Night on the Town

[Arcangel]

Coruscant
Entertainment District
Club 7


Mayv Wren strode past the line-up at the entrence to Club 7, stopping in front of the bouncer, hands on her hips as she glared at him expectantly. The bouncer, a tough looking Twi'lek eyed her up and down as he considered whether or not she fit the look of the club. Mayv had short black hair in a pixie cut with a slim face and slightly pale skin. She wore tight, black nerf-hide pants, laced up the sides revealing a tease of pale flesh, which upon second glance seemed itself to be laced with scars. A high cut black shirt with an open leather jacket showed off her muscular midriff, also covered in scars, mesmerizing whorls and arcane patterns, broken in many places by much uglier and random scars, the mementos of many battles. After his brief analyses the Twi'lek shook his head, "not here girl, try The Meltdown-" pointing down the street as he spoke, "-a block that way."


Letting out an irritated huff and rolling her eyes, Mayv leaned in, purring seductively, "Come on baby-" reaching out to stroke the Twi'lek's lekku as her tone of voice changed to one that sounded more used to making demands at the end of a blaster "-let me in." The bouncers eyes bulged, viens popping up on his forehead and lekku as Mayv invaded his mind, dominating the weak-willed Twi'lek easily. The bouncer complied to her will, shuffling to the side and letting her enter the club.


Once through the doors, Mayv's senses were assaulted. The blaring club music filled her ears and she could feel the base booming in her chest. Lights flashed and strobed in every color and visible spectrum. The club smelled of liquor, perfume, sweat, and spice. Surveying the huge dance floor, Mayv could see hundreds of beings of dozens of different species moving in time to the beat. Of course, Mayv hadnt come to Club 7 for its music, or to dance. She came because it catered to Coruscants elite, which meant it was relatively immune to the scrutiny of law enforcement, meaning it could cater a wide variety of illicit goods and services to its priveledged clientel.


Skirting the dance floor, Mayv made her way to the VIP balcony, where the music was at a tolerable level and the liquor and spice flowed freely. Strutting into the VIP area as if she owned the place, Mayv walked up to the first occupied booth she saw, grabbing a bottle of Corellian whisky off a table as she did so. Coming to a stop at the booth where a man, dressed in an expensive looking tailored suit, was chatting amiliably with a scantily clad woman. "Leave" Mayv demanded as she waved her hand, exerting her will upon the two. The two Humans stammered before standing up with vacant expressions, walking away quietly. Sitting down at the booth and putting her booted feet up on the table, Mayv lifted the bottle of liquor to her lips, closing her eyes as she took a large swig. And so began yet another attempt to forget the last fifteen or so years of her life.

@Sreeya

 

[Sreeya]

“Leave.”

Talia grimaced as she saw the man she was speaking to go blank. She had been through something like this. In fact, it had almost worked on her, as she had the overwhelming urge to rise to her feet immediately. However, she played along, glancing over at the woman that had commanded them, feigning a blank expression.

As the woman stood, if Mayv took a closer look at the scantily clad harlot speaking to the man, she would note the woman’s back and arms painted with tattoos. The woman also had short hair, her face painted with makeup that accented her high cheekbones and pronounced jawline. The woman was beautiful, exactly the sort of pretty face you’d expect to see on the arm of a smarmy rich man. She was clad in a skin tight dress on top of it, the only oddity about her being the tattoos and various scars that were barely visible where the dress didn’t cover them.

She walked away from the area, letting Mayv occupy the spot. She cursed inwardly, knowing the perfect scenario she created was busted. Talia was deep in her thought as the man babbled incredulously about what had just happened. Talia raised her eyebrows in surprise, nodding enthusiastically.

“I know, so strange. Hey, have a drink, yeah? It’ll make you feel better.”

