Adria frowned a bit, the bottle of beer on its way to his mouth paused and he looked to major Dale with a smile that was not a smile. "Go on!" Adria encouraged.
Dale became slightly uncomfortable and cleared his throat, "Now, am not saying it is. After all, you are indeed a very incredible Darkling. But..."
"But...?" Adria asked. The look in his eyes was anything but friendly.
Dale gave another awkward clearing of the throat, "I'm just saying that rumors have it that you are peppered with bad luck. I mean since the blood invasion-you've had a knack for it."
Adria sighed as he turned back his head to the drink in front of him, "Say what you want fast and f**k off priest."
Although Dale was a major which meant that he was a rank higher than Adria, he did not take offense to Adria's disrespect for him. He smiled at Adria, "All I'm saying is that there is a better place for you. A people that can love you and appreciate your kind of skills better."
Adria paused again, "hold up-are you trying to recruit me or something? I thought your god hated Darklings."
"My god is the Sun god. He does not hate anybody. However, he detests those that have perverted the soul. He knows that many were not aware and have allowed perversive science to touch upon the gift he gave to mankind." Dale explained.
Although Adria really did not want to entertain what he considered as bullshit spitting out of this guy's mouth, a part of him wanted to mess with him a little. "So you are saying your sun god takes all, including Darklings and vampires?"
"Yes! That's exactly what I'm saying," Dale had a fervent look in his eyes, "The sun god sees all as one. His salvation is for all that come to him, even the corrupted vampires." He tapped Adria on the shoulder but seeing the look in his eyes, he quickly removed his hand, "let me ask you a question. Don't you wonder why vampires hate the sun? After all, it never burns their bodies."
Adria looked at Dale like he was a fool. Now, he was regretting entertaining a conversation with this guy. What's worse, his corner of the room was starting to attract unwanted attention because of the priest.
"No! But am sure you are going to tell me anyway." Adria answered.
"It is because the sun burns their souls, not their bodies. It baptizes the source of their corruption in its light. Many might think it's the sun god's judgment on them, but in truth, it is his salvation. Only when his light shines on them and purifies their tainted souls, would they be welcomed back into his glorious kingdom." At this point, Dale was already flaring his hands in the air.
"Really! And what of Darklings? Why does the sun not burn our TAINTED souls!?" Adria mocked.
"I am glad you asked such a question. That is because in his glorious eyes, you still have use, and that is to send the corrupted ones to his gates. It's not much different from how the British government of old used pirates to hunt other pirates." Dale's smile became wider, "At the end of the day, they all ended up at the gallows."
Adria frowned. His liking of this new religion just went down several notches.
Just when Adria was already contemplating leaving the place, his sharp nose caught an enticing scent in the air. It was one he was vaguely familiar with, but could not put a finger on.
The scent got stronger and soon enough, he saw the source of it. From the looks of it, it was a woman, but her face was properly covered by her black hoodie that extended into a coat. She wore a long black skirt and low black boots. Her hands were gloved and even though only a part of her face was visible, it still gave off an out-of-this-world glow.
Even though there was no wind, her coat still swayed with her walk, embracing her obvious curves every so often. She was both mysterious and alluring.
This was a social event. This meant that attending in uniform was not compulsory. In fact, most were not in uniform. After all, they did not always have such an opportunity to dress freely.
However, her entrance still managed to drag significant attention from those around her. Even the priest that was preaching repentance to Adria got distracted.
She walked straight to the bar and pointed at a bottle of wine on the shelf before she took her seat on a stool. The barman nodded and served a small glass for her with some peanuts at the side.
Holland and some of his pals were having a conversation at a different corner when they saw her come into the bar.
"Damn it man! who is that?" one of the Darklings asked.
"I don't know, but that's a catch. Why don't we find out?" Another Darkling suggested.
Holland looked around, he wanted to be sure Nora was nowhere in sight. He knew she was not one for drinking, but he needed to be sure first. Seeing the coast was clear, he took one last gulp from his bottle.
"Yeah! let's find out." He signaled to his friends and the three of them approached the bar.
Adria had since blocked his senses from whatever the priest was saying and his attention was on enjoying the perfume that came from the lady at the bar.
Holland and his friends swaggered to the bar.
Holland put on his best smile, "Hey there beautiful!" He took a stool and sat beside her.
The moment Holland and his small gang approached, Adria could clearly see some men sigh in regret of their lack of speed. However, after some time, Adria noticed the frown on Holland's face. As time progressed, Holland's frown only got deeper and then he tried to grab her by her backside. She turned and splashed him with her glass of wine.
Adria could already guess what was going to happen next.
Holland got angry and stood up. One thing he just could not stand was a humiliation to his pride and ego. He lifted his hand in an attempt to discipline her and then...