Meeting at the Blue Orchid

I arrived in front of the club, a massive and classy neon sign displaying 'The Blue Orchid' above the entrance. When I walked inside, I heard a band playing. Jazz, from the sound of it, but I wasn't familiar enough with the genre to be assured of it.

The club was already fairly crowded, but as I was searching for a place to sit, a stunning Latina-looking woman with a shiny purple dress and heels approached me.

"Irene, it's good to see you~ I was waiting for you~ Looking good tonight~" She said with a flirty grin, one I could recognise even on another's face. "Come, I have a table reserved for us."

I followed Minh to a table with comfy-looking couches, one with a good view on the stage to watch the musical performances. We sat and ordered a drink, Minh going for a fruity cocktail while I got a glass of wine.

"Call me Daniella, by the way." Minh said when we were left alone. "The person you want to meet should arrive soon, she just needs to get... dressed."

"I see. Thank you for arranging this for me." I replied with a smile.

"You're welcome~ In the meantime, let's relax. This club always has some great music, but the best is yet to come, trust me~"

We got our drinks shortly after and started to drink while listening to the music. It was indeed quite good, and I liked the atmosphere here. I could see why this club was apparently one the coven members frequented often.

At one point, a dark-skinned woman with short curly hair came to sit at our table, wearing a sexy tight black dress with heeled boots. She was beautiful as well, and appeared slightly older than Minh's current skin. Maybe in her late twenties or early thirties.

"Hey Ash~ Looking good in your girlfriend's skin~" Minh said, grinning.

The girl, who was apparently Ashley, sighed. "You're the one who asked me to wear her. Now, can you tell me what you're hiding?"

"I have a big surprise for you~" Minh declared proudly while putting a hand on my shoulder. "Can you guess who's next to me~?"

Ashley tilted her head in confusion. "You mean Irene is being worn?"

"Yep~"

"Someone from the coven?" She asked.

"Not yet, but soon~ He's someone you think about a lot~"

I decided to cut to the chase and spoke. "I'm Edward. Minh told me you helped me in the past."

Ashley's eyes widened in shock, her demeanour completely changing. "E-Edward? Y-you're pulling my leg, right?"

"I'm not~" Minh giggled, amused by Ashley's reaction. "He became one of us recently and came back here, meeting Aga and me. He's the main reason for this Friday's meeting, actually."

Ashley kept staring at me, aghast. "Y-you're really Edward...?"

I nodded. "Yes. Nice to meet you, Ashley."

Ashley looked away, covering her face. "W-why didn't you warn me?!" She then asked, grabbing Minh by the shoulder and shaking him. "I-I wasn't prepared!"

Minh simply smirked. "Because it wouldn't have been as funny otherwise~" He leaned closer, whispering in her ear and licking his borrowed lips. "I can see why you like him, though, he's gentle, cute, and tastes pretty good~"

I could almost see Ashley's brain shutting down here and there, her mouth wide open, while I blushed and avoided their gazes, embarrassed by Minh's mention of our sexual intercourse.

"You... You..." Ashley started, processing what she heard. "You did it with him!?" She then screamed before immediately covering her mouth when some curious eyes landed on us.

Thank god the music is loud enough to somewhat cover the screams... I thought.

"Please, please tell me it's a joke..." She almost pleaded while looking at me.

My cheeks reddening even more wasn't the answer she was looking for. She seemed devastated.

"Oh god... Minh... H-how could you..." She muttered, and it almost looked like she wanted to cry.

"Oh, come on. We share in this family, you know that~" Minh said, doing his best not to burst into a fit of laughter. "You can still have him if he wants to have a go with you~"

"W-wait, can we return to the purpose of this meeting?" I cut in, wanting to get back on tracks. "Ashley, Minh told me you were Mr. Becker, the man who helped me after Father kicked me out. Why did you do that? Why help me?"

Ashley took a deep breath, trying to calm down, and not fully succeeding. "W-well... I... I needed to... Y-you saved me, it was... it was normal I'd do the same."

