Bright Lights, Bigger City [Open Club Thread]

[Darth Empyrean]

The air hung heavy, a mixture of dance induced heat and pheromones congealed with drug aromas until all was nothing more than a painfully sweet scent to the nostrils. Joza was no different, but her scent was softer; drifting in slow wafts to the Slave’s nose in careful tides. As her hand ran across the scratches she just made, he closed his eyes, taking her presence in with every sensation he could.

A gentle touch, that iconic smell, her idly careful demeanor. Even the subtle presence she gave off in the Force seemed to drag their claws through his mind; pulling him closer and deeper to the being that she was. He was punch drunk in love with this Zeltron, and it showed in his exhilarated behavior.

He rested his lips gently on her wrist, a hand moving to catch her wrist in the same motion. Her flavor was quickly becoming his favorite, and every taste he had he only wanted more. She had become his spice, his ever pulling allure that brought him back for more like a junky without his death sticks.

He needed her.

“You gonna do anything with that hand?”, she said with a challenge in her tone.

“I can do whatever you’d like.”, he responded. In the same action, he pulled himself closer to her face. His lips met hers with a gentle caress, a soft embrace that contrasted the heat of his breath and body. His hand began moving dangerously up her thigh as he began to make his move…

And then it struck. He let out a slight yelp of pain, a hand quickly rushing to grab the dart that now stuck out of his neck. Sedatives rushed through his system, but his body wouldn’t have it… Not without a fight at least. The Slave pulled away from Joza, forcing himself to stand as he ripped the dart from his pale hide.

His knees were shaky, arms heavy. Vision blurred, and mind a mess; he went from being in total ecstasy to an adrenaline filled hesitation of a stance that failed in him in a single grueling moment. The face of Joza Perl, his would be goddess, was the last thing he saw before he fell flatly into her lap; his eyelids the last thing to struggle to stay open before closing themselves.

│ [member="Joza Perl"] │ [member="Sal Katarn"] │ [member="Irajah Ven"] │

 

[Joza Perl]

Suddenly, the heat that had swelled between them was pulled away.

Something was off from the moment the dart had hit [member="The Slave"]’s neck, a look of genuine surprise crossing her face as the pale young man staggered to his feet and yanked the dart from its mark. “Wh—“ No longer lounging, her back straightened quickly as she tentatively reached out while The Slave began to sway. Uh oh, not good. He ended up collapsing in her lap, eyes drifting close and body stilling in the moments following the attack. A pair of fingers at his neck confirmed that he was still alive, just unconscious.

Not one to raise a panic—especially in her own establishment—Joza’s gaze drifted back to [member="Sal Katarn"] looking positively displeased. At least the takedown was cleaner than last time, and she supposed she should be grateful for that.

X

A red brow lofted, but not too high given the severity of her gaze. While she would not assume to know Enyo’s story, she could piece together some of the bits the cyborg woman had told her. She was wary of her own life, of how it came to be and those who’d shaped her into what she was.

Or so Joza imagined.

The Zeltron’s gentle touch seemed to have taken her by surprise, but Enyo’s words were just as surprising to Joza. Still, it was nice to know that [member="Enyo Typhos"] did not recognize her as an immediate thread. One pink fingers tapped softly against the cold metal of the cybernetic hand. “May I ask why you’re caressing my face?”

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Joza Perl"]


"I..uh, well, you're pretty." Enyo admitted, sounding more than a little nervous. The clone flushed, which had the effect of giving her features some colour. "I want to see what she feels. I have never kissed anyone." She refused to count Vess. The HRD had been a honey trap meant to enable Archangel to manipulate her better. Enyo had bashed her skull against the hull of a starship. Part of her still felt like reprogramming the bot.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor’s eyes dropped to the empty glass as he rubbed his finger around the moist rim, the alcohol glistening the tip of his finger, listening to Bianca talk. She was a working girl. And a socialite. She was Zeltron – of course she was those things.

At her question, he didn’t seem to acknowledge her. The reality seemed to sink in; call it a mix of the noisy atmosphere, the drinks and the last few days catching up with him. Last few days? Last few weeks maybe.

Racing across the galaxy in the name of the First Order, for what? He was still here. Alone. Enforcing laws and rules as easy as breathing, and he didn’t blink in taking a life. But he was here; washed up and with nothing.

"What do I do? I’m a walking cancer." He quickly sucked the alcohol from his finger and pushed the glass away. "I infect those I’m close to, and they suffer because of it. I bring misery, pain and death. There is no cure – and all I do is exist from one day to the living with what I am."

