Girls Night Out

[Emily Shale-Vanders]

((Closed Topic))

Emily's was glad to be back in Moscow. The press conference had gone really well and she finally had time to just relax. Everyone back at the office knew their jobs and she had told them she wasn't going to hold their hands - she trusted their judgement. After that, she said she was going out of town for a couple of weeks. She needed it. Most of her board understood. It was difficult to explain to her sisters that she needed some time alone, but after awhile they understood. She promised them a Spring Break vacation together.

Her plane arrived at about 6:00 PM and Emily went to her hotel right away. She had spent a few days working on her sleep schedule so she could just enjoy her time in Moscow. She had eaten on the plane and was excited to spend some time looking around. She felt as if she had made some friends when she was here last - Asha and Ayden at least. She didn't know what to think of the guy Sebastian. They hadn't really gotten to spend a lot of time together.

Emily pulled out her Wallet and found Ayden's contact information. They had decided to do something when she came back, so Emily sent her a message.

"Hi Ayden, it's Emily. I'm in Moscow for a couple of weeks. You up for doing something. If so, where should I meet you?"


Emily went down to the hotel lobby to await Ayden's reply. She left it to Ayden's judgement on where to go. She knew Moscow better, but from the lobby she could get a cab to take her where she needed to go.

[Ayden]

Ayden had gone shopping with Emily before, it was good to have someone who was more like her than despite the fact that the woman was a business woman. It was a good thing to make friends, even ones she hadn't expected to meet.

When she got the text from Emily, she was just getting off work. Ayden sent her a reply. "Going home to shower, check with Connor. Girls Night out? Dancing?"

Ayden hadn't had a girls night out in a long time, now that she thought about it, in ever. Her job before hadn't allowed any girl friends, much less any friends together. Emily was here on vacation. Surely there was something they could get into. She could always call Bas and he'd tell her a good place to go. That was part of his scene.

But she was pretty sure she could manage with out calling Bas. She still owed him answers with Connor, and they'd not arranged anything yet.

Ayden got home, and Connor was still at work. He probably got stuck with a "must be done today" job at the end of his day. It sucked when you were IT in an IT company. She sent him a text, "Going out with Emily. Call me when you get home."

Ayden hopped in the shower and got dressed and texted Emily again. "Ready to go? I'll meet you outside your hotel. We can go from there."

She would catch the metro and walk wherever she needed to go. Cabs were expensive, the metro less so and it wasn't her money she was dipping into.

[Emily Shale-Vanders]

Emily got a reply back from Ayden pretty quickly. Emily smiled at her suggestion. A girls night out sounded like a blast. It sounded like exactly what she needed. She sent a reply that a girls night out sounded like fun, and since Emily had some time to waste, she went to the hotel bar and got a soda and watched some TV while she waited expectantly for Ayden to let her know that she was done showering.

Ayden's next message came and Emily almost jumped in excitement. That earned her a quizzical look from the bartender, but when he realized that she was just excited, he went back to serving his other customers. Emily responed "Ready! See you soon!"
and sent Ayden the name and location of her hotel.

She waited just inside - it was still cold and waited for Ayden to arrive. Emily smiled and went outside when she saw the red head approach - you could spot those red locks anywhere. She walked up to Ayden and gave her a hug.

"It's so good to see you again. How are things? And how's Connor?"



Edited by Emily Shale, Nov 10 2014, 02:28 PM.

[Ayden]

Emily was energetic and very upbeat. It was a change from Ayden's normal friends. Sasha hadn't come out much since that day with Bas. Ayden wasn't even sure she'd seen Bas again after that night, they never talked about it. It didn't matter to her, not really. Sasha was a big girl.

It was good to get out of the house, to do something other than work. Dancing sounded fun, and she wasn't some lame house wife. Though she hadn't really gotten her life together any more since Connor proposed.

Ayden told Emily how Connor was doing, there wasn't much to tell not really. He was good, his job was good, they were good. Ayden didn't mention the strain that hung over their heads, the constant wondering if someone was going to come after them. Emily didn't need to know. If Connor had met her, he'd probably warn her, but really Emily didn't need to know what hunted them.

Tonight was about forgetting all that and having fun. The air was cold, but it was clear, the stars were out and it was a good day to walk. "The club isn't far."