Talia looked around as the man took the drink, checking her time and grimacing. As the man slowly collapsed into a seat and passed out, Talia rolled her eyes and knocked back her own drink. She’d handle him later, as he simply looked like a rich boy that had a bit too many. No one would dare touch him. Talia wandered back to where the irritating woman had sent them away. She walked over to sit down in the seat in front of Mayv, lighting up a cigarra and exhaling loudly.

“Isn’t there a rule book or some shit that says you can’t abuse powers like that?”

Talia offered the woman a grin, blowing smoke out of her nostrils.

@Arclight

 

[Arcangel]

Savoring the burn of the Whisky as it trickled down her throat, Mayv thought back to the couple she had stolen table from. The man had been unimpressive, some rich dolt, not worth a moment of her time. The woman however. At first glance she had seemed to be nothing more than another gold-digging harlot. But upon recollection there had seemed to be more than met the eye. The tattoo’s had seemed off for a run of the mill vamp, and the faint scars were not ones that seemed easy to come by in most professions. That and Mayv couldn’t get the image of that womans skin tight dress out of her head. Wishing she had only told the man to leave for a moment, she sighed in regret before taking another swig. Much to Mayv’s surprise, when her eyes came level with the table again, the woman who she had last seen shuffling away was sitting down in front of her with an irritated look on her face, lighting a cigarra. Maybe wishes do come true she thought to herself as the woman spoke.


“If there is I never read it, and even if I had-“interrupting herself with another swig of whisky before sliding the bottle across the table to the woman “-I’ve never been much for following rules.” Returning the woman’s smile, Mayv leaned forward, bringing her boots off of the table as she did so, her mood a little lighter for the company, or maybe it was just the liquor working its way into her system. “My name’s Mayv by the way, and it looks like-“ picking up the datapad on the table, a menu for all of the drinks and other more illegal substances the club had to offer “-your boyfriend left his tab open.” Flicking through the menu, she found the most expensively listed spice available, something called Hyperbender. Placing an order for the mystery spice, Mayv returned her attention to the woman in front of her. “So what are you doing with a snob like that guy?” Asking as she eyed the woman quizzically, looking her up and down again and exhaling loudly before continuing. “He hardly seems your type.”

@Sreeya

 

[Sreeya]

Talia smiled at the turn of events, inhaling more of the cigarra before helping herself to some of the whisky, but only after she witnessed the woman drink some of it herself. She wasn’t one to trust easily. The spiced scent of her cigarra filled the air, and it was clear it was a rare blend. Talia had always been one to go to the ends of the galaxy for a good cigarra or spice. She let the warm whisky pour down her throat, leaving a light burn as it went down. It was just as she liked it.

“Talia.”

As Mayv discovered the open tab, Talia had to chuckle. She would use that information later to wire back all the money the man had embezzled. She raised an eyebrow at Mayv’s direct question, followed by the up and down gaze. The latter she was used to often, but the question accompanying not so much.

“My type? However would you know what my type is? He’s rich and can probably fund my over the top luxurious lifestyle needs. Maybe he has a charming personality under all the sleaze. Or maybe…maybe I’m just in the mood for a plaything.”

She took another sip.

“And what were you hoping to accomplish by using magic to wave us away and sit here by yourself? Seems like a pretty sulky time.”

Talia offered her a grin, almost challenging her to get upset at the accusation. As the minutes passed, it became more and more clear that Talia wasn’t the average bimbo off the street. Her scars were more prominent up close. On her left wrist was a bracelet that had strange and odd markings on it. Her body told a story through the tattoos. Her steely blue gaze were those of a soldier that had seen one too many battles, and was nowhere close to being done.

Talia crossed one long leg over the other, the heels adding to her already imposing height. She was genuinely curious about this Force user. She had only run into a few in her lifetime, and the encounters had almost always been negative. Her journey had begun with a horrendous catastrophe involving Force users. That had been the day she had lost Ral for good, and she believed him dead since. Forcing the thoughts aside, Talia focused on the woman before her. Her appearance and style reminded her a lot of her own. Though she was clad in a tight fitting dress now, her usual go-to was leather and tank tops.

