01-24-2023, 03:26 PM
Such an inconvenient gatekeeper. Visha gave her name impatiently. She swayed a little while she waited for the bouncer to finish murmuring into his tiny earpiece, the movement almost imperceptible to the eye. Her gaze was intent. He reminded her of one of her Paragon babysitters; always going to the trouble of checking she was telling the truth. Like Visha was stupid enough to get caught in an outright lie.
By now there was a spreading commotion behind. Various cars and celebrities and general yelling. Usually Visha might have been curious enough to turn and watch, but the moment her current nemesis lifted the velvet rope to let her through, her hands clasped together in delight and such distractions were immediately forgotten. Her smile above the bright blue gloves was brighter than the stolen diamonds. There might have been a small squeal of excitement.
She did not hesitate. Not did she feel any remorse for the disgruntled reactions of those closest enough to witness the sweeping way she had skipped the line. She twisted in wonder as the shadows of the entrance swallowed her whole, then gave a wink to the bouncer as she disappeared inside. She supposed he wasn’t so bad after all.
Once within Visha's eyes were quickly saucer-wide and full of wonder for the staggering decadence. Antique bottles glittered like fine treasure behind a large and extravagant bar. The walls were lined with damask, and the dark furniture stood solid and luxurious, as though it had come from another, older world. It was beautiful, like something from a zine. Even the people dripped in jewels and expensive fabrics. For a short while she wandered, entirely and openly enamoured of her surroundings. The smile of her expression was unguarded and self-indulgent. But soon her focus switched to ensuring the best vantage of the stage. Height seemed an obvious preference. Her hand slid up the railing as she went to the raised level, but without her own gloves and their sensory haptics it was a dull exercise, for she could barely feel a thing through them.
A man already occupied the table she chose. Given the way people had finally begun streaming in it seemed likely he was waiting for companions to fill the remaining seats, but finders keepers; she was here first. While he flirted with a woman and a wine bottle, Visha watched. Mostly because he might have been the most beautiful man she had ever seen in the flesh. The glimpse of shirt beneath his jacket was so filmy as to be scandalously sheer, and it made him look scaled as a dragon. But it was the accoutrements at his wrists which pulled her attention, as the shine of interesting jewellery usually did. She imagined sliding free one of the bracelets to admire instead around her own wrist. His watch looked very old too, like something Ephraim would like. It made her realise she simply must ensure she found a souvenir of the night.
"Hi," was all she said as she sat down. Not too close. Raffe was clear on the rules here, and freedom made her feel all kinds of wonderful recklessness, but she didn’t want to mess up before she’d had the chance to experience much of anything. Rules were easy to break; Visha would know. Her grin had a gleam of the wicked, evidently aware she had intruded, but she wasn’t remotely apologetic. Her blue arms crossed on the table, and she leaned in towards the stage like a flower finding sun, clearly both eager and excited for what mysteries might come next.
[[@Seven ]]
By now there was a spreading commotion behind. Various cars and celebrities and general yelling. Usually Visha might have been curious enough to turn and watch, but the moment her current nemesis lifted the velvet rope to let her through, her hands clasped together in delight and such distractions were immediately forgotten. Her smile above the bright blue gloves was brighter than the stolen diamonds. There might have been a small squeal of excitement.
She did not hesitate. Not did she feel any remorse for the disgruntled reactions of those closest enough to witness the sweeping way she had skipped the line. She twisted in wonder as the shadows of the entrance swallowed her whole, then gave a wink to the bouncer as she disappeared inside. She supposed he wasn’t so bad after all.
Once within Visha's eyes were quickly saucer-wide and full of wonder for the staggering decadence. Antique bottles glittered like fine treasure behind a large and extravagant bar. The walls were lined with damask, and the dark furniture stood solid and luxurious, as though it had come from another, older world. It was beautiful, like something from a zine. Even the people dripped in jewels and expensive fabrics. For a short while she wandered, entirely and openly enamoured of her surroundings. The smile of her expression was unguarded and self-indulgent. But soon her focus switched to ensuring the best vantage of the stage. Height seemed an obvious preference. Her hand slid up the railing as she went to the raised level, but without her own gloves and their sensory haptics it was a dull exercise, for she could barely feel a thing through them.
A man already occupied the table she chose. Given the way people had finally begun streaming in it seemed likely he was waiting for companions to fill the remaining seats, but finders keepers; she was here first. While he flirted with a woman and a wine bottle, Visha watched. Mostly because he might have been the most beautiful man she had ever seen in the flesh. The glimpse of shirt beneath his jacket was so filmy as to be scandalously sheer, and it made him look scaled as a dragon. But it was the accoutrements at his wrists which pulled her attention, as the shine of interesting jewellery usually did. She imagined sliding free one of the bracelets to admire instead around her own wrist. His watch looked very old too, like something Ephraim would like. It made her realise she simply must ensure she found a souvenir of the night.
"Hi," was all she said as she sat down. Not too close. Raffe was clear on the rules here, and freedom made her feel all kinds of wonderful recklessness, but she didn’t want to mess up before she’d had the chance to experience much of anything. Rules were easy to break; Visha would know. Her grin had a gleam of the wicked, evidently aware she had intruded, but she wasn’t remotely apologetic. Her blue arms crossed on the table, and she leaned in towards the stage like a flower finding sun, clearly both eager and excited for what mysteries might come next.
[[@Seven ]]