Dives and Drinks

[Alessandra]

Downtown Sacramento is known for its nightlife. You can find a bar and club for just about every taste and hell, even fetish clubs. The music is always on point and what new, the lines long and lights bright and inviting.

But if you know where to look, and are not afraid of the gritty unkempt areas, you can find some of the dive bars. A couple have motorcycles outside them, some have cars, a few have a mix, but they all have one thing in common.

They are shabby, a bit dangerous looking and unpretentious. Maybe seedy looking to some, maybe not. But this was a come as you are with inexpensive drinks and loyal clientele.

Tonight, mixed in the motorcycles, there would be a 1970s Grand Torino, regulars and a few of those in the know with the crime scene would know who was there.

This was a hole in the wall bar, a place where someone could drink and not be bothered, and maybe cut a deal or two. If you were lucky, maybe find an ally.

But for the Savage, the Prince of Sacramento and Boss of the local Mafia, this was her thing, this was where she did business and could be herself. Well, to a certain extent of course. Here, she had a table that was set aside for her, the bartender knew her drink of choice and he kept the glass full. She had full view of the door and could be seen.

Wearing a black tank top over dressy type pants, tattoos on display, the Savage took a sip from her glass, dark eyes roaming over the bar. So far, her night had been quiet, and she was enjoying that, no business, Domain or otherwise. But who knows, maybe someone will come in and catch her eye for a conversation. An inked hand absently picks up the newspaper as she lowers her eyes to read it. Her skin had a healthy life like glow to it, her heart beating with stolen blood.

[Alessandra]

Bookkeeping

[Diana Warren]

Music drifted through the open door—a low growl of guitars and conversation that barely concealed the scent of good beer and old whiskey. Diana stepped inside.


The room seemed to pause for a moment, not because anyone recognized her, but because she carried herself with the quiet confidence of someone who belonged wherever she chose to stand. A fitted black corset top accentuated her frame beneath a crimson leather jacket that caught the colored lights as she moved. Dark-wash jeans and black boots completed the look, practical enough for the city while still impossible to ignore.


She surveyed the room automatically. Mortals crowded around the bar, laughing too loudly and drinking too much. None of them held her attention for long. One figure did. Seated alone near the far end of the bar was the Prince.

Antinori sat with a drink before her, appearing almost relaxed despite the weight of authority she carried. No entourage. No Reeve looming nearby. No gathered court waiting on her words. Just the Prince enjoying a quiet moment in a place most Kindred of her station would never be caught dead in.

Diana couldn't help but smile slightly. There was something oddly refreshing about it. She was really starting to like this Prince. She tried not to look as thrilled as she felt, but with the blood pumping tonight it was hard to miss the high color in the cheeks, the quicker breaths, and the scent of anticipation and an earthy scent of vetiver.

Adjusting the collar of her jacket, she made her way through the crowd. A pair of patrons shifted aside without realizing why, unconsciously giving space to the predator moving among them. The music grew quieter in Diana's ears as she approached.

When she reached the private table, she rested a hand against the worn wood.

"Well hello," she said with a respectful incline of her head. "I wasn't expecting to find the ruler of the cosmos hiding in a dive bar." The faint amusement in her voice made it clear she wasn't criticizing.
She stood next to a chair across from her. "Mind if I join you?"

Even as those words sounded so lovely out of her mouth, she felt her figure stiffening like a coiling serpent ready to strike at the presence of a rival Kindred. Luckily they had met before. It would get easier, but never without that instinctual warning. She wrestled the Beast down once more.

[Alessandra]

Eyes did turn to watch this magnetic presence walk towards De Luca, because, well, not many did.
But if you were not in the know as to who the formidable woman was among the cattle, then maybe that was a small blessing for you. Maybe. Hard to say.

For the Savage, her Beast picked up on the weakling before her dark eyes even looked up from the article she was reading. A small smirk touched her lips as she finished it, folding the paper and setting it down, this was still her city after all. Her Beast did its thing, demanding flesh and bone, but it would be denied for now, and its chain pulled as it was shoved back into its corner.

Finally, she looks up, “I don’t hide, what would I have to hide from? I conduct business in here.” A smile to bartender with a nod. “I conduct business from all over the actually but I like the atmosphere and the drinks in here best.” Placing the newspaper off to the side, “Plus my men blend in.” bonus.

A nod to the chair, “If you want. Oh, and you can call me Sofia De Luca.”

[Diana Warren]

Sliding into the chair across from her with an easy smile, she shrugged out of her jacket and draped it over the backrest before settling in comfortably. Her gaze swept across the room for a moment, taking in the atmosphere, before returning to Sophia and focusing entirely on her.


“Nothing at all. I was just teasing.” A grin tugged at her lips. “Honestly, enjoying the drinks is reason enough for me.” She gave the bartender a small nod and ordered a Hendrick’s gin and tonic with a twist of lime.


“Looks like business is treating you well, judging by your office décor and a few other details.” She left the latter deliberately vague; some things were better implied than spoken outright in mixed company.


“What are you drinking?” she asked once her own cocktail arrived, leaning back in her chair. “And if you don’t mind me asking, what line of work are you in? I’m always open to picking up extra work. California has definitely proven to be more expensive than Denver.”

[Alessandra]

Of course nothing.

“Business is always treating me well.” Business was doing quite well. “And what were you able to judge from my office décor? It only speaks to one side of my business and life.” What did one think they could judge from it?

“Whiskey, whatever the bartender recommended for the night.” She found the locals had the eye for the good stuff sometimes. And she didn’t like the expensive stuff.

“Depends on the night. Some nights it’s real estate; some it’s managing and running my restaurant. I run a lot of things within Sacramento, and if you don’t know my name and who I am,” a chuckle, “than my line of work might not be for you.” It wasn’t an insult; it was a fact. Crime wasn’t for everyone. “When someone comes to me looking for work, they know who I am and what I do.” Facts were facts.

“But yes, California is an expensive place. Not sure if it’s the location or the air. Does it make you miss Denver?”