As the Hyperbender came to them, Talia eyed it suspiciously. She could smell it from here, and it burned the insides of her nostrils. She looked up at Mayv, eyebrows raised.

“This I want to see..”

@Arclight

 

[Arcangel]

Mayv raised an eyebrow as Talia went off on her, questioning her ability to know her type. Which made Mayv even more certain that there was more than meets the eye to this woman. Not that there werent clues on the surface to who Talia was beneath her facade. The faded scars on the womans body were the kind that Mayv was intimately familiar with. On her wrist was a rough wooden bracelet, completely out of place with the rest of her outfit, with two letters carved in Mando'a of all languages. And her eyes, there was an intensity to them, a look of determination of one who had seen hardships, and had many more to come.


It was a look that Mayv saw every time she looked in the mirror. A weariness in the eyes backed by unyielding steel. Soldiers eyes. And though Mayv had no tattoos, she had plenty of scars. Some were gained through battle. But the majority were decorative scarification, forced upon her by her old master who fancied himself an artist, and her his canvas.


"I could believe the plaything explanation, I know ive had my fair share." Leaning forward after a brief laugh, her tone becoming more serious. "But i think we are cut from the same cloth, and i know that loser wouldnt interest me for more than a few romps." Glancing at the bracelet again on Talia's arm, Mayve continued. "But whoever R. V. is, must be special."


Taking the whisky bottle back, Mayv took another swig. She was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol sneaking up on her. Lifting the bottle up and glancing at it, she noted that it was half empty before taking another swig and sliding it back to Talia.


"Maybe i am here to sulk. Sulk and forget, well, all of this." Motioning down at herself as she spoke, leaving it at that for the moment, though with how much she had drank already she would probably spill more if pressed.


As the Hyperbender came, her nostrils burned before the spice even made it to the table. Hearing Talia's comment, Mayv gave her a wink.


"Looks like tonight just got a lot more interesting."


Picking up the sniffing straw, Mayv examined the spice suspiciously. The glittery powder sat in small, neat little lines, beckoning to her. To hell with it, she thought as she leaned forward, taking a sniff of the potent stuff.


Almost immediately she felt her sinuses burning, as if she had been punched square in the nose. Her eyes watering, she sat back, waiting for the the spice to kick in before risking another dose. Offering the sniffer to Talia, she smiled at the beautiful woman, already feeling a bit buzzed from the liquor.

"Thats good stuff!"

@Sreeya

 

[Sreeya]

Talia's eyes widened at the mention of R.V. The woman could read Mando'a. It was always alarming to find little jabs thrown at her past. She glanced down at the bracelet, for the first time not appearing as confident anymore. She ran her thumb over the engraved letters, her jaw tightening. She took the whisky bottle when it came back to her, taking an even bigger gulp. Talia eyed the woman curiously. She hadn't asked how she knew to read Mando'a. It wasn't a common tongue galaxy wide, after all. However, if she pressed the woman for questions, she knew she'd have to share as well. Talia grinned as she looked down at the bracelet.

"For all I know, R.V. is dead. And if he isn't, then he probably has a wife and kids on a farm somewhere. Whatever he is, he's dead to me. So here's to complete tools we've come across in our lifetimes."

With that, she raised the whisky bottle again, tilting it for a toast before taking another massive swig. Talia could sense that the woman was troubled, but she wasn't about to ask questions just yet. As Mayv inhaled the spice, she could see the effects on her already. Her pupils dilated, and she had felt a strong buzz. Talia accepted the offer, leaning in to breathe in the intoxicating herbs. Talia's eyes rolled to her back of her head, and she slumped back as well. It was euphoria she hadn't felt in a while, and she saw a myriad of colors. She thought she could hear the sound of colors, and it admixed with the beats of music downstairs. The wind coming in from outside the balcony felt like a hand brushing across her face. She thought she was underwater, and then soaring through the air the next moment. Talia opened her eyes and saw the way the lights reflected off Mayv's body. There was a shimmer to the skin, a glint in the bloodshot eyes, and she could hear her draw breath from here.