I raised an eyebrow. "I saved you?"

She started to fidget with her fingers, appearing a lot more sheepish, which was a huge contrast to the more confident woman who arrived earlier.

"I-It's normal you don't remember, but... I was in the same high-school as you. I was two years older. I was... I was often bullied by Luke and his friends, almost getting used to it... One day, though, you... appeared, you protected me from them, you were so brave..."

"Ashley has had a massive crush on you since then, it truly was love at first sight~" Minh chimed in with a giggle.

While Minh's claim surprised me and made me blush, it was nothing compared to Ashley, whose face became red like a tomato.

After what she said, I could indeed remember helping a really shy and meek girl during my first year of school. I saw her being bullied by Luke's crew and intervened, punching him and his goons. I never spoke much with the girl afterwards, but what I did had apparently been enough to leave a strong impression of me.

"I-I admire you..." Ashley admitted. "W-without you, I wouldn't have had the strength to go on and finish high-school... You saved me, and I... I fell in love with you..."

I wasn't sure what to reply to that. When I asked to meet Ashley, I certainly didn't expect to get confessed to.

"I-I see... It's, uhh... a bit early for me to answer your feelings, considering I don't really know you, but thanks. I'm glad my actions managed to help someone." I replied, smiling at her.

She looked away, but I could see her lips shyly curling upwards. My answer satisfied her, it seemed.

"Oh, Daniella, Vanessa! What a pleasure to see you tonight!" A pretty female voice said.

When I turned to see who spoke, I saw a dark-skinned woman with long dyed blonde hair, smiling at us and wearing an elegant black dress with purple sheer sleeves and matching pantyhose. If Minh and Ashley's current skins fell more into the category 'hot', she was definitely more in the 'cute' category.

She, Ashley, and Minh exchanged hugs like close friends, and Minh patted the spot next to him on the couch.

"Good timing. Come join us, Chels, there's someone you should meet."

"Hi, I'm Chelsea, what's your name?" Chelsea asked with a friendly smile while sitting.

"The skin is Irene, a new acquisition of mine. Inside, though, is Edward, Aga's human first born." Minh announced.

Chelsea was surprised. "Edward? Really?"

Minh nodded. "Yep, Friday's meeting is about him. He returned here recently as one of us, and he's going to formally join the coven."

"Ah, I see. That explains it." Chelsea said before holding her hand in front of me. "Welcome back, Edward. Like I said earlier, call me Chelsea, but you can also use Matthew in private."

I shook her hand. "N-nice to meet you, Matthew."

"I won't stay long, I need to get ready for my performance. I just came when I noticed Minh and Ash."

"Performance?" I asked.

Chelsea giggled. "I'm a pianist and singer, I perform here almost every night. I also manage the club, but that's more on the side, and with some help from my assistant."

"Oh, that's nice." I said.

"I'll give it my all to celebrate your return, Edward, I hope you'll enjoy it~" Chelsea declared, winking at me.

I blushed slightly. "T-thanks."

She then got up and waved at us. "Have a good evening, you three~"

Minh waved back. "See ya, Chels~"

On that, Chelsea left, disappearing backstage. I didn't expect to meet another member of the coven tonight beside Ashley, but Chelsea, or Matthew, seemed fairly nice and gentle so far. I'd dare say a lot more normal than Minh.

"Wait until you hear him, Ed. Matthew is a genius when it comes to piano." Minh said, taking a sip of his drink. "Let's order something to eat and enjoy the show~"

We did just that, ordering some food. Considering the place, I expected the meals to be more expensive, but it was surprisingly affordable. Minh told me Matthew chose to keep the prices low to allow the maximum amount of people to enjoy the music here, even if it was a fairly classy-looking club.

We waited for a dozen minutes and started eating our food when Chelsea walked on stage. The whole club cheered when she appeared, as if she was a superstar, and Chelsea bowed and waved, an excited smile on her face.

