Haakon: Intro pt. 2

A few days later, Joe stood by the door of the "Lacquer Shack" and kept a closer eye on the patrons than usual.  It was an average night, about half the tables and chairs at the stage were full, no cause for major alarm based on the size of the crowd.  But he was sweating and shifting his gaze around the room and back to the door.   He was far too obviously nervous about the arrangement that his boss had made with the young Sister he met a few days ago.  He had not seen the man in the picture yet, and that was a big part of  why he was nervous.  Gulping air, he was clearly attempting to settle his nerves when the DJ came over the speakers.

"Alright Gentlemen, put your hands together for Candy, she's workin' hard to keep your hard workin'!" he exclaimed in that goofy way DJ's always seem to speak.  "She'll be coming down off the stage, and if you want a little private time with that little lady, just say the word, just let her know.  Coming up, two in a row from another gorgeous creature, your headliner, this is Cynderella!"

Joe's mood instantly improved and his tension subsided.  Cynderella always had that effect on him, though he couldn't explain why.  She was certainly gorgeous, but plenty of girls who danced here qualified for that descriptor.   She seemed to be passionate about everything she did, including dancing.  There was just something about her.  The crowd apparently agreed; a cheer went up from the assembly even as her name was mentioned.  While most of the other girls danced to the likes of Lady Gaga or some nameless techno band, she preferred Cradle of Filth or Children of Bodom.  Even now, the intro to "Her Ghost in the Fog" was pouring out of the speakers.  Then the curtain burst open and Cynderella strode onto the stage in a dark red gothic dress, complete with long stockings, platform heels, and her raven black hair in two pony tails on either side of her head.  The chorus of mad hooting and whistling announced the crowd's approval.  As Joe stared, Cynderella's eyes caught his from across the club, and she shot him a crooked grin and a wink.  The edges of his vision blurred, and he felt his knees turn to rubber.  Forced to prop himself against the bar, he could look at nothing but the stage.

It was in that moment that the door to the outside world quietly swung open.  A mountain came through it.

The figure in a long black coat was well over six feet tall and was built like a siege engine.  He walked directly to a table towards the back of the club, and took a seat, despite the fact that a swinger couple were sitting there when he did so.  They attempted to engage him in conversation, but he simply ignored them.  When they got up and left, he reached into the pocket of his coat and produced a large cigar and a pack of matches.  He chomped the tip off the end of the cigar and struck a match against the sole of his boot.  The flickering flame reflecting off the mirrored aviator sunglasses he had yet to take off attracted the attention of Cynderella on the stage, and for the first time in her set, she stopped moving.  The man in black put the match out on his toungue and tossed it over his shoulder before she began dancing again.  He chuckled to himself, a rumbling sound deep in his chest, as billows of cigar smoke rolled out of his nostrils.

It was only then that Joe came back to himself and realized that there was a new patron in the club.  He looked over in the direction of the new arrival and noted the long brown hair, full beard, and monstrous build of the man he had seen in the Sister's photo.  Suddenly his bundle of nerves was back in full force.  He walked over to the DJ's booth and asked what dancer was up next.

"Uhhh," the DJ said in a completely different tone from the one he used over the speakers, "Looks like it's the new girl."

Joe got that sinking feeling as he realized that the very end of "Angels Don't Kill", Cynderella's second song, was thundering through the crowd as they spoke.  He turned back to the stage to see Cynderella, wearing only the platforms, stockings, the hair ties that kept her long silken hair in place, and her porcelain birthday suit. Clutching the rest of her costume and a small fortune, she blew a kiss to the crowd, looked back and the man in black for a moment, then hurried off the stage.

No Time.

"Alright guys, how about that Cynderella, devastating as always, am I right?"  the DJ trumpeted over the speakers as the crowd continued to cheer for the recently departed dancer.  "Now coming up for you guys, a special treat, a fresh face here at the Lacquer Shack!  She's been workin' hard the last few days just to learn how to entertain you Gentlemen!  Giver' a warm Lacquer Shack welcome, and treat 'er right, this is Hilde!"

The man in black had been leaning back in his chair looking up at the ceiling.  But when he heard the name Hilde, his gaze fell back to the stage, he leaned forward in his chair, and he actually ordered a drink from one of the waitresses

"Ho-oh!  Oh Shit!"  Joe said.