"Whoooo..."

Talia couldn't help but laugh.

"This will take a whiiiiile to wear off."

She had dabbed in spices for longer than she cared to admit. Talia slowly rose to stand, walking over to gaze down at the cityscape before them. To her it was a painting, every sound of a speeder a chorus of nature. The city was a forest, and the smog embraced her almost tangibly. She could feel everything, her sensory receptors firing on max. Talia couldn't stop smiling, laughing at the sight of clouds, of speeders, of people. She was on cloud 9, completely detached from reality.

 

[Arcangel]

Mayv could see the uncertainty that overcame Talia when she commented on the bracelet, it was the first time the steely womans confidence had broken.

"Clan Wren." Mayv offered freely, giving Talia a knowing smile. It wasnt often that fellow Mandalorians ran into eachother, especially this far from their home sector. Taking the bottle from Talia after her toast, she raised it to give her own.


"Heres to forgetting about the complete tools in the galaxy for a night."


Bringing the bottle to her mouth for her own swig, Mayv had to raise it a lot higher than expected for the liquor to trickle into her mouth. Holding the bottle away from her face and squinting at it with suspicion, she was greeted by the sad sight of an empty bottle. Gazing at it for a moment longer, the liquor having taken hold of her brain, she put the bottle down and slid the datapad over to Talia.

"Pick your poison, and if it aint a bottle make sure to get two."

Mayv was watching Talia inhale the spice when it hit her. She felt her body flush with heat as euphoria rushed through her nerves. She could feel the beat of the club music rolling against her skin. She felt as if she could smell the colorful flashing lights and taste her words as she spoke.

"Youuuu have noooo ideeeea girrlll."

Mayv couldnt help but giggle at the way her voice sounded, her words slightly slurred and exagerated. Watching as Talia stood up to walk over to the balcony, Mayv gazed longingly at her as she left. The tight black dress she wore sucked her eyes in like a black hole, pleasantly contrasted by the shimmering glow of her tattooed skin. If Talia looked back she would see Mayv staring at her with a look of raw hunger o her face. After staring for a moment too long, Mayv shook her head, oblivious to whether she had been seen or not, and turned back to the spice at the table, bending forward to inhale some more of the potent stuff before standing to follow Talia.

Standing turned out to be a mistake, causing the alchohol and spice laden blood in her body to rush to her head. The room started to spin as colorful starbursts filled her vision, her body a whirlwind of tumultuous sensation that was somewhere between nausea and ecstacy. Closing her eyes and gripping the table tightly for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only a minute or so, Mayv waited for the sensation to subside while attempting not to empty the contents of her stomach. As the fire in her nerves subsided to a manageable level she opened her eyes and realized she was sweating bullets. Clumsily shaking out of her leather jacket and dropping it on her chair, she then attempted to walk to the balcony.

Reaching the balcony after a couple of minutes of what felt like walking on clouds, Mayv came to a stop next to the laughing Talia. Gripping the balcony firmly with one hand, her balance threatening to desert her entirely, Mayv's other hand brushed lightly against the soft fabric of Talia's dress, crossing the small of her back to rest on her hip. Mayv let out a small sigh at the sensation of her bare skin against the soft fabric, which felt like liquid silk, electrifying the overly sensitive nerves in her hand.

"Thish ish the shtrongest shpishe ive had in a looooooong tiiiiiime."


Mayv giggled again at her own slurred words, unable to get over how hilarious it sounded.

@Sreeya

 

[Sreeya]

Talia continued laughing as Mayv stumbled out to the balcony. The city lit up brightly across the horizon, the stars barely glinting through the thick smog of industry. Whatever she could see, she liked. A faint moon hung somewhere in the distance, wisps of clouds obstructing and revealing it in abrupt moments.

