There were a lot of perks to working at a strip club. Aside from the most obvious, the hours were agreeable and the between shift snacks weren’t bad; this was a fact especially true for the security force that worked in the building. The dancers should be kept safe, after all, as they were putting their bodies on display for the unquenchable thirst the club’s patrons tended to have.

However, no matter the job, for every perk there was a flaw. In this instance, Fall and Spring tended to be the best times to work. Under the blanket of stars, a bouncer could enjoy the cool, fresh air of a passing breeze while maintaining order. But late Spring and into Summer? Yeah, it tended to be sweltering.

At least his shift was at night.

Telemachus Christou crossed his arms over his massive chest as he leaned against the exterior wall. There was a party in attendance, a bachelor party, and those always tended to be the rowdiest. The blue collar workers ready for the weekend were his favorites as they tended to be somewhat more respectful towards the dancers, but the high end clients, lawyers, finance, and bachelor parties, they always needed a reminder that they weren’t kings of this particular castle. Neither was Telemachus but he was closer to the title than they were.

But, aside from the customers, the flaw in an otherwise perfect job was the impending summer heat. It wasn’t quite the season of sun and beaches yet, but the weather was certainly headed in that direction. Telemachus could feel the heat cooling off the concrete around him as he stood outside the door of Hexes and Hos. Though the sun had long buried itself behind the horizon, the city of concrete held onto the heat from throughout the day surprisingly well to the point that only now was it beginning to taper off.

Sadly, it hadn’t fully dissipated by the time Telemachus shift had started. So now he stood in the remains of the heat, waiting for a party bus of probably already half-drunk troublemakers to show, already growing more and more irritable. He’d rather be inside. At least it was air conditioned.

A subtle look flashed across his eyes. Looking to the left and to the right, Telemachus reached into the pocket of his black slacks and pulled out a permanent marker. Raising it to his lips, he bit the cap and popped it off before turning the inked tip into the palm of his hand. It only took a few swipes to draw the runes into his skin. Once completed, the marker was returned to his pocket. With his fist closed, Telemachus muttered soft, unknown words which caused a momentary flash of light inside of his closed fist.

And like that, there was relief. The spell worked fast, flowing throughout his body and altering the temperature in his body to run a little cooler and the cease the necessity to sweat as if he were standing in a brick-laid pizza oven.

With the edge of the heat taken off, Telemachus mood finally started to improve -- until he heard the raucous music coming from down the street. With a grumble he rolled and cracked his neck. It wasn’t long after that he saw the brazen, flashing lights of the party bus as it rolled up to the front of the cub and started to unload the denizens from within. He could already smell the alcohol.

A motley crew of men in a variety of outfits ranging from jeans and flannel to a nice suit stumbled out from the vehicle. Thankfully not every last one of them was drunk but Telemachus hoped that among those who were sober, at least one would be responsible enough to keep the party in line.

After some quick introductions (and assurances that this wasn't strictly a gay club) Telemachus learned that the groom-to-be was a man named Chad and these were mostly his old fraternity brothers. Double red flags there. But Telemachus pressed on with his job, informing them of the rules and stating it twice to ensure they understood. They wouldn't but he was more than happy to remind them when the time came.

”Alright gentlemen. Those are the ground rules. Everyone understand them and the fact that I have no problem enforcing them should the cause arise?” After a general murmur through the group, Telemachus nodded his head, turned and opened the door. ”Then please, enter. And tip the dancers well…” he said firmly. Under his breath he continued with, ”...something tells me they are going to deserve it after dealing with you assholes.”

With a sigh the burly bouncer followed the party into the club and closed the door behind him. Once inside he sighed in relief as the cooler air and spoke over the pounding music as the led the troupe further inside. When Telemachus had reached the main floor, he gestured for the men to go on and begin their party. One of the other ladies would led them to their table. For Telemachus it was time for him to slink back into the shadows and watch over the rest of the festivities.

He was working, after all, and he needed to ensure that this was a safe environment not only for the patrons, but for the dancers and the rest of the staff as well. Telemachus tucked his large arms across his chest and leaned bis back against a far, shadowy wall. He could see enough from here and hoped and prayed people didn’t forget that.

”Ha ha! Yes! Excellent!” Hercules encouraged loudly as he threw more singles on the center stage. It wasn’t his money so he didn’t care too much about it. However after being there for a few hours already Hercules was starting to develop mental critiques for the performances on the stages the better the performance the better the ‘rain fall’ and verbal encouragement.

He had a one time job, well at the moment it was a one time job. The demi-god wasn’t sure he wanted to be a full time body guard at least not to the individual in question. His motives seemed.... sinister. However all Hercules knew about the job was he had a body to protect for the evening seeing as his current bodyguard was off. The person in question though had been in the back sitting on his own. Hercules was just supposed to come when he was summoned. Something the Demi-god thought he could handle well having centuries of experience.

The son of Zues was worried however and voiced his concern, the god had other skills than just looking big and imposing so the man he was to guard for the evening handed him a stack of singles and told him to go and make it ‘rain’ after asking a few other patrons Hercules figured he picked up on the meaning.