They chatted as they walked. It wasn't important, but Ayden was never quite so at ease, she was always looking always watching, a life of crime did that to a person. She held no delusions, she was a criminal, she took money to kill people. She missed it to a degree, but it was good to be with Connor and good to have a real home, even if she felt useless now. It was still good.

[Emily Shale-Vanders]

Emily was glad to see Ayden and was also glad they decided to walk to the club. It gave her more of a chance to talk with her than a cab would, and really the cold didn't bother her. Although Moscow was colder than Chicago, Emily was used to cold winters. If Ayden's Texas accent was to be believed, it was probably a bit cold for her. If Ayden could put up with the cold, Emily could too.

They arrived at the club soon enough, and were admitted after showing IDs. "How about we get some drinks first and then I'll show you my wicked dance moves."
Emily gave Ayden a grin.

Emily led them to the bar and order a cosmopolitan. She let Ayden order her own drink and surveyed the room. She hadn't been to a club like this since college. The room was filled with people drinking, dancing, cuddling, and well...more than cuddling. It was a pretty typical scene. Emily drank her cosmo, and spied a couple of guys checking her and Ayden out.

Don't come over here.
She thought, not wanting to freak out in public.

Emily finished her drink quickly - it had been a long time since she had cut loose and wasn't worried about getting a little tipsy. Besides - they were here to dance. Emily grabbed Ayden's hand and began to pull her out to the dance floor. "Alright - time for the wicked dance moves."


Emily grinned and raised the hand that was holding Ayden's and moved it around Ayden, spinning her in a circle. The song was upbeat. Emily took another nervous glance toward the two men checking them out, hoping they left them alone.

[Ayden]

Ayden ordered a beer. She didn't plan on getting wasted tonight, but she did plan on having a good time. A pair of men were watching them with interest, but Emily didn't exactly look like she was interested in having them bother her. It was a curiosity to explore later, she didn't seem shy.

Emily dragged her out on to the dance floor. It wasn't really dragging her, but the women took her and spun her, she was definitely not shy. Ayden smiled and they danced. The crowd moved almost like a writhing mass of one dying organism. It thrashed and swayed as a whole, the mass looked horrible from the outside, but inside was a ball of energy, of individualism. Each person moving to the same rhythm, not the same, but all together. It was poetic.

Ayden drowned in the music, in the rhythm, in the chaos of it all. It was almost like before, almost when she wasn't worried about how to make ends meet, on what she'd do next. Almost. The nightmares had stopped for a few weeks after killing the Atharim, now they were back, and she was sleeping less and less. It felt good to move, to drink, to dance. To get away from her life. She loved Connor, she was going to marry him. She was happy, but life was so much different so much harder now. She wanted to forget that for the moment, and live in the now, in the dance.

[Emily Shale-Vanders]

Emily got lost in the crowd and Ayden. The dance seemed as one with the entire crowd and Emily forgot all about business. She felt free from her worries and stress and her smile was definitely genuine. It looked like Ayden was having a good time too and that made Emily even happier. She even forgot about the guys that had been glancing in their direction.

The song ended and Emily's breathing was quickened. She was a runner and in good shape, but she had really cut loose. She had needed it, and the residual tension she had felt melted away. Emily was really glad she decided to come back on vacation. It was good to have a friend who didn't see the businesswoman first, although she was sad Ayden lived on the other side of the world. She had two weeks though and would make it count.

Emily gave Ayden another hug. "Thank you. This is just what I needed."


Emily released the hug with a beaming smile that faded as the two men approached them from her right. Different thoughts went through Emily's head. She didn't want to use her magic or even be rude to the men. She even thought of kissing Ayden - if the men thought they were girlfriends, maybe they'd go away - but she didn't want to make Ayden uncomfortable. Her breathing had returned to normal, but started to quicken again. Emily put on a forced polite smile.

"Do you ladies want to dance?"
The one that seemed to be paying more attention to Emily said.

Emily grabbed Ayden's hand, using the other woman for the strength to reply. Emily briefly wondered if her phobia was getting worse. It used to not kick in until they touched her, or maybe it was just the man showing interest. "No, thank you. It's girls night out. Ladies only."
Emily raised Ayden's hand slightly.

