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       #Post#: 464--------------------------------------------------
       Bambi and the Bandit 
   DIR By: Cherie
       Date: April 10, 2026, 5:32 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]
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       -One Week Ago-
       -Thunder rumbled outside, lighting flashed through the high
       windows of the library. A fire place was roared to life in the
       room. The library was filled with old books, some leather, some
       cloth, some were of questionable material. A man was standing in
       the room holding a book open in one hand, reading the words
       through rectangular spectacles.  He was dressed in an perfectly
       tailored suit with shoes so shiny he could see his reflection in
       them. He had the air of confidence and old money. He was
       speaking but the words seemed be garbled up in the air to the
       woman who was standing in front of the fireplace staring
       intently into the lapping flames. The man finally looked up at
       the back of the young woman over a table that was filled with
       open maps, books, pens, and other trinkets. She had not seemed
       to have moved from her trance. –
       “Bambi?” -he called to her but she had not yet turned around, he
       repeated her name again and nothing. Finally he slammed the book
       closed that he was reading and shouted her name.-
       “BAMBI”
       -The woman jumped and finally turned around gave him annoyed
       look as if he just interrupted a nap. Bambi crossed her arms
       over her chest and jutted out her him with attitude watching
       him.-
       “Where you listening to a word I said?” -the nicely dressed man
       asked her with a hint of irritation in his voice, because out of
       the ones he could have gotten. He ended up with her. And he
       wouldn’t change it for the world. That always made each of these
       talks so much more harder. He would never admit it, but she had
       became like a daughter to him. But they still had jobs to do.-
       “Was it something important? Or was it the same old ‘blah blah
       this is a dangerous mission, it’s different because of insert
       mundane reason here that has to do nefarious political moves,
       nefarious characters, yadda yadda yadda.’ Does that about sum it
       up?” -she asked him as she hoped up on the table and started to
       swing her feet on it.-
       “Well, yes. It does. But it does not take away from the fact you
       need to take this more seriously. These are dangerous
       individu..” -he trailed off at her fake snoring, because it was
       the conversation every single time. The mission was always the
       same, the description of those involved were always the same.
       Well maybe the mission wasn’t the same as it was sometimes a
       different objective. Except every time she went out it felt like
       Groundhog’s Day. It all just repeated.-
       “Bambi, please.” -he said in a slightly pleading tone to get her
       to listen. At that he pulled her attention, she swung leg up to
       put her shoe on the table which made him give her a glare over
       the rims of his glasses. With a huff she put her foot down And
       jumped down from the table walking over to him.-
       “Niles, I’ll be fine. I’m always fine. Vampires of ending up
       dead, there’s some moves being made the Council wants knowledge
       on. I got it. It’s a walk in the park.” -she reassured him,
       except he did not feel reassured at all. If anything there was a
       pit being formed in his stomach.-
       -Present Day-
       -Bambi had arrived in New Orleans. The Mages or rather the
       Watchers had sanctified her temporary place of residence.
       Imbuing it with certain protections. She also had her cadre of
       weapons shipped over. They had to be driven over. She had a
       small house, nothing fancy but a place to call home. It was
       still slightly empty it had the basics but her bed had not yet
       been put together so that was annoying but she would take care
       of that later. She had showered got herself settled in and had
       decided to do the touristy things to get a better lay of the
       land. Also there were rumors about what could happen on these
       things which was why she was here.
       And the rumors would be correct while she was on the tour she
       had befriend some of the other girls on the tour there to drink
       and party, there were two other girls that had joined the tour
       as well. All of them quickly bonded and was having a great time
       on the tour. Laughing and chatting, checking out guys and
       giggling about it. Bambi was the perfect modern day slayer
       because she was still a young woman who had energy about her. It
       also didn’t help that most of that energy was manufactured by
       demon blood. She was personable, even had friends and could
       easily make them.
       While they were chatting about the guys and checking them out
       one of the girls on the tour had mentioned she knew of place
       that had nothing but good looking men. She described the place.
       It was a pool hall with a little dance floor and a bar. Some how
       the ghouls had explained to the vampires how to lure people in,
       especially tourists was to offer them what they wanted. Dancing
       for the girls, pool for guys, and drinking for everyone. These
       particular ghouls were sent out to bring back people for fun or
       for food.  They preyed on the tourists in areas such as the
       ghost tours, the bars on Bourbon Street, any place where they
       might go to have a good time.
       Bambi had agreed and said it sounded fun, but god damn it she
       had a feeling in her gut about this one. She had seen it so many
       times. Though, right now she did want to just have a fun and she
       would considered this part of her job. It was a write-off in her
       opinion.  They were given the address and all the women had
       decided they would go.
