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Masquerades - Prologue

The club was throbbing. It was way too hot, way too sweaty, and still not nearly exciting enough. The heat and sweat could be ascribed to the hundreds of people dressed in street clothes and animal masks, fierce faces raised in an artificial high. It was a masquerade without the fancy clothes. Only 300 people in jeans, t-shirts, and masks. The theme for the night, printed on a huge, dark green banner hung from the ceiling, was "Welcome to the Jungle"

Of all the people in the club, only the man leaning against the bar could resist the impulse to go crazy in a mask. He was wearing baggy blue jeans and an open black dress shirt. The spiked yin-yang necklace hung in stark contrast to the white shirt underneath. The pulsing of the sub-woofer made the metal pieces rattle around a bit.

His face was slack behind the black, panther mask he was wearing. It only covered the front of his face, his short black hair completing the effect behind it. He couldn't tell if the immobility of his face caused by boredom, or a few too many drinks. He shifted against the counter as the DJ swapped out tracks, putting on something a little faster, a little harder. Daniel didn't make much of the music. Club music all sounded the same to him, but this guy was supposed be famous or something. Name was Tiesto or something weird.

Eh. Its alright I guess.

He briefly considered giving up his cool pose on the counter and joining the throng of people dancing on the lowered floor beyond the bar. It would be kind of stupid to drive all the way in to the city and not even do anything.

Why did I come at all? Daniel really didn't know why he was there. He wasn't there to dance, obviously, and he wasn't there to drink specifically.

Hell, I must just be killing time till I die. The grim thought crossed his mind haltingly. He picked up his glass from the counter next to him and took a small sip, the cool liquid temporarily fighting off the overpowering heat of the place.

Fuck it.

Dan set the glass back down the counter and pushed off, moving away from the soporific island. He reached the edge of the crowd and stood still for a moment, just watching the people jumping around and rubbing against each other. Drinks clashed in unsteady hands while half closed, shadowed eyes peeked out beneath the masks. Seeing that many people all moving to the beat was ...enthralling. Dan suddenly felt drawn into it and just standing on the edge wasn't enough. He pushed past the people on the outer ring and started making his way toward the front.

It was a different world on the inside of the mob. The heat mixed with flashing strobe lights and liquor made everything wave and blur together. The closer he got to the center of the pit, the more elaborate peoples costumes seemed to get. Some dancers had tails along with their masks. Monkeys were freaking on tigers, leopards were drawing fake claws along their partners' backs. Some of the more dedicated had actual suits on, fur poking up where the clothes didn't cover. Damn, that's gotta be friggin hot in there, he half thought as he pushed by someone wearing a massive white tiger suit.

Nobody resisted his moving through them. They just parted and came together, like waves broken in his tread. Finally, he reached the middle, where the music was loudest. He could feel the bones in his chest rattling with the bass drum. The necklace was practically bouncing off his shirt now.

He stopped moving and the mass pressed back against him. The air tasted different here, it was almost...feral. The dancers were much more intense, dancing by themselves, but with everyone else at the same time, moving around in the pool. As they spun around each other, Daniel started to move with them, slowly working his way into their rhythm. Time seemed to blur as he swayed with them, losing sense of direction and reality as they crushed together and pulled apart, again and again. The flashing lights and the pounding music and the smell of liquor mixed into a tangible weight, settling in the front of his chest.

It was enough for a while, but as Daniel gave himself up to the group mind, he needed more. He suddenly started moving more violently. The dancers subconsciously moved away, giving him more room, without ever noticing he was there. Dan started thrashing around, mixing a little martial arts in with his movements. When he trained, he sometime felt a rhythm in the movements, and he used it now. The dancers fell back even more, some now turning to watch the tall man in the center of the pit, kicking and punching and spinning and jumping. The music flowed through his arms and legs as he danced, the crowd around him now all dancing and watching him at the same time, cheering him on. Dan couldn't see all the creatures staring back at him now. He was too focused on keeping this feeling.

