“She’s gaping like a fish, Agatha.”

“I think humans need to do that when they breathe.”

“Let’s give her a moment then.” Louis eyed the human balefully.

“Sorry about that… It’s just been awhile since I’ve walked into a place like this.” Hannah smiled sheepishly and cleared her throat. She forced her eyes away from the lights that hang overhead of them, sparkling like disco clubs, and finally met the eyes of the two. “You know, with the end of the world and everything?”

“Oh, I see.” Witch Agatha pursed her lips into a smile as they walked down the hallway. “Then please make yourself at home and enjoy our hospitality. This is a wonderful place, if I may say so myself.”

“Thank you so much.” Hannah bowed her head. She would have done anything for running water and a place that had electricity. Actually, as long as the place had a proper toilet and waste disposal management, she would have called this place heaven.

“Witch Agatha, may I remind you that this ‘place’ you speak of is not for you to share with?” Louis reminded her in a matter-of-fact tone. “This is not a shelter for abandoned and orphaned humans, either.”

“I left them,” Hannah said. “If anybody did the abandoning, it’s probably me.”

Louis stared at the fleeting haunted look on the young woman’s face and inwardly sighed. “I still voice my air of concern that this is not a good idea. However, I will concede to the fact that you may linger here for a short while. At least until your conversation ends.”

The trio soon ended up in another doorway and while the preoccupied Louis still seemed concerned with conversation, Witch Agatha quickly threw the door open before he could do it himself. This time, Hannah heard the music louder than before and on top of that, she was finally given an image of an actual bar.

No.

It wasn’t exactly a bar or a pub where you could make a ruckus and drink heartily and laugh out loud with your friends. It was more like a lounge bar where tired co-workers visited this place in order to relax after a tired day of work.

It was where men in fancy suits arrived with a suitcase, eyed the beautiful lady dancing on stage and ordered alcoholic drinks that were shaken, not stirred. A place where a young man could be taken by his father and uncles, or older peers, in order to initiate him into the world of adulthood.

This lounge had the air of sophistication, allure, and a certain inviting charm that drew you in. Hannah immediately realized that this place was fit more for Louis the Vampire than Witch Agatha, so it was clear who the real proprietor was of this fine establishment.

Hannah stepped inside.

She didn’t even realize it at first, but her feet already drew her in. Worn sneakers made contact with beautiful tiled floors that probably cost more than Hannah would ever make in her life. They were so clean that Hannah could have probably eaten off the floor and it would be more sanitary than any other container she had eaten in for the past months.

Hannah saw her reflection and immediately glanced up to pay attention to the luxurious upholstered dark sofas. They were truly lounge seats that allowed privacy for the people who visited the bar to relax and simply pay attention to their respective companions.

The young woman didn’t belong in this place with her appearance.

Hannah’s presence alone seemed like a far cry from this environment that didn’t seem to even notice the growing trouble that lurked past its walls. This place was a perfect representation of unconcerned indifference to the world outside of them.

All of its clientele were preoccupied with their own business.

Were all of them Vampires? Could they smell and tell the difference between Hannah and them? As Hannah’s gaze surveyed the place, she ended up making eye contact with a particular dancer on stage and felt her lips part open once more. One might assume it was because this was the first time Hannah saw a strip bar dancer.

However, that wasn’t the case.

Initially, Hannah thought she heard the familiar tunes that were a mainstay for bars. Party music. However, she realized that this place was different, or they had changed the music. On the contrary, they were now playing a combination between ancient and modern, and it was distinctively not from her country either.

But it fit the dancer.

Hannah was so preoccupied with her surroundings that it was the first time that she had encountered such a beautiful being. As far as Hannah could she, the dancer was a woman.

She had long and vibrant green hair that clearly hinted at the supernatural, along with her body’s movements that were too fluid to be that of a human’s. Hannah might have thought that a snake was a more apt term.

This being was gorgeous and wore a white top fitted bra and loose harem pants accentuated with golden chains. It was an outfit that showed off a lot more skin than Hannah and Agatha, but instead of it being too much, it only revealed far more things about them than Hannah expected.

Perhaps Hannah was making it all up, but as the dancer twisted and swayed to the beat of the music, there was no denying that this being embodied something to her. The dancer’s gaze was beckoning, and her lips were in a relaxed, even impish grin.

Freedom.

Revel.

Mischief.

She was both dancing for the audience and herself. This being reveled in the gazes of the people that were on her, but the music didn’t control her or forced her to dance—on the contrary, she was the one who dictated and the music followed.

Iridescent smoke was present on the stage, or that was what Hannah assumed at first until she realized it was not stage effects but was instead part of the woman herself. It was less smoke and more of a mist that covered the stage.

A live djinn was now performing in front of them.