       Soon they all met at the bar, and Bambi was just going to go
       with the flow. Not on high alert but cautious but not cautious
       enough to bring attention to herself but then her eyes went to
       all the motorcycles outside and she couldn’t help but roll her
       eyes. Vampires were awful. Bikers were awful. But Kindred
       bikers? Ugh…she already hated it here. They were the worst. And
       there was nothing she could do about it, because she wasn’t
       supposed to bring attention to herself. She was also given the
       task of keeping up the masquerade. It would be extremely
       dangerous for any vampire to know what she was and that could
       also break the mask between mortals and vampires as well.
       Bambi entered the bar with the woman, after a few moments they
       were all drinking and dancing. Some of them were playing pool.
       Bambi was also playing pool with one of the girls while they
       were dancing to the music that was playing. There was a beer in
       her hand but unless anyone paid attention they would notice she
       hadn’t really drank anything out of it. It was as if she was
       holding it for decoration. She was dressed in a brown leather
       skirt with a black tank top tucked in and sensible yet stylish
       booties since she had been walking around the city but still
       wanted to look cute.  And maybe a little enticing.-
       [/center]
       #Post#: 467--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Bambi and the Bandit 
   DIR By: Slick
       Date: April 13, 2026, 5:52 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]
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       [center]-Years Ago-[/center]
       [center]The Bumpy Trail was a bar  located off the interstate.
       Its structure and location would suggest it was probably a
       general store back in the day before being converted into a
       honky tonk. Bikers, truckers, tourists looking for a spot to
       stay would find it and get a burger and a beer during the day.
       At night, people leaving work would stop in for a night cap, or
       gather for live music.
       By 2am on a Sunday into Monday morning, there wasn’t much going
       on. The dirt parking lot was empty, save for a few cars in the
       back. Eventually, a rumble of six motorcycles would come down
       the dark, scarcely lit road and into the parking lot, driving
       directly around back, there headlights hitting a man leaning
       against the back of an SUV smoking a cigarette. Slightly
       balding, his hair was slicked back.He wore a brown leather
       jacket and a loud, yellow floral print shirt underneath with a
       gold chain showing. The bikers turned off their engines and
       began to dismount. The front man was large, burly, wearing a
       bandana under his helmet. He wore a leather vest with all the
       Outlaw biker regalia on it, his right breast pocket reading
       “President”, with the moniker “Gash” underneath it. On the back
       was the full patch representing the Mongrel MC, one of the
       bigger clubs in the nation, their bottom rocker reading
       “Louisiana”. Four other men shared similar cuts with Mongrel
       patches. They all stood in front of their bikes, hands resting
       on unseen weapons while the sixth man from the back of the pack
       came around to Rip.
       Bandit was shorter than Gash, but still tall, lean, with a
       classically handsome face, wild blond hair and a think goatee.
       He wore a jean jacket with a random assortment of patches on it,
       along with faded blue jeans. The other bikers looked at him
       suspiciously, an edge of hostility in the air as the gaudily
       dressed man against the SUV pushed away to step forward. Meeting
       Bandit, the two would hug quickly before turning towards Rip.
       “Gash, Mongrels, this is my brother Rollie. Rollie, Gash and
       the Mongrels.”
       [I] “Cute band name,”[/I] Rollie quipped, blowing smoke out the
       corner of his mouth. He looked the bikers in the eyes, as if
       challenging them to get pissy. Bandit hit him in the shoulder
       with the back of his hand.
       [I] “You two don’t look like brothers,”[/I] the man to Gash’s
       right said, the Sgt. at Arms. Gash seemed in agreement the way
       he was eying them. Bandit didn’t miss a beat.
       “Different moms, years apart. Old man is a bit of a cooze
       hound.” Both Brujah gave devilish grins. The Mongrels didn’t
       seem amused or convinced.
       [I] “Got the shit?”[/I]
       [I] “Straight to business. Finally messing with some
       professionals, huh, lil bro?”[/i] Sneered Roland. He tossed his
       butt to the ground, stomping it out with a gator boot, then
       moved to open the back door of the SUV, standing to one side
       while Bandit pulled the duffel bag within, undoing the zipper
       and stepping out of the way. Gash looked to the man on his left
       and nodded. The Patched Mongrel went forward, looking inside and
       pulling out a tightly wrapped brick of white powder. Using a
       switch blade, he cut the bag open and lifted a sample with the
       tip of the blade. The blade was handed out to Roland, who
       shrugged.
       [I] “Don’t mind if I do,”[/I] he inhaled the powder, pinching
       his nose and blinking a few times. [I] “Though my tolerance is
       thru the roof right now. Give Bandit a baby bump.”[/I] Bandit
       shot him a look, and the Mongrel offered him the same. Bandit
       took it, feeling the irritation in his nostrils but feeling no
       rush of the drug. The Mongrel then took his own sample. After a
       moment, he looked to Gash and nodded. Taking a roll of tape from
       his belt, he sealed the bag back, then zipped the duffel.
