"Thank you."
"You are welcome, Sir." The attendee smiled beautifully, going back to her other responsibilities at work.
Holding his poker chips in hand, a wryly smile took John's masked face. Even the lowest chips are one thousand dollars chips. I will have to thank Rebekah later for helping me not make an embarrassment out of myself. After weighing the chips by shaking them, John turned his sight to where the fun took place.
He walked ahead, passing by many tables having the usual casino games taking place. While looking at them, John wasn't in any rush to join any of them. First of all, he would observe for some time how things worked. The reminder from Nikos remained in his mind.
At first sight, the games played around seemed to be the very same ones played in every casino around the globe. From card games such as Poker and Blackjack to others that relied heavily on luck, like Roulette.
During these games, the customers enjoying them shouted their bets, only to laugh happily when they won or release a sigh of mild disappointment when losing.
When passing near a Poker game happening with five games present, John noticed the bets would be starting right away as the dealer quickly gave the players their cards.
But when he noticed the values bet in the game, just from the first round, John quietly walked away a little scared at them.
Damn, I am really poor in this kind of society. John held a self-deprecating laugh, knowing well it would take some time for him to amass any kind of fortune that could be comparable to any of these century-old vampires.
I will have to comfort myself with the fact I can splash most of them on the floor by now. Continuing his walk, John kept studying the games while he made his way to the other side of the casino.
The walk to cross this floor wasn't a long one, a few minutes only. And when he stopped, John found himself approaching a bar.
But before he could first think of what drink to ask, John stood before a small structure rose in front of the bar.
It was a small fountain of marble. Sculpted in the middle of it was a valkyrie, holding a decorated horn up high and blowing it.
From the edge of the horn, a red liquid seeped constantly, making it rain down on the sculpture and the fountain, creating a crimson pool.
Bringing a drop of the liquid with his telekinesis, with enough caution for anyone to notice or anything to record, John smelled the liquid before throwing it back at the fountain.
It's not blood, that I can confirm. John had an expression of relief under the mask. Still, his nose twitched while trying to identify what exactly was the liquid. It is… similar, but not the same. And instead of animal blood, seems more like something created with the intention to smell and look like blood, but there are some differences in both looks and smell when getting this close. However, I guess that's enough to get the vampires' euphoria up high.
As these thoughts roamed his mind, John approached the bar.
Before he could fully pull up the bar stool, a blonde bartender approached him. "Would you like to order, Sir?"
"Yes." John nodded, sitting down. "For now, just a lemonade. Later, bring me something sweet, but with not enough alcohol to make my tongue dull, please." I won't even try to ask if they have some hot cocoa or coffee here.
After listening to the order, the bartender nodded in understanding. "It will be ready in a moment, Sir." Then, she walked away to prepare the drink.
While waiting, John turned around and faced the rest of the casino while his back leaned on the bar table. He still hadn't finished understanding the games.
It is just like Nikos said, most of the games here are played in different ways than their standard variations. From what I can see, only those which rely on pure luck are the same. When thinking of these games, John's gaze turned to the right, where rows of machines that strongly glowed with neon lights were placed. Maybe I could crack them? The rewards seem good enough, and I think that can be counted as an opportunity to test my control with electrical charges.
As the idea was rising into his mind, John heard a couple of steps approaching from behind.
Turning around, he observed the bartender placing down his lemonade.
"Here, Sir."
That was extremely quick. "Thank you." John nodded in agreement. However, when his eyes landed on the space beside his drink, he got curious. "I am fairly sure I didn't ask for appetizers." He pointed at the small bowl of food next. Though it smells good.
When listening to the masked figure's words, the woman pointed with her head to her left. "It was a request from the Lady over there."
Following the indicated direction, John turned his head to the right and his eyes fell on someone at the far end of the bar.
She was a woman, a beautiful one. Her eyes were hazel and her hair was dark, reaching her shoulders. Her skin was pale, extremely so. A hint that wherever she lived before becoming a vampire, there wasn't much sun. That or she wasn't much a fan of an outside life before becoming a vampire.
The black dress she wore descended to the end of her legs, with a cut rising from the edge to her knee on the left side, revealing her long, tender legs.
Different from most vampires he had noticed around, the woman had only one piece of jewelry on her. A ring on her right index finger. It wasn't anything luxurious, just a ring of bronze with an amber on it.
Despite the distance separating them, John could read a few sicilian letters engraved on the ring while she waved her hand in his way.
Bоронова?
Taking a moment looking at her, John slowly went back to look forward before taking hold of his lemonade.
"There aren't much better ways to approach me than offering food." John picked one of the appetizers. He knew his words could be heard despite the distance and his low tone.
When he brought the food near to his mouth, John thought of a small space opening where the food and mask touched. And then, the mask morphed according to his thoughts.
This is good. He thought.
While John savored the food, the woman on the far corner kept observing him with a curious look.