He sat up and looked at her, fishing a couple of credit notes from his side pocket and threw them on the bar, neon blue lights shining off his hand.

"You’re a nice girl, Bianca. Beautiful. Don’t get infected – I wouldn’t want you suffering too. Go and…live.”

Connor stood, winked, and had to wait to his balance as the blood rushed from his head, swaying a little. The exit was over there…somewhere…and this place was noisy…and he didn’t know anyone anyway...no! That was [member="Samka Derith"] and she was dancing with...he looked familiar. He needed to get his face broken, not dance with one of his Ren...

It's not HIS place to say. Best to look away, not get involved...yes...no trouble making, she wouldn't want that...the exit? Yes, the exit was in that direction, over there…

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza smiled graciously at the compliment, caught a little off guard at how cute [member="Enyo Typhos"] sounded. Her nerves were apparent, but the Zeltron knew better than to call attention to them. “Really? You haven’t kissed anyone?” A note of genuine surprise leaked into her tone. “With a face like that, I’d imagine it would be easy. Ah, not that I’m trying to imply anything—it’s just that you’re a very attractive woman.” Something told her that it was likely the cyborg’s demeanor that scared off any potential cuddling partners.

“Would you like me to kiss you?” The offer was sincere, though spoken plainly as if she were offering to run a light errand. Her hand moved away from Enyo’s, drifting over towards the other woman with careful, deliberate movements. Always gentle, pink fingers traced down the side of her face as she hummed softly. Patiently.

X

Bianca sensed the sudden shift in the mood as the flirting died down almost instantly, replaced with something much darker. It was a bit difficult for her to hear [member="Connor Harrison"] over the pounding beat, but she was able to make out a few words. Cancer…infect…suffer…death?! Bianca was no oncologist, but those sounded bad. She had no idea that the man was sick, or so she pieced together from what she could hear over the club’s noisy atmosphere.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” She squeaked. “I hope you get well soon! There’s a big hospital near the city center that does treatments and stuff!” Unfortunately that sort of care was expensive, and unless you could pull some strings, people from Bianca’s neck of the woods wouldn’t have access to it. She didn’t quite understand the wink at the end, a little buzzed and trying to make sense of things.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Joza Perl"]


Enyo's brown eyes showed a mixture of nervousness and desire. When the Zeltron's gentle hand touched the deeply scarred side of her face, scorched by the hellfire that had rained down upon Korriban City, she at first recoiled as if on instinct, but then leaned into the caress.


"Yes...yes, I'd like that," she said quietly, almost in a whisper, leaning forward. "Not everything of me is metal," she added lamely. Just her limbs, spinal column and ribs. Archangel might have gone a wee bit overboard - and once another thread is finished, the only thing truly organic about Enyo will be her organs. Muhahaha.

 

[Joza Perl]

“Alright,” The drink was placed down delicately to the table in front of them as Joza uncrossed her legs to scooch closer to [member="Enyo Typhos"]. Her fingers stopped tracing along the side of her face and moved to cup her cheek, thumb stroking in gentle patterns.

A scarlet brow cocked and her lips pursed in a little amused smile at the mention of not all parts of Enyo being metal—Joza wouldn’t lie, she was at least a bit curious to discover which parts were flesh and which were prosthetics. “It’s okay. It’s just a little kiss.” The Zeltron took it slow, leaning forward slowly before pressing her lips gently against Enyo’s.

 

[Sal Katarn]

Eyes like rough hewn emerald stared back at [member="Joza Perl"]. Uncaring. Inexpressive, as if shooting strangers with darts in nightclubs was an everyday experience. Because it was.

Sal stowed the pipe and unholstered his pistol. He trained it on the limp body of the downed bounty and walked over, pulling out a pair of stun cuffs.

"Guild business," he rasped to Joza, without looking at her, as he dragged the man off her and sought to kneel on his back while handcuffing him.

No apology. No comment, really.

Katarn went about the whole task with his usual cold detachment. The only sort of job he'd ever done well.

The drifter pulled out a thin collar and sought to clip it into place around [member="The Slave"]'s neck. Little needles on the underside injected ixetal cilona, capable of suppressing a force sensitive's abilities.