       [I] “There’s more where that came from, too. I can get you meth,
       H, shrooms, weed. Hell, we can get you boys running’ moonshine
       if you really want to. Bring back the good ol’ days, right?”[/I]
       [I] “And where you gettin’ all this from, exactly?”[/I] Gash
       asked, again to the point. He wasn’t having any of Roland’s
       flair.
       [I] “Cartel, mostly. Some boys I know in the Dixie Mob. But that
       particular brick I got out of the evidence locker. Whole
       treasure trove of goodies just sitting’ around.”[/I]
       The term ‘evidence locker’ got the hackles of the bikers raised,
       and Roland grinned wide, eyes wider. Bandit didn’t seem phased.
       He cooly looked around at the other bikers.
       [I] “Oh, Billy here didn’t tell you boys I’m a Narco?”[/I]
       “It weren’t a pertinent detail at the time…” he offered with a
       wry grin.
       The Mongrels had had enough. Guns were suddenly drawn. Gash
       aimed one at Roland’s  head. [I] “We don’t fuckin’ work with
       cops.”[/I]
       Bandit gave an annoyed look to Rollie. Rollie just shrugged,
       before both Brujah looked back to the bikers and gave
       fang-filled grins.
       “Well, you do now, boys.”[/center]
       [center]-Present Day- [/center]
       [center]The Bumpy Trail was busy. The parking lot was packed,
       and the front was lousy with American made motorcycles lined up.
       Country and blues rock blared from the speakers. There was pool,
       darts, and line dancing inside. Outside was corn hole and horse
       shoes and axe throwing. The servers were a truck stop version of
       Hooters girls, wearing daisy dukes and ratty t-shirts. A lot of
       the bikers seemed to be civilians, or unaffiliated with any sort
       of Club, but the ones that were stood out. Leather and Jean
       vests that read “VANDALS MC”. Only half a dozen could be seen at
       that time, with one heavy set man checking IDs at the door. He
       was mortal. In fact, depending on how her radar worked, there
       didn’t seem to be much vampire activity going on in the bar, and
       with all the commotion going on, it would be hard for her to
       track those six down.
       After a while of being there, she could hear the storm of more
       bikes pulling up outside. When the door opened a few minutes
       later, two more leather clad Vandals would come in, hugging the
       bouncer and then greeting familiar faces within. The third
       individual that entered would draw cheers from the bar. Bandit
       would give a disarming smile and wave a hand. It was like a wave
       went through the crowd. People approached for a handshake, or a
       hug. Others stood watching in awe. Women came up to touch him,
       to either stroke his arm or pull at his hand, anything they
       could touch. On the front of his vest read “Prez”, with “Bandit”
       underneath. His jean jacket vest was clean, a fine shade of
       faded blue with a few blemishes here and there. It was obvious
       he took pride in the article of clothing, unlike the ripped,
       almost acid wash blue jeans he wore. He was a cult of
       personality on his own, and the people of the Bumpy Trail were
       happy to see him. one of the servers came by and gave him a
       beer, then a kiss before she was gone.
       After a few minutes, things would calm down and the bar would
       settle back into its groove, and Bandit was walking around,
       pretending to sip his beer while looking out over the crowd like
       a wolf on a prowl.[/center]
       #Post#: 469--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Bambi and the Bandit 
   DIR By: Cherie
       Date: April 13, 2026, 6:53 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]
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       -One misconception about a slayer was they could sense vampires.
       They couldn’t, but their preternatural senses almost it seem as
       if they could. It was mostly part of her training on how to
       identify one. It was one of the most boring things she had to do
       in her training and she hated it. But it came in handy when one
       needed to separate a vampire from a human. Often it was from
       observation, others was from touch, also their style of
       clothing. There were a lot of things to look for when trying to
       separate mortal from vampire.
       It might seem like an off night, but it wasn’t. It was work but
       it was fun disguised as work which was how she always got by
       with being able to have a social life. Sometimes the Council
       didn’t know what to do with her but she got results so she was
       allowed to do what she wanted for the most part. She had also
       explained to them in so many words that she didn’t work for
       them, they worked for her since she was the one doing the heavy
       lifting. Needless to say she wasn’t their favorite in
       personality, but averted a lot of crisis situations. She had a
       good track record and that made her a little cocky sometimes.
       She was busy laughing and dancing with the girls, there were a
       few guys that pulled up to their pool table but Bambi wasn’t
       really paying them any mind, just having a good time with the
       girls she had made friends with. Chances are she won’t see the
       girls after tonight and that was ok.
