of her clavicles, arms crossed over the scant surface of her abdomen, that was, until Alex pulled one out to get an IV started. Her legs listed to one side so that she appeared in an odd position, seeming to be partially curled up, and only half stretched out to the naked eye. Her dark black eyes were closed, her ordinarily pale cheeks flushed with the essence of fever, or what many would take to be one, though in all reality, her body temperature wasn't abnormally high, though to the untrained hand she did feel rather warm. No, instead she was merely suffering from an extreme form of exhaustion, as the dark circles beneath her orbs suggested, especially when coupled with the regal pallor of her strangely pale skin. Not even all of this, though, would have given Alex pause, at least, not any more than was necessary in this case and instance. No, that would only come when she drew back upon the syringe with which she had begun the IV - for in drawing back on the needle, Alex was effectively ensuring that the catheter had indeed gone into the vein, as evidenced by a phenenomon known as "flashback." Medical professionals used it to check that their own beginnings were integral, and flushed them often to maintain such integrity, a fact that in turn lead the to surprised gasp uttered from Alex's lips mere moments later. For instead of the crimson red she would have expected from such liquid, there was instead only black, a deep midnight in color, almost the charcoal hue of those stones known as coal in the mines, evidencing that, if she hadn't suspected it already, Leah was not an ordinary human. No, she was far from such, demonstrated by the slightly longer than normal curvature of Leah's pretty little fangs - she had drawn a lip back at the feel of the needle entry, though she did not greatly stir or awaken, and even now twisted her head to the other side with a muttered mumble of a murmur that was unintelligible to human ears, her voice whisper soft and listing, her chest heaving with a gasping breath as her muscles tightened, her body tensing. It was clear no IV had caused this, nor was Leah allergic to the fluids - no, now her main problem was not physical, but nor was it mental: simply put, it was an issue with her powers, the ability that had been gifted to her from her father's line, the blood borne power of a Seer. It gave her visions of the past, present, and future, at times, that was, though Leah herself usually only heard the voices of the past and future, as they related to one another, of course. She'd never told another living soul of this, however, for fear of seeming crazy, and due to a deeply inherited sense of mistrust; she never put her faith in anyone or anything, and as such isolated herself from any and all who might potentially cause her pain. People and kids like Nick, who would die eventually, more than likely long before she, if his illness had anything to say about it, or who would betray her trust and hand her over to the cops, perhaps even the Feds. For Leah was wanted in many countries for her theiving, and not only that, she was, after all, Wolven, and that alone and of itself was enough for the majority of citizens to turn blindly and violently against her.

Alex glanced at her and did her best to do the IV. The docs taught her how to do this for Nick if he ever needed Iv at home changed. She got it done and was surprised at first at the color of the blood but relaxed and gently wrappeed it up so that the blood was hidden. After that she kind of moved her so she would be more comfortable and sat back. She sighed and brushed her hand across her face. Nick sat down and looked at Leah" she saved my life "he said gently. Alex smiled and nodded" she'll be ok.. just needs some rest and fluids "She said gently.

The muscles jumped at Alex's touch as she went to move Leah, and a soft snarl emanated from the wolf's maw as she shuddered and shifted, adjusting her position upon the couch from that which the human woman had placed her in, ears flickering at the sound of soft voices, though she couldn't quite make them out, not in the state she was currently in. Her breathing hastened, hitching momentarily in her throat as not the nightmares came, but another one of the rare visions she was prone too as a Seer, the notion assaulting her sleeping senses and plunging into her slumbering mind, leaving her with a heavy feeling of oppression, and the sensation of being slowly yet steadily crushed by an ever heavier boot. Her hands clenched, fingers curling under so that her nails bit deeply into the fragile flesh, inciting more of the blackened liquid that was her blood to seep through, peeking out beyond the cresent shaped moons of injuries left by the wickedly sharp edge of her claws, ears flattening even while she rolled up on a side, curling in on herself as if for further protection. The arms came up to be clasped across her chest, the knees were folded neatly over one another and drawn up in front of her arms, head tucked down so that her nose was behind the safety of her knee cap, otherwise known as the patella, tail tucking so that it was hidden between her legs, having come tumbling loose in the sudden chaos of her fall. Another whimper escaped her lips, and she flinched at some unseen force, retreating ever farther into herself, and more deeply into the world of dreams, trying futilely to outrun the knowledge of her powers, and the certainty of depression upon reentering the waking world.

Alex blinked and got up" I'm gonna grab a blanket 'she said gently as she left. Nick nodded and crawled onto the bed with her. He was young and didn't know what to do. He knew how ever that this wasn't because she was cold. He did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped his arms around her and snuggled close against her. He gently rubbed against the back of her neck right around the neck joint where the base of the scull was. He didn't know why but when Alex helps him sleep she would always message that spot and it always helped him. So he decided he would do the same. He laid his head down next to hers. their foreheads nearly touching. He found his eyes starting to drift and soon as he focused on messaging that spot he drifted off to sleep. his mucsles moving for a minute longer as the last message was scent from his mind before his hand slowly slipped down her shoulder and landed on her hand. Alex returned to find them like this and couldn't help but smile. She gently put a blanket over both of them and checked on them both before returning to the corner and relaxing.