Another handful of bills littered the stage as a few of the smaller gentleman next to him were commenting on his need to show them up. ”Are they not entertaining?” he asked placing his massive hand on small cocktail glass careful not to break it. He had a bad habit of doing that.

“You aren’t so big...” said one of the men sizing him up. Hercules ignored him for the moment, either to the slurring of the words or the fact that the current dancer the demi-god thought was too captivating.

The evening had been quiet for the most part. While Telemachus did not usually care to deal with the bachelor/ette parties, he knew that things could be much worse, especially when said party had arrived already a bit tipsy. But, thank goodness, it seemed as if they were more bark than bite. Good. He didn’t want to have to bring out the big guns if he didn’t have to.

Wandering around the edges of the club, Telemachus cast an eye towards a few of the louder members but was assured that they were keeping a respectable distance from the dancers. With a nod of approval, he began to unscrew the cap of his water bottle to take a much needed sip; it seemed the warmth from outside was beginning to seep into the club after all.

The cap replaced and the bottle set aside in a secret little cubby where he kept drinks and snacks on his patrol, and he continued out -- seeming just in the knick of time.

It was only a glance, which was all he needed. He caught the look of the man, annoyed by the boisterous yelling of the much larger one. Telemachus had decided to keep an eye on him since he appeared. He was loud but he wasn’t breaking any rules save for being a little bit of a buzzkill to the surrounding patrons. It was an act that was going to draw the wrong attention and it was only a matter of when.

While passing, Telemachus saw the dirty look that the patron gave the other, an unspoken challenge being uttered. Thankfully the boisterous one seemingly wasn’t paying attention but Telemachus knew all too well that dismissiveness would only add fuel to the fire. With a roll of his neck, the large bouncer approached, catching the attention of the challenger. Tel offered him a short smile.

”Gentlemen,” he said with firm authority. ”With all due respect I sincerely hope everyone is using the time to watch our fine dancers and not stare at each other?” He smiled. ”I can assure, the show on the stage is far better to observe.”

Aura had been wandering the past few months, she felt lost and while she would not admit the extent of the damage to her memory, she knew it was bad. She had not told anyone yet, though Gemma had interviewed her out of concern. She had been told to try new things to deal with her free time, a concept that Aura still had trouble with.

It was how she had found herself at a strip club, ordering water on the rocks to a very confused waitress who none the less delivered what was asked for and was even more perplexed when the women did not complain. She barely looked at the dancers, instead looking into her drink, tipping well.

Her brown hair bounced slightly as she looked at the idiotic next to her trying to pick a fight with a guy large enough to devour her whole. The backed dress showing off a network of nasty looking scars from what had been magic runes. She was about to blindly make things worse when a a man came and advised the man to watch the show, trying to head of the fight.

"They are quite beautiful" she offered from a table. "Mohawk's right, Enjoy the show Little man and don't pick fights with men who could break you in half" she said glancing at the Bouncer who had told the man off and then to Hercules. Aura was a bit on edge from the past few months "What are you boy's drinking?" Aura asked looking at Telemmachus and Herules. Aura had drank a mere handful of times in her life and so was curious for their thoughts.

The comment made Hercules smile and give him a small chuckle. No matter the era he was summoned he was always a ‘big one’ He didn’t know if it was because he had the blood of his father Zeus running through his veins, but he was always considered big. Maybe the mortal who was talking to him couldn’t see very well in the dim light of the establishment. His fingers twitched around the glass and it cracked. Instinctively he set the drink down so it wouldn’t break further.

Mortals.... always so quick to challenge. Hercules however was working and unless his employer or someone else was attacked Hercules had no need to finish anything. The drunk man frowned at the lack of response then looked over to the newcomer, “Hmmm?” he gave the bouncer a once over then looked to his friends who were busy staring at the stage. “The big guy is bugging me, was trying to focus but he just keeps talking.”

Hercules raised an eyebrow and looked to the newcomer who he saw working the door as Cerberus guarded the entrance to the underworld. To say the man was lying would no doubt cause more of an issue and he was being paid to not start anything. Just finish it.

”I guess I have a tendency to do that.” he said looking from the bouncer to the other patron Hercules said stretching the truth. Hercules had bad habits when it came to lying he found it underhanded and wrong so whenever he was caught telling a lie he’d give away a tell of some kind. This time it was with lack of eye contact and a massive hand rubbing the back of his neck causing the suit jacket he was wearing to stretch to the point where a few threads broke free.

”Thirds.” Hercules corrected with a slight smirk to the woman who chimed in behind them. Humans could break people in half, as a demi-god he’d break them in thirds to send a message.

“Little man?” the drunk guy looked to the woman now and gave her a squinty glare.

”I believe this was called an apple-tinni.... I asked them to put it in a sturdier glass.” he said holding the beverage up. ”I seem to have a problem with glass wear.” he said smiling to the woman.

It was bound to happen. The thing that a lot of people don’t know about strip clubs is that every day they were not unlike a powder keg. All the sex, frustration, and alcohol poured into a single barrel was volitile enough to go off at any second. All it needed was the smallest spark. That spark could come in a variety of forms, but in most cases it was a drunken fool who had the inescapable flaw of biting off more than he can chew.