       The sound of bikes were heard over the music, but she didn’t
       really pay attention, as this seemed like a biker bar. One would
       assume that a biker bar would have bikers. What got her
       attention was the people walking in. She leaned on her pool
       stick even her friends for the night stopped what they were
       doing to watch. Bambi made bit of a face when she watched them
       all fall over the guy that walked in. She leaned in to the girl
       she was.-
       “Is he Jesus?” -she asked her but the girl seemed to be smitten
       with him as well, and Bambi glanced around the place watching
       everyone. Was she supposed to join in on this? Was he using one
       of his vampire powers to make everyone fawn all over him? He was
       cute, but this was overkill. She just made a face to herself and
       when he got his beer and his kiss it was like the place started
       back up again. The girl she was with kept looking over towards
       Bandit to get his eye. Bambi didn’t care, she only turned to
       talk with another one of the girls that was in the group.
       Her eyes went to the beer in his hand, she didn’t notice him
       pretending but she would pay attention. She had to pay attention
       to every detail, and mostly she noticed this bar was full of
       humans. She could tell mostly by the sweat and the smell.
       Vampires could stink but humans had a particular bodyoder. –
       “Bambi you’re up!” -came one of the cheerful cries of the girls
       playing pool. She took a fake swig of her beer and made a show
       of rolling her pool stick in her fingers.-
       “Move aside, peasants. The Queen is going to take her shot.”
       -she joked with them, but they all seemed to be having a good
       time. Bambi bent slightly over the table, she lined up the stick
       and move it and out of her fingers with a serious look on her
       face. She hit the cue ball, but the tip slid right off the ball
       and barely pushed it which garnered laughs from the people
       around the table.-
       “It doesn’t count! I get another!” -there were the mocking jeers
       of her calling herself queen in good nature, she did the same
       thing. Lined her self up and hit the cue and just slowly and
       sadly rolled across the table with the softest of clack’s
       against the solid blue 2 ball. She hung her head down because
       she had made a big show ass if she was going to dominate the
       table. Of course she could have made it in, she had a great aim,
       but she also learned to play fair.
       There were boos and cheers and shouts of she had to buy everyone
       a drink because she lost. One of the guys had bravely put his
       arm around one of the girls and she didn’t seem to mind. The
       other kept glancing over at Bandit and Bambi just acted as if
       she wasn’t paying attention.-
       “Fine, fine! This round is on me.” -she then counted the people
       in her group and took note of what they were all drinking it was
       about 7 in total. Bambi, four girls and the two guys that were
       lingering around.
       She moved towards the bar to put in the order for the drinks.
       She knew one of the waitresses would bring it over. She made it
       a point to pass by Bandit, and she only gave the briefest of
       side eyes as then turned her eyes in front of her as if she
       barely even noticed him. But she did.-
       [/center]
       #Post#: 473--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Bambi and the Bandit 
   DIR By: Slick
       Date: April 14, 2026, 4:50 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]
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       [center]To her benefit, and that of the Watchers, there was no
       Kindred conception of Slayers to speak of. They just knew of
       hunters, and those were dangerous enough without a divine—or
       infernal— blessing.
       One of the female ghouls that had invited her to the bar had
       heard her ask that question about him being Christ, and she
       would put a hand on her arm gently. The ghoul tried to use some
       of the power of their tainted blood to spread that same awe
       through to Bambi as she spoke. [I] “That’s Bandit. Runs the
       local biker club. They throw parties for the whole community.
       And he’s single, so…”[/I] she trailed off suggestively,
       shrugging before her own eyes nearly glazed over as she looked
       at the man.
       No one in that bar would have thought twice about his reception,
       even if they didn’t agree with it. Bambi was not like the other
       people in the bar, however. Her theatrics at the pool table had
       drawn his attention, and he would indeed be looking at her,
       watching as she leaned over the table, admiring the site. When
       she, and everyone else wasn’t looking, he was tipping his beer
       into open pints to dwindle it down. It was a habit, a rhythm he
       had. Being around a social club like bikers, it was typical to
       have eyes on you. And when maintaining the masquerade, there
       were extra steps you had to take to throw off any suspicion. The
       powers of the blood handled the rest.
       The bombshell blond went walking by, and sauntering in a manner
       he could see the men of her group watching her. He held his beer
       to his lips, giving her the same side eye while his tongue held
       the liquid from escaping the bottle. He’d catch eyes with the
       bartender that saddled up to serve her, the woman locking eyes
       with him. He’d tap two fingers on his chest, she’d nod, and then
       smile to Bambi as she took the order. When asked about a bill or
       tab, she’d gesture to Bandit, who was approaching the pool table
       she’d been at.
