Nowhere to Run
Loud music pulsed from inside the casino floor, which must have been deafening inside the party. Outside, the music was somewhat muted, though not by much. Enough to make it possible to understand the security droid before her. Although, considering it, the girl much wished she couldn't hear it, the grating tones of the droid's mechanical voice had the same charming quality as a speeder scraping against durasteel walls. Gazing longingly past the skeletal husk before her, Daiya wondered if she would ever get in.
Apparently there was an issue with her invitation.
"Yeah, it's an alias, alright? That's me." the girl protested, pointing a light blue-colored nail at the part of the screen that identified her as an invited member of the party. or at least it identified one name of her's, a nasty byproduct of a life on the run.
It was almost pointless arguing with a droid. The only answer it would take was an admission of defeat. For such a welcoming party, the Red Ravens sure had hired the worst bouncers. The teen dropped her arms to her side, then clasped them in front of her, grabbing at the ribbon sash of her blue, floral dress. The lack of pockets was driving her mad, or was it the droid before her? Certainly neither was helping matters.
And nothing did help until Daiya felt a massive shape behind her. She could feel the shaggy Wookiee's breath against her exposed shoulders and arms, and it matted the dress' fabric against her back. In another life, she would have been terrified. Now, the girl only smiled and brought her eyes back up to what passed for the droid's face. Keeping her voice low, the girl offered, "You're going to want to let me in, now. Or I have a feeling the Wookiee behind me is going to discover all the many ways you can come apart."
It was pointless arguing with a droid, unless a Wookiee was the argument.
Daiya slipped into the crowd that moved and undulated upon the casino floor. The bodies pressed in at her, but somehow the girl still felt naked among them. The dress that bared her arms and shoulders also left no room for her standard fare of weapons. Not that any were allowed tonight in any case, but just one small holdout blaster would have relieved the girl's fluttering heart. Spinning to ensure that Tawrrowaldr, her Wookiee guardian was not following her —she spied him making his way to a flock of dancers some distance from her— Daiya made her way to the bar.
The teen seated herself at the long bar counter, tucking one foot behind another as she lifted a hand to check her hair. The normal curls had been beaten into submission, straightened with the help of a sincere amount of styling equipment, chemicals and pure luck. The blue and pink highlights seemed to have survived the ordeal mostly unscathed, if a bit more dull. The girl was especially proud of how well the dress color matched the blue in her hair and nails, as if the outfit had been dyed just to her liking before she ever stepped foot in the store. She allowed herself a small smile at the thought, finding herself instead beaming at the barmaid who had appeared before her.
For a moment, trepidation overcame the girl. She realized she had no idea what she should order, only knowing a few drinks that spacers had favored back on Antecedent. A consequence of her previous occupation on that world and the limited social circle it had forced her into. Peering back into the crowd, she spied a shorter —was that a Ryn?— girl with a flavored drink in her hand. "I'll have one of those," Daiya pointed to aid her order.
The barmaid gave her a sidelong look, hesitating for a moment, but then she vanished. Daiya breathed a small sigh of relief, and another when her drink appeared. She grabbed it and hopped off the barstool gently, avoiding any undue motion in the glass, and gave her drink a sip. The cocktail was fruity, and the girl grinned with the pleasure of the taste, but then her mouth was hit by another sensation. She couldn't quite place it, but the taste was odd, like something stuck in the back of her throat.
She took another sip to clear her mouth and moved out onto the dance floor.
Apparently there was an issue with her invitation.
"Yeah, it's an alias, alright? That's me." the girl protested, pointing a light blue-colored nail at the part of the screen that identified her as an invited member of the party. or at least it identified one name of her's, a nasty byproduct of a life on the run.
It was almost pointless arguing with a droid. The only answer it would take was an admission of defeat. For such a welcoming party, the Red Ravens sure had hired the worst bouncers. The teen dropped her arms to her side, then clasped them in front of her, grabbing at the ribbon sash of her blue, floral dress. The lack of pockets was driving her mad, or was it the droid before her? Certainly neither was helping matters.
And nothing did help until Daiya felt a massive shape behind her. She could feel the shaggy Wookiee's breath against her exposed shoulders and arms, and it matted the dress' fabric against her back. In another life, she would have been terrified. Now, the girl only smiled and brought her eyes back up to what passed for the droid's face. Keeping her voice low, the girl offered, "You're going to want to let me in, now. Or I have a feeling the Wookiee behind me is going to discover all the many ways you can come apart."
It was pointless arguing with a droid, unless a Wookiee was the argument.
Daiya slipped into the crowd that moved and undulated upon the casino floor. The bodies pressed in at her, but somehow the girl still felt naked among them. The dress that bared her arms and shoulders also left no room for her standard fare of weapons. Not that any were allowed tonight in any case, but just one small holdout blaster would have relieved the girl's fluttering heart. Spinning to ensure that Tawrrowaldr, her Wookiee guardian was not following her —she spied him making his way to a flock of dancers some distance from her— Daiya made her way to the bar.
The teen seated herself at the long bar counter, tucking one foot behind another as she lifted a hand to check her hair. The normal curls had been beaten into submission, straightened with the help of a sincere amount of styling equipment, chemicals and pure luck. The blue and pink highlights seemed to have survived the ordeal mostly unscathed, if a bit more dull. The girl was especially proud of how well the dress color matched the blue in her hair and nails, as if the outfit had been dyed just to her liking before she ever stepped foot in the store. She allowed herself a small smile at the thought, finding herself instead beaming at the barmaid who had appeared before her.
For a moment, trepidation overcame the girl. She realized she had no idea what she should order, only knowing a few drinks that spacers had favored back on Antecedent. A consequence of her previous occupation on that world and the limited social circle it had forced her into. Peering back into the crowd, she spied a shorter —was that a Ryn?— girl with a flavored drink in her hand. "I'll have one of those," Daiya pointed to aid her order.
The barmaid gave her a sidelong look, hesitating for a moment, but then she vanished. Daiya breathed a small sigh of relief, and another when her drink appeared. She grabbed it and hopped off the barstool gently, avoiding any undue motion in the glass, and gave her drink a sip. The cocktail was fruity, and the girl grinned with the pleasure of the taste, but then her mouth was hit by another sensation. She couldn't quite place it, but the taste was odd, like something stuck in the back of her throat.
She took another sip to clear her mouth and moved out onto the dance floor.