She grabbed a microphone and spoke enthusiastically. "Good evening, everyone! Thank you for coming tonight! I'm Chelsea, and I hope you'll enjoy the show!"

She then sat in front of the piano and flexed her fingers, readying herself. She didn't appear the slightest bit anxious, she was completely serene. She had total confidence in her skills.

She started to play, a soft but beautiful melody, and was humming along for a brief moment before singing with her charming voice. Everyone in the club seemed to be fixated on her, silently listening to every note, every word. Even me, I was feeling drawn to her. I couldn't look away, as if mesmerised by her performance. All my worries were being washed away by her voice, I was at peace. I never heard anything like this in my life, and neither had Irene. Beautiful wasn't a strong enough word to describe it, it was... bewitching.

She kept playing and playing for almost two hours until she was finally done, bowing to her audience who cheered and clapped like crazy. Meanwhile, I was shaking my head to free myself from this strange dazed state I fell into.

"W-what happened...? What was that?" I muttered, confused.

Ashley was also regaining her bearings, while Minh giggled, clearly amused.

"It's Matthew's ability." He explained. "He can influence the emotions of people around him, and it pairs perfectly with his current skin's beautiful singing. It can affect skinwalkers too, to a lesser extent, but give it time and you'll be fine."

My eyes widened. "He can... influence emotions?"

It wasn't as terrifying as Minh's brainwashing, but it was still a scary ability nonetheless. Extremely useful to gather a loyal base of fans as it was apparently the case here.

"He doesn't really need it with his incredible talent, in my opinion. Never was much into Jazz, but I make an exception for him." Minh said, raising his glass towards the stage.

"H-he seems really skilled, yeah." I replied more awkwardly.

"Anyway, I think we should wrap things up for tonight, we all have works and classes to return to tomorrow." Minh declared, yawning. "Are you happy your dear Edward is back, Ash~?"

Ashley blushed and looked away. "Y-yes..." But she then glanced at me shyly. "W-would you... Would you mind if we meet again? I-I'd really like to... spend time with you... I-if you want to, of course..."

I smiled at her. "Sure, I wouldn't mind hanging out with you."

I wrote down my number and gave it to her. She was holding the piece of paper with such reverence it felt like she had a sacred relic in her hands.

"T-thank you, Edward." She timidly replied.

As we were about to leave the club, Chelsea came back.

"Did you enjoy tonight's show?" She asked.

"Irene was a bit perturbed by your... trick, but she enjoyed it." Minh replied in my stead while I was searching for words.

Chelsea chuckled nervously. "Sorry, I hope I didn't scare you. I want my audience to experience the emotions the songs convey to the fullest."

"I-I see. It was disturbing at first, I'll admit." I then answered. "But you are impressive, I never heard someone play piano like this."

She smiled warmly at me. "Thank you~ I am proud of my skills, they allowed me to meet wonderful people~"

Minh smirked playfully. "Keep the smooth talking for Oliver, Chels~"

Chelsea laughed and gave all of us a hug. "Have a good night, everyone."

"You too, Chels~" Minh replied.

"Good night." I added, smiling back.

Chelsea returned backstage while the three of us left the club. It was a lot colder than when we arrived, making me shiver slightly.

"Well, see ya, you two~" Minh said, waving at us and leaving first, walking away.

"I should leave too." Ashley followed soon, appearing a lot more confident now that we were outside. "I'm glad you returned. Have a good evening."

"You as well. It was nice meeting you." I replied, waving at her as she left.

Tonight went quite differently compared to what I had imagined, but it was a fairly pleasant evening. Ashley seemed like a nice girl I wouldn't mind knowing better, and Matthew, despite having a terrifying ability, appeared composed and friendly. I have now already met four of the seven skinwalkers composing my mother's coven, and my interest was peaked. I was so curious about the last three members, wondering how they were like.

I'll meet them this Friday, most certainly.