       “You folks mind if I join?” he asked with a disarming smile and
       a subtle, southern drawl. He fished a few quarters out of his
       blue jeans and put them on the railing. Both the women and the
       men stammered in their responses, but didn’t refuse him. Whether
       it was attraction or fear, who was to say? When no one objected,
       he smiled wider and inserted the quarters, releasing the balls
       and going to rack them.  “I just like a game to unwind after a
       ride.” He approached one of the guys, holding a hand out for the
       stick he held. Almost unsure of how to respond, he handed the
       stick to Bandit, who looked towards Bambi as he began to chalk
       up.
       “How ‘bout you, lil lady? Want a lesson, or try your luck
       again?” when he smiled, she’d notice just how nice his teeth
       were, and how soft and blue his eyes were. That he had a tan,
       likely from riding in the sun all day. And once upon time, that
       had been true. And when he offered her his hand to shake, she’d
       notice it was warm, and rough on the inside.  “Bandit.”[/center]
       #Post#: 474--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Bambi and the Bandit 
   DIR By: Cherie
       Date: April 14, 2026, 6:40 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]
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       -When the ghoul touched her arm, she could feel the influence
       move over her, but it didn’t affect her. The Watchers ensured
       there were protections put in place, and also it was one of the
       benefits of being a slayer. But it gave her indication when
       certain things were used against her. Not all things she could
       feel, but the ghoul was weak. From a stronger vampire she would
       not feel the influence, which made things difficult sometimes,
       but she was still resistant to it. As long as she stayed
       focused. Some could but they would have to be very powerful to
       ensnare a slayer with their tricks. Except that she pretended,
       so lucky enough the ghoul was not ancient.-
       “Single you say?” -she said leaning into the bit for a moment
       before she headed off to get them drinks. She had ordered and
       pull out her card to pay when the bartender waved her off and
       looked over Bambi’s shoulder. Bambi followed the woman’s eyes
       and glanced over Bandit. It was hard to discern what was on her
       face whether it was a thank you or irritated. But he watched he
       could see Bambi still trying to insist on paying before she was
       shot down. Bandit made the rules here not Bambi. She relented
       and just asked for a tray to carry the drinks on. It was seven
       drinks to carry over. But like a pro she lifted the tray up and
       headed over to the group, putting the tray down on the small
       round table they were congregating around. There were two of
       them by where they were so it was plenty of seats.
       Bambi hadn’t heard Bandit ask to join the, by the time she got
       over there with all her drinks he was already holding the pool
       stick from the other guy. She passed out the drinks happily and
       another waitress came over to take the tray. She had ordered a
       hard seltzer since one couldn’t see inside the can. She took a
       sip from it when he asked her a question and she gave a deer in
       headlights look.
       The moment he said his name she busted out laughing, and she
       didn’t mean too. She just assumed it was a nickname but it was
       still hilarious to her non-the-less and that was more then
       likely because she was going to have to tell him his name. She
       placed her small warm hand into his, her hand seemed warmer then
       usually especially after she was handling cold drinks but the
       warmth was radiating through the chill. She felt his calloused
       hand, she felt the warmth of it. She still couldn’t tell if he
       was vampire or human and that was annoying. He was too cute to
       be human if you asked her, but she wouldn’t admit that.-
       “It’s nice to meet you Bandit. I’m Bambi.” -she said still
       laughing.- “I swear to you that’s my real name. It’s on my
       drivers license and everything.” -removing her hand from his so
       she could hold both her hands up in defense that she was telling
       the truth.-
       “If I want a lesson, I’d ask an expert.” -she then made a show
       of looking around him and behind her.- “But I don’t see one. But
       it’s today is your lucky day, because I am in the mood to try my
       luck again. It did not go unnoticed to Bambi the way the women
       in the group were looking at Bandit, the way the men just let
       them too. The two men at the table were probably thankful he was
       going for Bambi and not one of the others women they were
       chatting up.-
       “But only if we can put our names up on the chalk board. Because
       how great would that look. Bandit and Bambi.” -she moved her
       hand across the space between hem as if she was showing off a
       billboard. Bambi then grabbed the pool stick she had been using
       that was resting against the wall and started to chalk it up as
       if that was going to make a better pool player.-
       “You can break. I would hate to have to show off so early.” -she
       chided with him. She wasn’t aware that she should be falling on
       her knees in front of him, instead she went with friendly
       flirtation..-
       [/center]
       #Post#: 481--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Bambi and the Bandit 
   DIR By: Slick
       Date: April 17, 2026, 6:00 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]
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       [center]Bandit was of, by the standards of these modern nights,
       “of potent blood”. Eight generations removed from Caine did not
       grant one powers of the blood that were hidden deep, but it made
       him far stronger than the average kindred walking the nights.
       His main limitation was that he wasn’t yet a hundred years old,
       shy a few decades of a centennial. He had not reached his full
       potential. But commanding a crowd of mortals and swaying
       something like a Slayer were different ballparks.