Telemachus could see it in the man’s eyes. He was sizing up both the young woman and the living, breathing mountain of a man. The second the female patron had interjected, the drunk turned his spiteful gaze towards her and his attention was straying further away from the show.

He would need to be redirected lest he light the match that turns a quiet night into a free-for-all.

He offered the woman a small smile and a nod of his head. ”Alas I am working. No drinks for me just yet. But please, enjoy the show.” He said with a nod before turning his attention back to the larger man who seemingly broke a glass by accident. ”Don’t worry about the broken glass, friend,” he said. ”Why don’t I bring over one of the servers? She’ll get you fresh glass and refill.”

Telemachus arched his brow at the other man. He was drunk but he was clearly bothered by the presence of the others. In his state it wouldn’t take him long to see himself as backed into a corner -- and in doing so he could snapback and makes things worse.

With an inward grumble, Telemachs slapped on a smile and directed his attention to the drunk. ”Listen, if you are that bothered by the others having a good time, why don’t you partake in one of the more private shows?” he asked and gestured to the V.I.P. rooms towards the back. ”Nice and a secluded. Just you and one of the dancers. Sounds like a nice alternative to being out in the middle of everything, no?”

Others would call his judgment into question for offering up one of the dancers as bait for this guy; but the people who said that didn’t know the girls that Telemachus worked with. They were smart and capable of handling themselves. Of that he was certain. Besides, all it would take is one call from whatever dancer was saddled with him and Telemachus would have no qualms with chucking him out the side door, into the alley. He was just trying to be fair for everyone involved.

Another friendly smile to the drunk and he gestured again. ”What do you say?” he asked.

Rena took a deep breath. She was a violent woman by nature and this idiot was spoiling for violence. She had already considered half a dozen ways to end the man's life and more to make him wish she had. She pushed the thoughts aside and allowed herself to be sated by mere thought. Killing him would gain her nothing and just cuase issues with her employers. The sound of breaking glass made her head snap back around before she realized what it was and kept her aura down.

She offered a small smile. "Of that i have I doubt My large friend. Your own stuff is likely a sturdier make. I normally use my own myself." she said only refraining from demonstrating for the sake of keeping things calm and friendly. Her power was very recognizable and their was no good to be done killing random idiots like the drunk little man. Still after hearing the thirds comment Aura's pride was peeked. "Thirds huh? Makes me wonder how many times one could fold a .... Aura trailed off and glanced down at her drink and frowned.

"I understand not drinking on the job. Dulling ones senses when combat could arise is always a poor plan. I rarely partake myself, to easy to lose control" she said holding up her water. She ignored the drunks frequent glances at her, between the two men and her own skill she knew how horribly outmatched the man was. She hoped he would take Telemachus's advice. Despite not knowing if he was human or not Aura found herself liking the two men around her so far.

Maybe booze would somehow blind her to the faces and the eyes of the mutants she had been forced to slay on the island, she blamed herself as she always did. Like she had for the forest and both incarnations of the order. She decided against it again, she had to bear that pain to atone.

Everyone except the smaller intoxicated fellow called him a friend. Two out of three... clearly this was the place he belonged. Everyone seemed so helpful and friendly. ”Ha! Please then, Another!” the demi-god proclaimed ignoring the drunk for a moment who seemed to be eyeing the other tall gentleman. Hercules smirked, the drunk one could not take him either. The confidence he currently displayed said more about him than his words.

The offer of another beverage seem to intrigue the drunk one. His eyes narrowed on the woman and gave a thumbs up then looked to the man offering a more secluded show. “Oh that’s the plan! Just waiting on my girl to come find me! Told her yesterday I’d be back tonight!” he said brimming with pride.

The complexities of his statement were lost on Hercules. This was the first time he had entered an establishment like this but he had seen them during his show binging and movie binging. You paid for the women or men to entertain. The more you paid them the more time they entertained you. Similar to the brothels the god of strength frequented over the centuries. That being said.... he paid his woman... how did they make money? Shouldn’t he want her to spend time with others to take their money? This era confused him at times, but he was learning.

”I am told they are the best seats in the house!” Hercules agreed and then pointed in the direction of his current employer who was sitting with a few women at the table. ”My boss said they were perfect for private shows!” he lowered his finger then questioned, ”Why stop at one? I was told if you wanted it was possible to have multiple women!” he was also told that by his employer. Though Hercules was starting to question his employers motives.

The drunk squinted and fumbled into his wallet. Hercules lost interest in him now and responded to the woman who was offering more drinks. ”Does it not make it more of a challenge though?” Hercules wasn’t much of a planner. His response to problems were to hit something, and if that didn’t work hit it harder.

The demi-god's attention shifted as two men in suits approached the table of his employer and sat on either side of the women. He locked eyes with his employer and was about to stand. That was until, he caught the ‘steady’ motion from the employer. Hercules nodded in response and adjusted in his seat so he was turned more to those he was talking to, who also happen to be in front of his employer.