There must have been a slight tremor in her voice because the man seemed to notice she was scared. "We just want to dance - nothing more."


The man sounded genuine and Emily wanted to believe him, but when she though of dancing with the man, she could only think of Bryce hitting, choking, and forcing her to do things she didn't want to do. The tremor was harder to hide this time. "Ummm...maybe later..."
Emily squeezed Ayden's hand, a silent plea for help.

[Ayden]

The two men that had been eyeing them came over, but Emily still didn't seem overly interested in them or their offer of dancing. There were two things that she could do, one was risky, it could send them into another direction or it could pull at their libdo instead. The other put her off the market but Emily was rather stuck.

Ayden made her choice and stepped closer to the two men and put her hands on their cheeks and leaned in and whispered. "You see gentlemen, you are ruining my action here. I'd appreciate it if you backed off, I'm trying to entice this lovely blond home with me, and you are killing the whole mood."


Ayden took a step back and put her arm around Emily. She looked at her how she'd look at Connor while flirting with him, "Darling, I think it's time we went someplace else."
Ayden leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek.

The men eyed her with curiosity, but Ayden turned on heel, and lead Emily away with a grin on her face. "I think they bought it, but lets find someplace else to go."

[Emily Shale-Vanders]

Ayden moved towards the men and whispered in their ear. Emily was curious at what was being said and whispered "Listen"
to draw upon her magic. Inside Emily laughed at what Ayden told the men. It allowed her to react with no surprise when Ayden turned around and wrapped an arm around her. Emily followed suit and wrapped an arm around Ayden and allowed a giggle to escape her lips as Ayden kissed her cheek. She turned with Ayden and left, arm still wrapped around her until they were out of sight. Inside she laughed. She had caught the shifting of the feet of the two men as they turned. Emily recognized that dance.

The two women put on they coats and headed out. Emily couldn't help but feel a little guilty about it. She hoped she hadn't ruined Ayden's fun with her fears. "Thanks Ayden. I'm sorry - I hope I didn't ruin your fun. I feel like I owe you an explanation."


As they walked, Emily explained about Bryce and how he had become violent and tried to rape her. That night was traumatic for her and only by sheer will did Emily keep the tears from her eyes. "Ever since that night, I'm afraid of men touching me. Reactions range from freezing up to screaming hysterically. You should see what I have to do before business meetings and shaking all those hands. I only think I can do it because it only lasts a few seconds. I don't know if it's because they were showing interest or my fear is getting worse, but based on how my thoughts were going, I could guarantee that had they touched me it would have drawn attention."


Emily pause for a minute. "It was that night that I figured out I could do things. Things like you can do. It's because of that that he hadn't succeeded. I kinda threw him across the room hard enough to knock him out."
The thought brought a brief smile to her face. Emily felt comfortable telling Ayden about her magic. She had remembered the feeling at the coffee shop when she had met Ayden and had assumed Ayden had felt the same tonight when she had used her magic.

[Ayden]

Ayden listened to the explanation, it hadn't been necessary, but she listened anyway. She felt bad for Emily, but the girl really needed to learn to stand up more for herself. Men were easy to handle, they either thought with their stomach or their little heads, once you got that it was easy enough to take them down a notch or two when necessary. Those guys back there hadn't meant any harm, they were looking for a good time. If Ayden hadn't been in a committed relationship things probably would have gone down a bit differently.

Ayden nodded, "It's understandable. But you now possess the ability to do much more with your power now. There is no need to fear men."
Ayden smiled, "Let the light guide you, be your strength, and I'm sure you'll come to terms with men."
She knew that it wasn't quite so easy with the almost being raped and all, but a woman needed her strength. "A gun could help too, give you the security you need."


They walked down the street, it was dark and the moon was hidden by the clouds. The two women walked but Ayden had a strange feeling they were being followed. But when she glanced back she saw nothing. Ayden embraced the power, and she saw nothing, but the feeling didn't go away.

Ayden rounded a corner and put her hand on Emily's shoulder with a nod to pause, she didn't want to say anything and frighten her, but someone was following them, it was not her just being paranoid.

A woman walked around the corner, she flashed a mouth full of fangs....