       That didn’t mean she would completely immune to his charms. His
       natural ones.
       She laughed at him. Like, really laughed at him. Not a fake
       laugh, a laugh brought on by some instilled sense of attraction
       or admiration. And it wasn’t with him. It was actually at him.
       And… it made him laugh. It wasn’t expected. It was a pleasant
       surprise. But she wasn’t rebuking him. She took his hand and he
       gave her’s a firm shake, not a limp hold because she was a lady.
       And then she said her name, and a thin blond brow arched, eyes
       focusing on her as if trying to tell if she was bullshitting
       him. He hadn’t learned the art of aura - reading, though he was
       trying. Mostly, he had relied on judging that himself. With the
       company he kept, it was important to read people.
       “Well, that explains those pretty doe eyes,” he said, taking
       her word for it on her name. The deer in the headlights look she
       gave him when he directed his attention at her. When she poked
       fun at him, the group they were with seemed to respond to her
       just as much as him. Not that she was swaying them from his
       influence, per se but… she had something about her. Something
       that kept her from fawning over him. And he liked it.
       “Oh, I’m no expert. I just know a thing or two about a thing or
       two. But it seemed like you coulda used a pointer or two.” he
       winked, keeping a devilish smirk in place. He wasn’t taking
       offense to her jokes. She wasn’t riling him up. She was getting
       the better of his curiosity.
       “Bambi and the Bandit has a better ring to it. Got yourself a
       deal, pretty lady.”
       When she told him to break, he was shaking his head, giving a
       small chuckle as he moved around to the other side of the table.
       She wasn’t falling on her knees in front of him. Not yet. But he
       loved a challenge. Double checking his chalk, he lined up the
       cueball on the table, stippling his fingers into the table and
       easing the cue between the groove of his raised thumb. A few
       practice draws were made before he pulled back followed through,
       a fluid motion sending the white ball crashing into the racked
       set. It was a clean break with an even spread. Two balls went
       in, one of each. Without looking at her or anyone, he moved to
       his next shot clinically.
       “3 ball, side pocket,” he called, choosing solids. Chalking
       quickly, he lined up and sunk the 3, then positioned after its
       rebound off the railing to lean across the table.  “One,
       corner,”
       Coming off the table after the shot, he was moving again before
       it went in, chalking up. The next shot required a behind the
       back movement. He called another side pocket, but the ball went
       wide and missed. He hissed through his teeth.
       “Never been good at the fancy stuff,” hot shot had a bit of
       humble to him, it seemed. Or maybe he was easing up on
       her.[/center]
       #Post#: 482--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Bambi and the Bandit 
   DIR By: Cherie
       Date: April 17, 2026, 6:24 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]
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       -The moment he gave her a compliment, a bright cherry red flared
       on the apple of her cheeks. She ducked her head down with a shy
       smile, tucking some of her dirty blonde hair behind her eyes.
       But she lifted her eyes as he continued to speak, because while
       she might have had a moment of bashfulness it wouldn’t change
       what was at hand. That was the pool game she entered into it. It
       felt innocent enough, and it almost made her forget why she was
       here this city in the first place. However, that could wait.
       Right now she wanted to just shoot pool with the President of a
       biker club. He looked so young to be one. She always thought
       bikers were old and gross. The ones here looked like they could
       have walked right off a movie set.
       She didn’t say anything, but she was smiling. The moment he gave
       her the name she grabbed the chalk and held it up to him so he
       could see it for some reason. She turned to the chalk board and
       wrote in pretty handwriting ‘Bambi and the Bandit’ the dot of
       the I’s was made with a little hearts because she thought it
       looked cute and to see his name dotted with a little heart was
       something that made her happy.
       Ew. She needed to stop.
       Good thing at that point he started to play, she watched his
       break. In fact she was watching everything about him. From the
       way he held the pool stick, to the way he would line up the shot
       even his body language. It wasn’t in a sexual way she was
       looking at him. It was more she was observing him. Almost like
       she was studying him. He confidently called his shots, and the
       one that he missed she gave him a frown, but it was a playful
       one. She had a feeling he had done that on purpose to give her a
       chance.