Leah initially stiffened at the touch, tensing all the further, as another soft snarl left her maw, the ears flattening completely against her skull even while the long electric colored locks of her hair drifted down to lightly conceal her face, the porcelain nature of her complexion, the gentle white of her skin tone, adequately hidden beneath the thick screening curtain of her surprisingly lucious hair. Most would think it would be stringy and dirty, that the split ends would make it coarse and unruly, but in truth, it was soft, well conditioned, and superbly groomed, evidencing that she kept it, at least, well maintained, even if she were unable to care for any other part or aspect of herself. The snarling tone that whispered from her maw at first faltered, then gradually began to fade away when he inched closer, so that he was right there at her face, clearly intruding upon her personal space, the gentle massage of his touch soothing her inner beast and releasing the trauma of the dizzying vision, releasing the tension in the area of her muscles so that she relaxed, hand partially falling open so that his own tiny appendage of a limb had a place in which to rest, fingers intertwining almost unnoticeably. The ears came up, the breathing eased while the shivering ceased once the soft surface of the blanket was thrown over her, its heavy weight reminding her of a grandmother's quilt, though she couldn't yet make the connection in the waking world, a soft snort echoing through her lips as her thoughts shifted to brighter, more pleasant things, a rare instance and odd occurrence, at least, for one such as Leah herself.

Nick sleeped soundly beside Leah and curled up next to her. Alex sat back and watched them sleep for a while. Her mind wondered back to earlier that night.... when she met Demon and took on Dallas's debt. She felt like she was already in danger of losing a place to live but also her brother and not just to the illness either... moving in with Dallas got the child serveses off her back for a while but now that hes gone their on her tail once more  and she feels like she was drowning in a flood of paper work, billies and blood... The thing about working for the gang sure wouldn't help sell the child serveses that she's a rightful gaurdian of her brother. Alex sighed and slide down on the chair some stressing out like crazy. How was she going to do this... She was already stretching herself with the fights and working the night shifts at the club along with odd end jobs that she could grab here and there. 

The sense of oppression that plagued Leah's dreams heightened, and she began twitching in her slumber once more, lip curling softly as she twisted her head into the pillow, just before she jolted awake with a start, ears flashing forward while the black eyes widened, her wiry form slamming up onto one side, propped on her elbow as she raked in several gasping breaths, carelessly shaking her hair out of her face while she looked about; feeling the pinch in her arm, she looked down with a snurl of her lip, not liking the sensation, noting the IV that had been placed there, and the bag of saline solution hanging idly beside the bed, the blanket falling about from her shoulders to the level of her hips, her tail swishing out in full force as she bushed it, rolling onto her back as she looked about the room, plainly confused, angerly tossing the plastic lining that carried the precious fluids out of her way. Sweat still covered her, trailing at the edges of her hair line, curling the ends of her long locks into beautiful curves, her thin frame shook - the visions had done nothing for her exhaustion, only heightening the sheer level of it so that she felt weak as a kitten - or more accurately, as a pup just weaned from her mother's milk. She groaned as she lifted a hand to her head, fingers pinching together against the bridge of her nose, idly noting that her hood had fallen down about her shoulders, though at this particular moment, she really didn't care. She certainly didn't feel any better - in fact, her head hurt worse than before, and her vision was still blurry, probably from lack of sleep. Her blood sugar was dropping, she could tell - she felt foggy, her mouth was dry, and she was shaking, trembling really, and it wasn't all from fear or nerves of the unknown, or the stressful strain of discovering she didn't know where she was. Her memory from before was a bit scattered, but she recollected she'd saved a boy, against her better judgement, she might add, and she'd carted him home, handed him off to his sister....Ah. There it was. The last thing she remembered right before her visions, and the rude awakening she had received because of them, was heading down the stairs. Well, more like tumbling down them, but still, tomato, tomato, as they would say. Or at least, that's what she thought was the human expression. She hadn't heard it very often before. Usually what she got was a mixed series of blubbered screams and hateful insults, never a kind word or any sort of help, any kind of aid....that was, until today.

Nick stirred a little and mumbled something in his sleep. He curled up closer to her his head almost in her lap. Alex blinked and sat up when she woke up" oh good your awake... how you feeling? "she asked standing up. She went over to the kitchen and got some water and pain killer before going to the bed.