Better work like it says on the box.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Joza Perl"]


Enyo unconsciously leaned into the hand, seeking the caress as the Zeltron's fingers danced across her scarred skin. She breathed in, then their lips met when Joza's pressed hers against Enyo's. For a moment, the clone was completely passive, as if uncertain how to respond. Then her cold, cybernetic hand snaked behind Joza's head to make contact with the woman's scarlet hair to pull her closer, and Enyo kissed her back.


It was a clumsy, sloppy kiss. Her technique was poor, as could be expected from someone with no real experience, beyond locking lips with a deceitful robot who obviously could not feel pleasure. However, in spite of these shortcomings, the clone was enthusiastic.

 

[Joza Perl]

A deep, heavy exhale accompanied the Zeltron’s frustration a she awkwardly leaned back while [member="Sal Katarn"] cleaned up the mess he had made. Her lips twitched with the smallest sympathetic frown for [member="The Slave"], glancing down at his motionless body as the bounty hunter collared him.

“Don’t even want to know.” She muttered back, cringing a bit as she stood and smoothed out her dress with both hands. “Just leave.” A look at the chronometer on her wrist indicated that she was a little late for her meeting with Enyo. Joza shot Sal a quick glance—mildly upset that he ruined another night for her—but didn’t have the time or the energy to try and queen him out for it. Something told her that it would have been in vain, anyway. With quick strides, the woman departed upstairs to the VIP room.

X

For her lack of experience, [member="Enyo Typhos"] made up with enthusiasm and curiosity. She did manage to work her hand into Joza’s hair and was rewarded with a short, soft moan.

It wasn’t the best kiss she’d had, but there was something endearing about it, and about Enyo herself. As they pulled away, Joza smiled carefully and brushed a stray tendril of hair from Enyo’s face, tucking it behind her ear. “How was that?” There was a coy hum curing around her words as she took the time to study the woman’s face—strikingly similar to Siobhan’s, obviously…but the way she carried herself was different. More unsure, with a more overt type of aggression.

 

[Garith Organa]

What was there left to say? Was there anything to say?
So many hearts that burned sought to drown the flames, an endless spiral of sorrow and shame.


JR had never been down that road before. Here he was though. Many years he had been missing and now he had resurfaced. The first place he went to was a night club? After the Netherland he needed a strong drink. His credits were still good he had found out. Little did he know his sisters [member="Arabella Darkhold"] and [member="Faith Organa"] could be monitoring his bank transactions. Really though it was the last thing it was on his mind as he drank the bitter sweet liquid.

 

[Kuzo]

As it turned out, [member="Sal Katarn"] didn't need her help, whatsoever. Which was just as well, because Irajah had no idea what in the maw cursed galaxy she was suposed to do in this situation. It was so far out of her comfort zone that they weren't even in the same rim any more.

So, fortunately, she'd simply stared at him in disbelief long enough that the bounty hunter got what he wanted without the petite woman's help. She watched him, [member="The Slave"] and [member="Joza Perl"], vaguely bemused.

There wasn't enough alcohol in this entire bar to make this normal.

So much for a relaxing night out.

Rubbing at her temples, she shook her head. Plucking the drugged drink and holding it with just her finger tips, she sniffed at it before wrinkling her nose. Heading back over to the bar, she was focused enough on her 'mission' that she missed the familiar faces of [member="Samka Derith"] and [member="Connor Harrison"]. Squeezing in-between people clustered at the bar, she made eye contact with the 'tender. With a grin, she handed the suspect drink off to him.

"Might want to dump that out," she said, "I think someone peed in it."

Better than letting it float around and having someone drink it unsuspectingly.

 

[Nefertari Sovint]

Oddly enough, Nefertari found herself actually having somewhat of a good time...aside from the alcohol of course,she only ordered it to blend in better. Using the force to neutralize her third drink, the Jedi in the guise of a spacer looked around; both for possible locations of her mission objective, and for where her brother had gone off to. Across the way was [member="Connor Harrison"], a man she hadn't seen in years, but something seemed different about him, something she couldn't quite place.

Another clover club cocktail was poured into Nefertari's glass as she powered down her datapad as if to silently say "Forget it, let's have some fun." finishing her drink and paying her obscenely overpriced tab, Nef hit the dance floor and started some retro moves.

Azu would find her eventually.

 

[Garith Organa]

Joy, yes that’s the word, there was so much of it around him. JR almost forgot what happiness was. It felt so strange to be so near it. It made him feel so distant even though he was standing right near people at the bar.

Then something slight different happened.