       The question was did she just take the game from this point
       forward or just play like she was still dumb. She was going with
       the latter. There was nothing at a stake and she could lose.-
       “We calling shots?  Is that a thing?” -she asked him, there was
       something so genuine about her.- “Alright so I’m stripes? Ugh,
       nobody looks good in stripes.” -there was a jovial roll of her
       eyes. A small show of chalking her stick, even blowing on the
       tip while looking at him with narrowed eyes as if she was about
       to make his life hell.-
       “9 ball, that side pocket..right? But like your left. Whatever
       that one.” -she said as she tapped one of the side pockets with
       her pool stick to indicate it.  Bambi separated her feet,
       propping her hand on the table and sliding the cue between her
       fingers a few times before she hit the cue ball, the 9 ball
       rolled right into the pocket. Then there was a celebratory
       dance.-
       “Did you see that? I got it in! Oh you are going down! ‘Sugar
       we’re going down swinging’” -she sang as she then looked for her
       next shot. If he was watching he could see her eyes calculating
       her shots. Her brown eyes moved over each ball, she looked at
       the distance with the cue and even at the sides. It was done
       quickly that the people that was watching the game with them
       might not even notice how fast she was looking and processing
       the information that was in front of her.-
       “12 ball, corner pocket that one.” -she said as she once again
       tapped with her pool stick, she swung her hair off her
       shoulders, but it didn’t stay there when she bent over to take
       her shot, it curtained her features for a brief moment as she
       took the shot, but the ball bounced right off the corner and
       stayed on the table.-
       “The table must be crooked.” -her words came out sheepishly, but
       this was turning out to be fun.  The time she was spending with
       Bandit was nice. She didn’t even know him, but it didn’t matter.
       There was a small connection she felt. To ignore that connection
       she walked over to her drink and took a sip from it before
       putting it back down.- “You’re turn.” -she motioned to the table
       for him. Where he would take his shot from, she would check out
       his rear when he would bend over the table. If she had to move
       herself to do it she would, casually though.-
       [/center]
       #Post#: 492--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Bambi and the Bandit 
   DIR By: Slick
       Date: April 18, 2026, 6:05 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]
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       [center]It would appear he had some sway over her. Bambi wasn’t
       immune to him. The blushing, writing hearts over the I in his
       name. It was cute. She was cute, but there seemed to be
       something more there. Bandit had already grabbed a drink from a
       waitress, disguised as giving her a little kiss. Just a quick
       bite that had her moaning, a simple taste to keep him coasting.
       Butch had taught him that there were times to snack and times to
       feast, and when you had the mob on your side, you could get your
       fill with multiple victims and not just the one. It taught
       control. Which was why he warm, and not hungry around her. Sure,
       she looked appetizing enough, but he could savor the chase.
       Little did he know…
       “Oh, gotta do somethin’ to keep us honest ‘round here.” he
       offered, grinning but keeping his eyes on the table. He was
       patient with her when it was her turn, not fussing with her over
       the details as she tried to keep the corners straight. He leaned
       against a high top table, cue resting against his frame. A small
       golf clap given to her shot. He hissed in sympathy for her when
       she missed, winking to ease the blow.
       “Yeah, I’ve been tellin’ ‘em to fix that for years…” going
       along with the table being crooked bit. He seemed to sip his
       beer a second, tilting it up to press against his lips. The foam
       clouded the bottle, making it hard to discern if it had lowered
       any from its half full mark. He moved to chalk up and lined up
       another shot.  “Five ball, side pocket,” he tapped towards the
       intended side, posting up and glancing over his shoulder as she
       looked at him. Then he winked and sank the ball, giving it
       enough English that it curled away and lined up another shot.
       “Four, coming’ at your corner.” Looking down the table towards
       her, he sent the four down the rail, hearing it clatter in the
       pocket. The group with them were clapping.
       The place was lively. The bikers were varying in age, though
       they did seem virile, strong, full of charisma and a jovial
       bravado amongst the mortals in the bar. Not the horrid thugs
       they were usually portrayed as, even though they still had that
       edge. Their cuts were rugged but neatly kept, clean. But they
       were not vampires. Only two of them were ghouls. Bandit was
       their Master, and they followed his commands.
       His next shot on the 6 ball ended in a scratch, and since he was
       closest to the outlet, he picked up the white ball, holding it
       out for her.  “Here’s your chance to close the gap. You’re right
       in my sights, Bambi baby.” forward with the pet names, but he
       seemed the type to press his luck. He blew on it for good luck.
       [/center]
       #Post#: 493--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Bambi and the Bandit 
   DIR By: Cherie
       Date: April 18, 2026, 6:42 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]
  HTML https://f2lgrgm.media.bublupcdn.com/HW_zhrmP7wSFQbboo-reLA/images/full_007-im-50d1e957-b99a-4735-9dee-2be1db21c959.jpg
       -While the others might cheer on his shot, she was loudly
       booing. Her hand cupped against her cheek, but there was still a
       smile on her face.  They were rivals at the moment. They hadn’t
       realized yet they at they were always rivals. Past, present, and
       future. For now it was just a playful competition. She could ooo
       and ahhh at him, but she wasn’t really. Her oooing and ahhing
       came in the form of a little healthy sport.
       He made it easy though. He had that natural swag about him that
       Bambi picked up on. Like he was just born cool. Some men are
       naturally cool and others have to work at it. And he didn’t look
       like he had to work a day in life for that. It was something
       that Bambi kind of admired about him. Looking at her one might
       think she was a popular girl, but that was far from the truth.