Leah jumped ever so slightly, further startled by the light weight she felt in her lap, she hadn't noticed anything to account for it before, though let's face it: she wasn't exactly in the best of conditions, or the most sound frame of mind; the slender aperture that was her hand pulled back from her face, revealing the deep black pools of intelligence that were her eyes, if only for the briefest of moments, another soft growl leaving her lips even while her ears flattened, tensing at the unexpected pressure, unsure of who, or what, it might be. Finding it was the small form of the boy she'd taken under her wing earlier, she frowned, drawing her head back as she adjusted her weight so that it was placed upon her arms, leaning back slightly until she could rest against the headboard of the bed, easing the scant weight of her own form off of the strain of her body,  the molten orbs that were her spheres of sight appearing to soften ever so slightly at the view that greeted her; the cloud of confusion that was her mind was whirling, racing with the knowledge of what this meant, frantically attempting to decipher where it was she happened to be precisely, unable to fathom that anyone, or anything, would have been so kind as to take her in. So focused on his little form was she, so intent on the fact that his sleeping figure was near her own, practically lying on top of her in a blissfully peaceful manner, that she didn't notice Alex standing nearby, and only faintly heard the elder female speaking to her. Leah wished to reach out and touch him, to lightly poke at one cheek of his face, just to test if he were real, or if she were experiencing some other delusion, but resisted, hesitating as she cocked her head to the side, clearly puzzled by his demeanor, let alone the manner - no one had ever slept so soundly beside her before. Usually, if any rested beside her, they were uneasy, and tossed or turned in their sleep, proving to be very restless, sometimes even downright disruptive. But Nick displayed none of that; in fact, it was almost as if....he trusted her. Oh no. He trusted her. She could tell by the gentle, even breathing in the rise and fall of his chest, the light pounding of his heart, the sweet serenity of his child like scent. The relaxed manner in which state she appeared to have found him in, the lax tone in his little muscles, the edge of drool that was starting to edge past his lip, something she haltingly reached out and wiped away with the edge of her sleeve, something the cranky, cold, and rather antisocial Leah never would have done. Realizing her action, she shook herself angerily - what was she thinking? She shouldn't be here, couldn't stay much longer. There was no use getting attached - there never was, for sooner or later, he would find them, he would kill them, and end whatever relationship, whatever chance of normal life and happiness with a family who loved her, an adopted family, but a family nonetheless, all in an effort to simply spite her, and to merely break the otherwise seemingly indomitable spirit with which Leah seemed to be possessed. The approaching arrival of the girl sent her leaping once more, drawing back in a mad scramble towards the edge of the mattress, a quick shove sending Nick tumbling back onto the soft recesses of the bed even as she crouched, legs beneath her, arms spread out by her sides, balancing and supporting the upper half of her weight, ears curving against her skull, black eyes glittering with malicious intent, glimmering with a deeply seated, firmly rooted mistrust, lips curling so that they revealed the ivory sharp canines that were her incisors, the longest, sharpest portion of her proportionally strong teeth, fingers twitching discretely into the shape of claws. Her tail was curled up and against her back, the evenly patterned black and white surface reminding one of an oreo, her tense posture and uneasy stance a dead giveaway in regards to her notions and experience, her image of what apparently was going on, something she based upon mere happenstance.

Nick groaned some when he was shoved and rolled some on the bed. He stirred and tried to find a new comfortable spot. Alex blinked" woah it's ok I don't mean you any harm... here is some water and some pain reliever to help with a headach and soreness you might feel "She said gently holding them out of her" I promise there isn't anything harmful about them... "She said gently.

Welkin entered the club from the lower level by the dance floors and bar. His belongings were checked in and he handed over his bolt action rifle. He was dressed in his uniform that he used mainly for travleing. Back where he came from in the land of his childhood such a uniform would get the wearer praise and respect. Welkin knew already by the looks he was getting people either disliked it or had no idea what it ment. He kept to himself as he made his way over to the bar and ordered a drink. He had came here to relax and clear his head before moving in to a place to stay.  Although he would soon find out this would be the last place someone would come to do such a thing. He stuck out like a sore thumb in his light blue uniform. But he paid those who gave him dirty looks or confused stares no mind, unless of course they provoked him first.

After about 5 minutes a small group of thugs approached Welkin Apparently unhappy with his appearance and perhaps other things. they began to harass him "Hey Soldier boy get the fuck out of our bar" One said. Welkin ignored him instead having another sip of his drink. "Boss you gonna let him give you the silent treatment? Lets show this punk why he picked the wrong bar!" Another thug spoke out grabbing a nearby bottle and proceeding to swing it at Welkin. Welkin slid left causeing the bottle to miss and shatter on the bar before he grabbed the thugs arm and snapped it down on the table bending it in a way which would surely break it before heaving him over the bar in to a few more bottles causeing them to shatter. Welkin turned facing the rest of the group waiting for the next one to challange him. He had checked his rifle at the front but he still had his knife and his pistol. "You couldnt have just left a guy alone huh?" He spoke for the first time.