The bass pumps, the bodies blend; shaking, twisting, reverberating with rhythm, and pulsating under the flashing lights. Downtown Tampa. The club is really full tonight. I wipe the sweat off my head; I'm soaked, even thought it's a mild fall night. The bodies are too close, too hot.
I turn back around and give the Hermetic the glass of white wine he ordered. He takes a long look at my wet body—the white tank-top I'm wearing is doused. I adjust the tight leather around my legs. Looking back up, I can only shake my head and laugh. The Hermetic's here at the club because he's supposed to be discussing something important with the Prince. Whatever. He must be as uncomfortable here as I would be in his closeted sanctum.
In the middle of packed dance club, the Hermetic sticks out like a sore thumb. The funny thing is, despite the fact that he's the one out of place, he probably thinks he's above all the rest of us. He's probably looking down his nose at me because I'm just a lowly bartender. He might get the wrong idea about me because of the clothes I wear or who I hang out with, but what he doesn't understand, is that I live more than he ever will.
I may be just a bartender, but I serve at the Prince's club. Not only does it pay a lot, but I get to talk to a lot of his 'special' clientelle. That's what this is all about. It's not about the money. I'm sure I could get that some other way. It's about the people. It's about the ones that are mundane and the ones that aren't. It's about listening to others and learning from their experiences, not just waiting to jump into a conversation with my world view.
You see, I'm not only Awakened, I don't just live and work in a completely different community, a different world than everyone else—I'm trying to change it, I'm trying to make it. But that's not just me: it's us. I'm a Pendragon. That's what we do. We make a difference. Or at least we try. Some guys are on the front line of the Ascension War, some play diplomats at town hall; others think that money will buy the world. We're all of that. Me, I think information is the key. I think knowledge is the way. I don't have to fight, manipulate, or buy anyone for what I do. I just talk. And sometimes, they listen.
If not, there's always another day, right? Or night. Besides, like I said, sometimes I just listen. For the hundredth time this night, I wipe the sweat off my brow, keeping my eyes roving over the crowd, hungrily.
God, I love my job.
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