"I am happy you are pleased with what I ordered." The woman said, her words almost free of her accent. Still, a small trace of her eastern-europe roots was present in her voice.
"Still, simply talking to me would be a better option if you are so curious about me."
"I couldn't possibly know that." The woman's lips curled up in amusement. "You are using a mask, the feeling given is that you wouldn't enjoy such a direct approach. You asked for drinks, so the idea I had regarding the food was the better option. And you confirmed it was a good idea."
I can't find fault in that. John brought his cup of lemonade up. "Well, you got my attention. Now, why did you want it?"
"As you said, I am curious." The woman pushed herself off the bar, rising from her seat before slowly walking in his direction. "It has been a few years since I started to visit this place to have some fun. One night, I heard rumors of two individuals roaming around with masks on a day I wasn't present. The same mask you are using. It is not strange for me to get curious since I know the owner does not allow customers to hide their identity. However, she seems fine with you all doing it."
As she got closer, John tried to ignore the sweet odor of her perfume. And as he did so, he understood one thing from her words. It seems she doesn't know the owner is the one offering the masks. I thought this was widespread knowledge, guess I am wrong. "Ask her with kindness and sincerity, and maybe the owner will allow you too."
"I doubt about it." The woman wryly chuckled, a bit of nervousness visible in her eyes. "I have met many scary figures throughout my life, including those who have walked this world for a millennium. And still, I get the creeps from her whenever I try interacting with her." Pulling the bar stool beside John, the woman leisurely sat on it while leaning her elbows on the wooden surface, using her hands to support her chin. "Because of this impression I have of her, I still ask how you convinced her." She asked, a little nonchalantly.
But about her weightless words, light tone of voice and carefree posture, John was sure all of that was a facade. Of that he was sure.
Slowly turning his head in her way, the rough voice given to him by the mask echoed towards the woman as John parted his lips.
"You getting the creeps? I can hardly think of you experiencing such an emotion, Miss Voronova." John smirked under his mask, the slight fall of the woman's lips bringing a certain amusement to him.
As she processed these words, the woman narrowed her eyes and almost released a sigh of frustration. "So you know who I am."
"Of course I do. Through my travels, I have heard stories of your work." Regarding his phrase with double meaning, John almost let a laugh escape.
Like, an entire season of you trying to kill the Mikaelsons is the story. "Also, mercenary activity is not exactly something many like us do. It is quite easy to keep a picture of you in my mind." I guess I will take the misunderstanding from Nikos and use it for my own good as well. John thought, deciding to refer to himself as a vampire as well for now.
Hearing the reasons given by him, the woman nodded while straightening her posture. "You might be right."
John chuckled. "And I noticed the words engraved in your ring as well, so I took a guess."
The woman dropped her eyes at her ring before looking back at him. "Hmph, that's quite the sharp sight you have." She snorted, dropping a little of her leisure posture. "And you. Who are you?"
"I guess the mask is enough of a hint to tell you I wish to keep that a secret, Miss Voronova."
The vampire, named Sofya Voronova, frowned under his words. "I think it is unfair of you to know my identity and me not yours."
"I believe life is fair most of the time. I am sure it will balance things for you in ways we can't imagine in the future to compensate for not knowing my identity." John chuckled again, taking one more sip from his drink.
Seeing how humored he was with his words, Sofya narrowed her eyes slightly. "I hope it does."
After listening to the vampire's words, John turned around to face the casino again. He had his lemonade in hand while observing the surroundings.
During the short conversation, he was still listening to what was happening around him, trying to understand the games through the words of the players. But, seeing the games and knowing what actions were connected to which words surely helped John more in comprehending the rules.
And while he quietly observed, Sofya didn't move away from him. She remained by his side while not uttering a word, only speaking when ordering one drink from one of the bartenders.
Still, when more than a couple minutes passed and he didn't say anything, Sofya felt the urge to initiate the talk again. "What are you looking at?"
"The tables." John didn't hide his actions.
"Which ones of them?"
"All of them."
Sofya raised her eyebrows in slight surprise. "And what are you trying to do?"
"When I heard of this place, I wasn't aware the games here were played in ways I haven't heard before. Now, I am trying to learn them before joining any table."
"I see." Sofya said, turning around in the same direction as him. "It is a good decision. None of the variations are overtly difficult to learn, but better take your time to have a good grasp of them than make an embarrassment out of yourself by playing something you don't know.
"Right?" John snorted, his lips curled up under the mask. "To be honest, I have been… positively surprised by what I have learned of them just from afar."
"What exactly earned this emotion from you?"
"How these games are just so perfect for the entertainment of people like us." John replied. "Vampires… despite us having the appearance of humans and having a behavior similar to them, we still are different creatures in regards to how we perceive the world…"
These first words from him earned a curious look from Sofya, her interest increasing a little bit.