       While she had friends, she often got pushed aside. Being a
       slayer meant not always being able to do all the things that
       girls her age were supposed to do because they wanted too. She
       shouldn’t be here playing pool, she was supposed to be on recon.
       And possibly elimination if necessary.
       She was supposed to prioritize slaying, but she got distracted
       easy. Though anytime anyone corrected her on her behavior she
       reminded them she was the longest living slayer. She also
       averted some hefty crisis situations. They could say she was
       distracted but truthfully it was what kept her vigilant as a
       slayer.
       Her eyes watched as he scratched the cue, her head tilted to
       him. As he came over to her holding the ball, she jumped off the
       little stool she was sitting on and moved over to literally
       close a gap. She was close to him but not obscenely close. She
       took the ball from him letting her warm fingers brush against
       his. Holding up the cue ball like it was a precious crystal she
       had her eyes on. She noticed light blue marks on it. Just like
       she noticed he wasn’t drinking to much of his beer. Fair though.
       Maybe he didn’t want to get drunk.
       Finally her eyes snapped back over to him, the smile on her face
       was gone from her lips but not her eyes.-  “I’ll stop holding
       back when you stop holding back.” -she tossed the ball a about
       an inch in the air and caught with her hand. She placed it on
       the table behind the line, grabbing her stick she lined up her
       next shot.-
       “11, corner pocket with the 12 going into the side.” -her stick
       pulled back, the clack of her stick against the cue cracked
       loudly, the ball hit the 12 on it’s way. The 12 rolled into the
       side pocket, and with a clean shot hit the 11 and the white ball
       bounced back with the 11 going in the pocket.
       She gave him a look, which told him what he needed to know. She
       knew exactly what she was doing. She didn’t play a lot of pool,
       but she wasn’t a stranger to the game. This was mostly her
       slayer reflexes and her different types of training. She knew
       how to hit multiple targets with one shot. She also learned how
       to hit her target in difficult situations and in tight spaces.
       It was just applying what she knew about how to kill on how to
       play pool.-
       “13 corner pocket.” -she said but she made a mistake. She didn’t
       chalk her stick, when she hit the cue ball it spun out and her
       stick slipped forward. She had almost accidently hit one of his
       balls in but she didn’t.-
       “You need new sticks too.” -she pointed at her stick. She never
       once would think she was the problem here. Even though she knew
       she was.-
       [/center]
       #Post#: 494--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Bambi and the Bandit 
   DIR By: Slick
       Date: April 18, 2026, 7:34 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]
  HTML https://f2lgrgm.media.bublupcdn.com/JuZD4_EsFILwOmDaG0Onjg/images/full_007-im-09513b65-62a8-417f-86b0-a739f441cb41.jpg[/center]
       [center]Whatever Bandit had, Bambi seemed to have it, too.
       Confident, yet not taking herself too seriously. She’d came with
       friends, though the way she was ignoring them now, he could’ve
       guessed they were strangers before coming to the bar. Bandit
       would have pegged her for a cheerleader, or a runner up for Prom
       Queen. But looks could be deceiving.
       Bambi and the bandit. They had chemistry, least he thought so.
       When he’d first laid eyes on her, he knew he’d wanted to taste
       her blood. But there was a spark of something in her that called
       to him. Something Butch had told him to watch out for. That
       Maxine said would be a temptation. Brujah fell quick and hard
       and embraced easily. Not that he was seriously considering it,
       but the way she quipped at him, that glint of a challenge in her
       pretty blue eyes. She wouldn’t be the worst candidate. He was
       saving up his good will with the Prince to garner a boon; that
       boon would theoretically be used on embracing one of his Ghouls.
       But… plans change. The night was still young, and they hadn’t
       even finished the game yet.
       His brows rose as she called him out, and the humor bled from
       his eyes a bit when she followed that up with an expertly called
       shot. Even the girls at the table were enthused, clapping and
       squealing for Bambi. The guys were in on it, too. That look she
       gave Bandit had him chalking up, a confident line of a smirk
       settling on that devilishly handsome, sunkissed face. She was a
       shark. Maybe not a professional but she knew ho to play dumb to
       win.
       Then she missed, and that smirk grew to a grin. She would see a
       man a little shorter than Bandit stop at the perimeter of their
       group, tattoos trailing over his shaved head down his neck. He
       wore a vest that said “Rowdy” and “Sergeant”. He and Bandit
       shared a look, before Bandit shook his head. Rowdy gave her a
       once over and then moved on his way.
       “Don’t go blaming’ the tools. Blame the user.” he lined up a
       shot, then paused, leaning back up to look at her.  “Care to
       make it interesting?”[/center]
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