The DJ sped up the music, intensity building, and Dan sped up too. The crowd stared in awe as his arms became blurs, matching the speed of the music, spinning faster and faster until Dan suddenly leaped up and flipped backwards in the air, caught in the flashing lights, landing with the last echoes of the song.

There was a silence then. The people further out were standing, waiting for the DJ to put on the next track. The dancers around Daniel though, they grinned at him through stripes and splotches and feral eyes. Dan's panther mask just smiled back at them as he panted underneath. They suddenly started cheering at him, and then Daniel came back to himself as the DJ just shook his head and put on the next track. The dancers turned their attention back to themselves, and Dan started moving away. He didn't feel satisfied, but he did feel better, and that was enough for now.

As he started away, he suddenly felt something tug on the back of his shirt. Whatever it was tugged a little too strongly and he staggered backwards, falling into a set of furry black and yellow arms that caught him under his shoulders. His head bounced against something cushy and he heard a faint *oof*. He looked up and saw a pair of green and gold eyes staring back at him. He couldn't see anything else but the eyes with the mask on. He was too close. But the eyes...they had more depth than any he had ever seen before. It was like life itself danced behind those eyes. He felt himself lifted a little and he put his feet back under him to help. As he came up, his captor kept a clawed hand on his shirt sleeve, not wanting to let him go. He turned around to grin at his captor when suddenly the breath left him.

His captor stood before him, sizing him up. She was wearing a tight white top with long, loose black jeans, tail hanging limply behind her. She looked like a jaguar.

Not a girl in a suit, but an actual fucking jaguar.

Apparently she liked the effect that her look had on him, because she suddenly grinned, and Dan's eyes went wide. He could see two massive fangs in that smile. It was unnerving how real that suit looked. It didn't hang and sag like the others. It looked like a second skin. In fact, it looked like her actual skin.

She was still staring at him, waiting for him to say something.

"Uh..uh......hello?" he said, still half dazed.

"Hi," she said back, still grinning fiercely at his stunned demeanor.

He felt distinctly uncomfortable now. This was way too freaky. He couldn't leave yet though. Her eyes were still on him.

"Nice suit," he commented lightly, "it looks real. It's kind of scary how real that looks. How do you do that?" Her grin got bigger as she shook her head, pointed ears flapping around some.

"Magician's secret," she said in her beautiful voice. It wasn't deep, but it wasn't high either. It was thick though. It was beautiful.

"Are you leaving?" she asked, head tilting to the side.

Dan felt his heart leap. "well, I was-"

"Because I was going to see if you wanted to buy me a drink" she grinned, cutting him off.

Like HELL I'm leaving. Dan grinned back. "Sure thing."

Now that the effect of her costume was wearing off, Dan found himself getting turned on. It wasn't everyday that someone with her figure approached him. Too bad he couldn't see her face...

Her head snapped back up and she started tugging Dan back towards the bar. Shit, if I drink much more, I'm gonna have to call a cab. He stole a glance at her rump as she dragged him along. Holy shit! She really went all out on this suit. Her tail poked out of the seat of her jeans, swaying to her movements. Dan briefly considered what it would be like to have a tail sticking off his ass and decided he'd pass on that if the chance ever came up. Probably step on it or something. Still...

They reached the bar and she stopped suddenly. Daniel, eyes still fixated down south, nearly knocked her over running into her. She caught herself against the counter and glanced back at him. "On second thought, I don't think you really need more alcohol." She smiled and stood up again. Dan was glad the mask protected his blush from her eyes.

"Unfortunately, you may be right."

She laughed, and thought for a moment. "How bout we go upstairs instead?"

"Better idea," Dan agreed. He managed to keep his balance this time as she tugged him off towards the stairs to the right of the bar. There was a restaurant and lounge upstairs with private rooms for those not wanting to be disturbed by the noise and crowd. He hoped that they were going to one of those.

Daniel made his way up the stairs fairly well, though everything was still a bit wavy. He admitted to himself that, yes, he maybe was a little drunk. On what though could be debated.

