Very Important Person (Gomorrah)

Chloe didn’t even like night clubs.

To be fair, she was also sixteen. It was kind of illegal for her to enter most night clubs. But she was opposed to the idea of a night club, and she disliked all of them on principle. Deafeningly loud music, pulsing crowds of people, and mind-altering substances didn’t exactly figure into her ideal night. Chloe was not going to Gomorrah for the atmosphere. She did not go expecting to enjoy herself, to have drinks, or, god forbid, to have another one-night stand.

She was here to learn about her so-called father. And to learn if she liked watching strippers. But mostly to learn how her so-called father treated his employees.

The building was a big, dark storm cloud of frenzied lust and debauchery. Its lightning flashed red from its tinted windows, with the booming bass beat of the music as its thunder. Somewhere between ten and twenty people lined up outside, waiting to be carried up in its whirlwind. It was just after 10pm, and the sun had just finished setting.

Chloe stood in front of it, feeling small and vulnerable in her revealing little black dress. Her outfit was as stylish as she could manage on her allowance as a dependent of the school; which is to say, she might have looked very trendy a few years ago. She didn’t wear it very often, either. It showed off too much skin. It was already making her feel uncomfortable. She took a few steps past the bouncer towards the back of the line, then stopped. Maybe it wasn’t too late for her to call this off, to go home and enjoy a nice—

“Miss Black?” Chloe turned around. The bouncer was talking to her. “You don’t need to wait in line. Just walk in whenever you want.”

Shit. Gabriel would know she was here. It would be awkward if she called it off now. “…Oh.” Chloe managed a smile at the bouncer. “Of course. Thanks.” She tried to ignore the curious glances from those waiting in line.

The half-demon made it three steps in before stopping again, intimidated and overwhelmed. At the time, it seemed like going in alone was a good idea. She was already starting to question that decision.

That didn’t take long. Here Chloe was worried that she would have to go looking for him. No matter how much they spoke on the phone, it still felt weird hearing him call her ‘honey.’ She still wasn’t used to him, and she still didn’t trust him. Her own greeting was a nervous wave and a “Hi Gabriel.”

He had her right where he wanted her. She could have taken more precautions to protect herself. She could have brought friends. If he wanted to do anything to her that she didn't want, this would be the perfect opportunity. He was king here, and she was alone and off balance.

“This is your… temple,” she repeated. She needed a second to process that concept, then she nodded and chuckled her appreciation. Even if she didn’t like the atmosphere here, she had a soft spot for blasphemy. “It’s an excellent temple. Saint Peter’s Basilica should step up its game.” Gomorrah certainly had better music.

And here was Janica. She certainly was beautiful – almost intimidatingly so. And what was this about serving her every whim? Did her ‘dad’ just give her a…?

“A pleasure to meet you too, Janica.” She said, still nervous. Chloe hoped Janica’s job description was something more like “waitress” or “concierge” than the things she had just been thinking about. She didn’t want to make a habit of cheating on her girlfriend.

She was still going to look at strippers later, though.

Gabriel left them. Immediately, Chloe felt lost.

Getting a drink seemed like a good place to start. “Sure, Janica. How about… melon liqueur with sprite and lemon juice? I think there’s a name for that, but I don’t remember it.” She hoped the bartenders would know what she was talking about. She was only going to let herself have one drink tonight.

The half-demon spotted a relatively un-crowded end of the bar. She decided that this would be her space, and began to approach it. “Also, Janica. Do you think you’ll have time to talk with me about something? Or are you busy?”

Soon, Chloe would be sitting at a bar stool, leaning back against the counter, observing the club’s other patrons. Here she saw a mixed group of college kids, drinking and talking and laughing. Two of them were engrossed in what appeared to be a telekinesis-based drinking game, much to the others’ amusement. Over there, she saw a… a tentacle monster. It was an actual mass of arm-thick tentacles, rolling and writhing on the dance floor. Despite its unusual body type, it made its “dance” look pretty good. And it appeared to be dirty dancing with a scantily clad werewolf.

Chloe wondered how many times someone told the tentacle thing that they’d ‘seen enough anime to know where this was going,’ or anything like that. Maybe he incorporated it into pickup lines: ‘hey baby, have you seen enough anime to know where this is going?’

Chloe nodded politely at the other waitress, then retrieved a small, unmarked plastic dropper-vial from her purse. It was full of a milky white fluid. She placed several drops in her own glass, then stirred it with her straw.

“So, Janica,” the half-demon finally asked. “What’s it like, working for Gabriel?”

The droplet that fell into the glass didn’t diffuse normally. It spread, seemingly growing bigger when Chloe stirred, quickly turning the entire glass a milky white. Moments later, the milky whiteness seemed to collapse in on itself, leaving behind the drink’s natural translucent green hue. Chloe nodded at her drink, as though it had just given her a useful piece of news. Her first actual sip brought a delighted “Mmm" from the girl.

This was her favorite drink. She really wished she knew what it was called.

Chloe had anticipated an answer like this. Everything was fine, Gabriel paid well, he was a nice guy, he took his employees out for dinner and beach volleyball and told them fun stories. He wasn’t as bad as he seemed, and he cared about her.

The half demon listened attentively, nodded, even smiled a little. These were the sorts of things that Janica probably thought Chloe wanted to hear. When Janica finished her story, that was when Chloe struck. Her smile turned into a smirk. “You sound like a brochure, Janica. Are you saying he’s gone soft on all of you?”

There was a hint of disapproval in Chloe’s voice.