She felt the touch, first on her back and then trailing down. The touch sent electric jolts through her, coursing through her nerves and to the tips of her fingers. It made her toes curl, and she felt as if she were an instrument Mayv was gently playing to produce a kaleidoscope of music. She couldn’t understand it or process it, but it made her laugh more.

Talia turned to look at Mayv, the hair framing her face running like river. She reached out, gently twirling a strand of the soft stream around her finger. The bracelet on her wrist gently touched the side of Mayv’s face. Talia gazed only at Mayv, her laughter spiraling down to a broad grin.

“Why did you reeallly come here? What are you running from? You’re so god damned obvioussss.”

Another laugh escaped her. Talia jumped up to sit on the railing, hair slapping against her face from the wind. It gave her a rush to be on the edge, balanced on such a thin railing. She swayed back and forth, her hands gripping the edge lightly. She threw her head back to look up at the sky.

“You know, I’m supposed to have my shit together…supposed to be very official and serious business, ya know? You’re fucking up my groove, Mayv.”

More laughter. She closed her eyes, her entire reality spinning and swirling into a thick ooze. It was terrifying and fascinating all at once.

 

[Arcangel]

As Mayv’s fingers trailed down Talia’s back, the womans laughter reached a new pitch. The joyous sound echoed in her ears, drowning out the sound of music that leaked onto the moonlit balcony. As Talia turned to face her, peels of silvery laughter still leaking from her open mouth, Mayv’s eyes met hers. Shivering as a thunderclap tore through her senses, Mayv felt herself swirling down into the deep blue whirlpool of Talia’s iris’s, to drown luxuriously within them for what seemed like an eternity. Vaguely sensing the hand stroking her hair, Mayv gasped, not realizing she had been holding her breath, as the touch of Talia’s bracelet against her face pulled her back to a vague semblance of reality.


“What are you running from?”


Shuddering as the words ripped into her mind, Mayv withdrew her arms, wrapping them around her shoulders tightly as she swayed gently in the breeze. Stroking the scars on her arms as she looked up at Talia, who was perched precariously on the balcony, the bright lights of Coruscant piercing the smog behind her, lighting her up as if an angel. Biting her lip, Mayv struggled to form words, her tongue felt like a putrid slug, gagging her with the fetid taste of all the lies that had ever slipped past her lips. Mustering the will to speak, she opened her lips, her voice broken as she spoke.


“The Sith. I came here to forget the Sith.”


A shiver of terror coursed through her spine as she spoke. Her eyes darted around desperately, like a terrified animals. Spotting a service droid carrying a tray with a bottle on it, Mayv tried to focus, reaching her hand out as she did so. The force of her terror cut through the fog of spice for a moment as she willed the bottle of liquor to her. Flying across the balcony to slap into her hand, Mayv raised the bottle to her lips, drinking desperately, as if the liquors burn could cleanse her memories. Gasping as she removed the bottle from her lips, the night air rushing through her raw throat causing her to cough violently for a moment.


“Im good at ******* things up, it’s a talent of mine.”

Smiling wryly at her words, Mayv stumbled forward, bending forward to lay her head on the balcony edge, arms spread across the balcony, bottle of liquor hanging loosely in her hands. Glancing up at Talia, Mayv couldnt help but admire and be jealous of the woman who seemed to be having the time of her life. Reaching her hand out to lightly trace the memerizing tattoos on Talia's forearm, lightning zaps of sensation travelling from her fingers to her toes, Mayv closed her eyes, trying to shake the moment of weakness she had just had and embrace the moment.

"What is serious business like you doing in a place like this?"

Mayv mumbled as she continued to lightly brush the other womans forearm with the tip of her fingers, her head lolling over the side of the balcony.

@Sreeya