"We have better senses, we notice things most humans don't. Our mind is capable of thinking in ways the average human doesn't due to how we perceive the world on a daily basis. And because of these reasons, certain things made by mankind have lost our interest." Slowly, John faced Sofya. "Have you experienced it? A moment where you felt different in regards to something you greatly enjoyed when becoming a vampire?"
Sofya, despite frowning in deep thought, didn't take long thinking of an answer. "I did."
"And what is that? If you don't mind sharing."
She shook her head, unbothered to answer. "Chess. When I was human, I loved chess." Sofya's eyes became distant, reminiscing of a few old memories. "The many possibilities of playing, the many tactics I could use. Styles, variations… I enjoyed how it could be played in a thousand different manners."
"And?"
"…When I first turned, I abandoned chess for some time."
Inwardly, John nodded in understanding. Having lost her family and everything to Klaus, she must've sought revenge as soon as she turned. John thought, not interrupting Sofya's words. I think that's the normal thing to do, I guess. Well, I would.
Instead of explaining the reason behind her abandonment of something she enjoyed, Sofya focused on the topic. "Around the beginning of the past century, after the First Great War ended, I was roaming around England and found myself in a tournament of chess. There, one of the last World Champions was present. No need to say, he was the favorite to win the tournament. Interested in it, I enrolled after compelling a few of the staff to enlist me."
"What was the result?"
"It was… easy." Sofya, taking a sip from her sweet drink, said calmly. "Even if I hadn't played for centuries at that point, the difficulty just decreased as I advanced through the tournament. The amount of time any competitor had was the same, but it was tens of times bigger for me. And as I made use of my higher thought process, things became easier. And at one point in the final phases, I didn't even need to actively think faster than them. My mind just immediately recognized the patterns and I unconsciously thought of solutions."
John nodded in understanding. "Were you disappointed at the end at how easy it was?" He asked, a little curious about her opinion.
After a moment of silence, Sofya nodded. "A little. However, what could I do? Destiny gave me these abilities, not making use of them would be simply denying myself." Despite keeping a neutral expression, a tinge of melancholy from Sofya seeped into her own words.
Keeping a straight posture while sitting on the bar stool, John mulled over the words from the Russian vampire. For a moment, all his senses disconnected from the outside world and turned into himself.
The process advanced a little. Interesting… Pulling his senses back to reality, John looked at Sofya. "And in regards to the games played here. How do you feel about them?"
"Hm, it's possible to have fun with them." Sofya took a sip from her drink. "The owner modified them to have more possibilities, added magic to counter our enhanced senses in ways we believe to be fair and added or removed rules to make them more interesting. Certainly, there are things I don't like, but my image of this place is positive in regards to entertainment."
"That's what I'm talking about. Here, we can simply enjoy every-" Half-way through his words, John found himself forced to stop his phrase as something caught his attention.
And not only his, as Sofya and many of the vampires around changed their sight to the center of the casino.
There, two individuals were staring at each other. Dark veins were surging from around their eyes, and anyone could tell they wished to draw the other's blood at that moment. Truly, a fight seemed ready to begin.
But before any of them could throw the first punch, someone – a worker of the casino – approached and stood between them.
He said a few words, in a tone of voice so low no one around could hear what he said. And when trying to read his lips, the words didn't seem to match either.
However, what he said, it was enough to placate the two men. And before someone could say anything, the two men walked towards a single direction, silently following the worker.
Looking at where they were going, Sofya seemed to realize something. "It seems they made a silent agreement."
"You mean?" John asked for clarification.
"You know there is an Arena here?"
"I know." John's eyes darted to the floor, looking through it at what was beneath the ground. "So, they silently agreed to solve their problems there?"
"Correct." Sofya agreed, rising from her seat. "Well, I am surprised. It's not every day a vampire that old decides to fight."
"You mean the big one?"
"Yes. As for who was the seemingly younger one, I have no idea. But for him to pick a fight against Mathieu, he has to be either brave, stupid or impressive." Sofya turned towards John. "Do you want to go get a look? It will probably be the best fight of the night."
Listening to her words, John changed his sight to the two vampires again. He looked through them, at the magic flowing through their bodies. And honestly, he was surprised.
Damn, they are old. The magic flowing through them… John momentarily looked at Sofya, comparing the amount of magic. This will be a very interesting fight. "Okay, let's go." He said, rising to his feet. "Ladies first." He gestured for her to ahead.
"Chivalry died at least one century ago." Sofya softly laughed. "Although there is a knight-turned vampire somewhere in England, if I remember correctly, that still follows the commandments of chivalry."
"Well, consider that the type of person I wish to meet once in life." John said as he followed Sofya, a little expectant for the show he was about to see.
————————————————
A/N
If you wish to support me, give me your power stones and if you want to read 3 chapters ahead, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n
patreon . com / Endless Phoenix 186 (remove the spaces)