He smiled as he followed the jaguar through the hall separating the stairs and the lounge. She pulled him in through the double doors and through the dimly lit dining area. She received a few odd glances from the current patrons, but no one made a comment. They were used to odd looking people coming up every now and then. She waved away a waiter as they meandered towards the doors on the other side of the room, apparently knowing where she was going. There was a plaque on the doors that read "PRIVATE".

Dan smiled.

Maybe tonight was worth the drive after all.

They pushed through the doors and moved into a barely lit hallway, lined with doors. The walls blocked out all of the noise of the club downstairs, leaving it uncomfortably silent. The jaguar started to pull him again, but he stopped.

"I'm Daniel, by the way," he blurted, wanting her to at least know his name before things went any further.

She looked at him for a moment before smiling again. "Rika"

She turned back and started down the hallway again, with Dan in her wake. She reached a door near the end, and pulled out a set of keys from her pocket, flipping slowly through the ring before selecting one and placing it in the lock. She looked back one last time at Daniel as she twisted, and the door opened. She let go of his arm and walked into the dark room. Daniel followed slowly behind her.

The windowless room was pitch black, so he stopped a little ways in the doorway, waiting for Rika to turn on the lights.

He heard a quite sound behind him, and turned. The last thing he saw before the door shut was Rika's silhouette.

Her tail was swishing.

Wh_at the fuck_? Daniel thought as he simultaneously reached out to stop her from shutting the door. He wasn't fast enough, and he heard the lock click again.

"Um, Rika? What the hell?" He was more than a little nervous now. He heard Rika laugh from by the door.

"This makes things more...interesting." she said in her seductive voice. He felt the air move as she suddenly rushed towards him, grabbing him around the waste.

Daniel nearly jumped as he felt sharp claws reach up under his shirt, slowly scratching his back, working their way upwards until he was forced to pull off his shirt, lest he be strangled with it. As he pulled it off, mask coming with it, he felt something brushing back and forth against the back of his thigh. Huh? What is that? He suddenly remembered her silhouette and her tail moving.

Before he could say anything, Rika pressed her face on his, locking him in a kiss. He could feel the fur against his face and back now, but was too surprised to react as she some how opened his mouth and drew his tongue into hers, twirling it about. The intensity of the kiss nearly made Daniel go limp, but as his tongue brushed against one of those fangs he'd seen earlier, he jumped back, earning a few scratches along his side. The fangs combined with the tail and the claws...

"Rika, you are wearing a costume right?" he asked, starting to panic. Something weird was going on. He heard her let out a small sigh.

"Define costume." Dan felt his panic rise a little more.

"Costume as in you're just wearing a really, really good suit?"He heard her sigh again, louder this time.

"Stupid man, making things difficult." She clapped softly twice, and the room lit up a bit. Out of the sides of his vision, he could see a bed, a couch, a small coffee table, a few lamps, and a few other doors. This place was like a mini-condo.

His eyes, however, were locked on Rika, or more specifically, her tail.

It was swishing again.

She was standing still.

Dan suddenly wanted to run, but didn't. He had no clue what stood before him, but she hadn't done anything to hurt him thus far, quite the opposite really, and now he was curious.

She was standing, leaning back on one leg, arms crossed over her chest. She was glaring at him.

Dan couldn't stop staring. Now that she'd pretty much told him that she wasn't wearing a fur suit, he could only study the black spots and golden fur that covered her from foot to pointed ears. Her claws glittered darkly, tapping an impatient rhythm on her arm as he studied her. The tail made much more sense now. He found its swaying mesmerizing, following it back and forth with his eyes for a few seconds before he realized that he was staring. He snapped his head back up quickly and found Rika glaring at him harder.

"Happy now?" she asked heatedly. She pointed towards the door. "You can leave now that you've ruined the night."