Haakon: Intro

** Haakon is a character I came up with a while ago for a Role Playing website.  And while my interest in that particular pastime waned when I realized just how much one careless person could ruin everyone else's fun, the Character himself was so interesting to me, I've been thinking about writing a story around him ever since.  I have no clue where I'm going with this, but I just thought I would flesh out this little bit of an intro I've been kicking around in my head for a while.  Let's see what we get.**  


  The gust of cool, fresh air and the replacement of thumping bass and primal whooping with night sounds was rejuvenating to Joe as he dragged a drunken frat boy by his neck.  If not for his bellowed protests and his friends insisting that he 'never touched her', it would have been almost peaceful in the parking lot outside "The Lacquer Shack."  Joe had bounced at this particular strip club for several years, but he always thought that was the stupidest name.  Still, the steady pay and better than average office scenery made the name unimportant.  On top of that, there was something to be said about getting to toss drunks out into the street.  A definite perk, in Joe's mind.
  Even as a smile crossed his lips at the thought and he let his grip on this particular drunk loosen, the fool lashed out at him.  Joe's mirth faded as he grabbed the back of the doomed man's neck in one hand and his belt in the other and hurled him like a sack of grain.  The unfortunate man floated along for a moment, still screaming curses at Joe, right up to the point when he crashed face first into the pavement.  His momentum carried him along after he hit and when he turned over to look blearily back at the bouncer, a severe case of road rash graced his face and blood gushed from a split lip.  His four friends protested, cursing at Joe for treating their friend that way.  Joe straitened and clenched his fists, cracking his knuckles.
  "Fuck Off."  No anger, just a command to be followed.  The frat boy's compatriots hoisted their fallen brother and retreated into the darkness.  In the midst of all this excitement, Joe nearly failed to notice another figure approaching.   He took a deep breath and stretched his shoulders a bit to release some built up tension.  Then he realized that the figure was actually slender woman in a dark outfit, a hooded jacket hiding her face.  She moved with purpose.
  "Hey Doll, what can we do for you this evening?"  He scratched his chin and considered what might have brought her to this second rate strip joint.  "Looking for a little Entertainment?  Or maybe a job?  At the bar of course."  He winked at her, just as she walked into full view under the lights outside the club.  She lowered the hood on her jacket to reveal short red hair, big green eyes, and an expression of amusement.
  "Perhaps." She said as she reached for something in one of the jacket's pockets and produced a photo. "Have you seen this man recently?"  Joe reached out to take it from her, and that was when he noticed a string of Rosary Beads around her wrist, mostly concealed by her jacket.  He was immediately acutely aware that he had put his foot in it spectacularly.
  "Oh, hey, Sister is it?  Hey I'm really sorry about that, I didn't realize-"  Joe was prepared to continue apologizing for at least ten more minutes, but a soft chuckle from the woman stopped him.
  She Smiled "And how would you have known?  Don't worry about me.  Worry about the photo." she said, tilting her head toward the proffered picture, and clearly highly amused by the situation.  Joe could feel his face redden, and he couldn't help but chuff a laugh and shake his head as he took the picture from her.  It was a bit blurry besides the face, and it looked like it had been taken even as the man was turning away from the camera that took it.
  But he recognized the man in the photo immediately.
  "Oh yeah, he's a regular here.  Don't know his name, but he comes in every so often, bout twice a month or so."  He licked his lips, which had just gone mysteriously dry.  "Seems to be a loaner, sits in the same spot towards the back every time he's here.  One of the girls told me he's a really good tipper, must be loaded."  He rubbed his stubble with his fingers and wondered why a feeling of dread had crept over him all of a sudden.  "Oh, Never seen him without a cigar in his mouth."
  Joe looked up from the photo and saw that all the mirth had drained away from her face along with the color.  "He's been here?"  Her voice was wispy, almost sing-song and her expression grim.  Her nostrils flared and her jaw clenched slightly.  Joe's unease only deepened.
  "Hey, is this guy in trouble, or dangerous or something?  He's never caused problems in here."  The woman shook her head and her grim look faded back to something approaching mirth.
  "No I don't think he's dangerous.  Not to your employees or customers anyway.  When was the last time you saw him?"  she asked.
  Joe considered the question for a moment before he replied.  "Uh, probably about a week ago.  He should be coming by again any day now, supposing he keeps to his schedule."  He noticed that her eyes widened and a smile curled the edges of her lips.
  "I really need to find this guy.  Are you willing to help me get in contact with him?"  the woman asked.
  "Well, sure, I suppose.  I can call you when he comes in?"
  "No!  I.. I can't run the risk of missing him, I need to meet with him as soon as possible."
  "Okay, well.. I suppose I could see about getting you a job at the bar after all."
  "I don't think that will work, I need to get him alone, one on one."
  The pit in Joe's stomach deepened even more.  "Well, what did you have in mind?"
  She smiled, a kind of whimsical smile, mischievous to say the least. 
 
** I'll keep posting chunks as I write them.  I know, no Title Character yet (or was there?) but he'll arrive soon enough.  Let me know what you think. **

Something a bit different.

So, I've decided to start up this new blog with the intention of posting some original writings.  There was a time in school when I would have said without Irony that I wanted to be a writer.  And for a while in High School, it looked like that was a real possibility.  Then, somewhere along the path I took, I lost sight of that goal.  This will be my attempt to recapture a bit of that old spark and see what comes of it.

I intend to continue doing my review blog either way.