Then a young woman with Raven colored hair walked up beside him and spoke to the bar keep. “Might want to dump that out,”[SIZE=11pt] [/SIZE][member="Irajah Ven"] “I think someone peed in it.”

It was such an odd funny phrase JR chuckled. They say laughter is good for the soul. You know what; he was starting to feel a little better.

“Sir”, Garith motioned to the bar tender, “If the Lady pleases, please give her a new drink. I will be more than happy to pay for it.”

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Joza Perl"]


Enyo slowly pulled away, looking more than a little bashful. Unconsciously, her tongue briefly snaked out to lick her lips. "It was...nice," she admitted. Some of the other people in the VIP room, those not completely focused with debauchery or drinking, seemed to be focusing their attention on them.


Enyo did not like an audience and shot one of the patrons, who was staring quite intently, an icy glare of the 'if looks could kill, your head would blow up' variety. She was far, far less keen on an audience than her mirror. "People are staring. I would like to go somewhere private," she flushed slightly, realising that this probably sounded more risque than intended.

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza followed Enyo’s gaze to some of the other guests, who clearly found their little tryst more interesting than whatever else they were indulging in. Enyo’s glare was joined by the Zeltron’s arched brow and vaguely unamused expression, though she was less bothered by the staring. The spotlight didn’t bother her, never really had, but she supposed that this wasn’t the best arena for this sort of thing.

“Of course.” Hand slipping down to grip Enyo’s cold cybernetic, she rose from her chair and tilted her head in the direction of the staircase. “We can go to my office.” Conveniently, the office consisted of several rooms—one being an actual office, the rest being a modest but decent living space. “I’m curious to see what’s made of medal and what’s not.”

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Joza Perl"]


Enyo, being consideraly more modest than her mirror, did not like having an audience. Joza's hand gripped her cybernetic one, pulling her up, and the clone did not resist. She was feeling strangely...compliant. And very horny. Her eyes might have focused on the Zeltron's assets for a moment longer than was appropriate.


"Ok," a thin sort of smile graced her lips. "Hope you like the feeling of cold metal on your skin." The quip sounded lame, even to her, but in Enyo's defence she was utterly inexperienced when it came to flirting. The office beckoned and she moved to the staircase.

 

[Kuzo]

So far, Irajah wasn't really sure what to make of Zeltros- or maybe it was just Blush in particular. She wasn't particularly upset by the weird way tonight was going, just generally bemused by the whole thing. Fortunately, she was here to relax, rather than with any other particular plans in mind, so that night wasn't a bust.

Just confusing.

So it was with a little bit of a 'how will this turn out weird?' smirk that [member="Garith Darkhold JR"] was greeted. She'd just stepped onto the rail beneath the lip of the bar, boosting herself up enough that she didn't look *entirely* ridiculous standing there as the bartender gingerly took the drink from her.

"Oh that wasn't mine," she laughed. "But I wouldn't say no to a drink. Been a bit of a strange night."

 

[Garith Organa]

Watching[SIZE=11pt] [/SIZE][member="Irajah Ven"] lean over the bar it almost felt surreal. Like he was he was in a dream like state being played for a fool from some unfriendly spirit. He knew he was back though.

Not her drink? Irajah laughter… for whatever reason, he could feel it; real honest emotions and not their echoes. He was back and he no longer felt alone. The smile that shined upon his lips was most genuine. Whoever this young woman was Garith was pleased to meet her.


“I would consider it an honor, if I could”, referring to buying her a drink. “My name is Garith”, Garith reached out a hand in simple gesture to shake Irajah hand; that is if she was keen to return the gesture of goodwill that is.

 

[Connor Harrison]

As Connor looked around, watching the likes of [member="Samka Derith"] and her dance partner who didn’t add up to him, the Zeltron caught his attention again, forcing him to lean in a little at her alarmed expression.

"What? No…I’m not ill. I’m not ill or anything…I meant…do you…." He shook his head and laughed. "Too loud!"

And another figure came by, a couple of figures, but he knew one well, or so he thought. It had been a while since he saw her, and it looked like her….but was it her? Connor wobbled a little as he turned nearly 270 degrees to follow her.

"Irajah?" He probably wouldn’t be heard, but he was sure it was the good Doctor [member="Irajah Ven"] back in business.

He looked towards the Doctor, obviously on some social date or…something…and then turned to Bianca and placed a hand on her waist as he leaned in.

"Want to go outside for a few minutes??"

[member="Joza Perl"]