Daniel flinched. He didn't understand what was going on, and he was definitely drunk, but he did find that he suddenly wanted her arms back around him again. Technically, he knew the thought was wrong, but maybe it was the liquor, or just too many nights alone. He made up his mind.

"Don't I get a second chance?" he asked hopefully.

She stared back at him, genuine surprise covering her splotched face. "You mean you don't want to leave?"

As an answer, he plopped down on the couch sitting behind him. She stood closer to the bed, but he felt that going there might be pushing his luck a bit.

She looked at him suspiciously now. He chuckled and patted the seat next to him. She stood there, arms crossed, a moment longer, before regaining her previous composure and walking quickly across the room, practically jumping onto the couch next to him. She was still looking at him, but at least she wasn't glaring anymore.

Now that his curiosity had been sparked, Dan tried to find out as much as he could.

"So what exactly are you then?"

The glare returned, less intense this time, but present none the less.

"You just got a second chance, Daniel. Don't blow it this soon."

Well, so much for that.

"What are you doing here then?" he asked, hoping that this was within her boundaries.

She heaved a sigh, realizing that previous activity wasn't going to resume until she had answered a few questions at least. "I like to get out every now and then," she said simply, looking away.

He looked at her incredulously. "But in the middle of the city? Don't people notice you?"

She glanced back at him. "I'm not stupid. I can only come when things like this," she gestured downstairs, "are going on. Enough people dress up that most, like you, assume that I'm one of them." She looked away again, her mood killed now.

Daniel realized then why she had been so mad at him. Events like tonight didn't happen often. Mostly, it was just a regular club. Events like this only happened once every few months. And he had almost completely ruined a rare outing for Rika.

"Erm...sorry about ruining your night, Rika," he apologized, looking away from her. She looked back at him and smiled, a little appeased by his apology. She even went so far as to scoot closer to him and lay her head on his shoulder. The feel of her fur against his bare skin made him shudder. She felt him twitch and, eyes twinkling, started rubbing her head against his shoulder, moving across him until she was on his lap, rubbing against his naked chest.

He was really starting to enjoy it when she stopped.

"Hey-" he started to say, but she shushed him with a finger, claw tapping against his lip.

She got up and moved towards the door, opening and poking her head out, glancing up and down the hallway. Satisfied that no one was going to see him, she walked back in, leaving the door open, picked up his shirt and tossed it into the hallway.

"Go get your shirt"

Wondering what she was playing at, he got up and slowly walked out into the hallway, watching her the whole time. As he bent to pick up his shirt, she closed the door so that only her head stuck out.

"Its time for you to go home now," she said, watching him replace his shirt.

He looked up at that. "What? But why? What if I don't see you again?" he stuttered.

She looked amused. "Its getting late, and anything we do tonight, you probably won't remember tomorrow, and you will see me again. In fact, tomorrow, I highly suggest taking a walk in the woods behind your house. Make sure that you won't be busy for a few hours." She winked at him.

"What? How do you know where I live?" The panicked feeling was starting to return now.

"You and your damn questions," she growled. "Can't you just learn to take what you can get?"

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized. "I'll go for a walk tomorrow then." He stood in the hallway for a moment, trying to figure out someway to say good bye. She solved the problem for him.

"If you stand there much longer, the other residents might wonder why you are here without a room key," she said suggestively.

If only, he thought.

He started to turn away, but looked back and asked "Why did you throw my shirt out into the hallway?"

She smiled sweetly. "Would you have left otherwise?" she asked rhetorically, and shut the door.

Daniel just smiled, shook his head, and thanked everything he knew that he'd decided to drive out here tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rika sat on the couch in her room, waiting for Daniel to leave. She decided that it would probably take about 15 minutes for him to get downstairs, and find his car. After that, she could call up a cab and drive back out of the city. She was anxious to get back to her den in the woods behind Daniel's house. Not that this room wasn't nice and all, but she felt much more comfortable in the outdoors.

Her gaze fell across the bed, and she squeezed the cushions on the couch, grinning in anticipation of what was to come tomorrow.

End Prologue