The Dive

[Lyra Diantha]

Lyra shook her head just a little, “I don’t think it’s wise for any of us to go anywhere right now.” She stated to [member="Ashelia"]. Leaving here to go to some old Jedi Temple was most certainly not a good idea. When the other dancer spoke up about putting distance between them and the altercation taking place, the redhead nodded her head in agreement.

“I think you’re right,” she stated, “Come on, I need to change my outfit anyhow.” She didn’t care that she didn’t know Ashelia very well, the fact of the matter was the floor wasn’t safe right now, and the protection of the club extended to all who worked there.

That being said, Lyra headed towards the nearest backstage entrance whether the other dancer followed her or not. Once backstage, she made her way to her dressing room and started thumbing through the attire she had hanging up and waiting for her.

 

[Marius Orson]

Having his favorite dancer wander off earned quite the face from Marius, but he didn't protest much more than that. She had a job to do after all, and he knew that, and he wasn't drunk enough to keep her from it. He was getting to the point where he was ready to get a private room and pay to drag her off into it. But at the moment he was content to watch her roam around. He did like to watch her walk around after all.

By the time she had returned to him, he was most certainly ready for another drink. So when she came with a whole bottle? Marius made quite the intrigued noise and sat up, reaching for her as well as the bottle. He pulled the albino beauty into his lap without a wit of hesitation, it was allowed after all so long as he was behaving himself, and he took the bottle from her grasp with the other hand.

"Ah my sweet, you take such good care of me, always." he mused with a smirk.


[member="Yukiko Saito"]

 

[Yukiko Saito]

She was slow to move when he reeled her in for her attention had wandered to the events beginning to unfold near the bar. She watched others starting to avoid it, so she took the hint that it would be handled and the staff could resume duties without worry for now. For now. She sank into his hold and closed her eyes, though she did not lean into him. Never did she allow herself to be complacent enough to let her veil be tampered with. "Always." She assured easily enough. She smiled beneath the crystals and sighed, turning her head to once again look towards the bar. "I'm glad you're here." She admitted. She didn't have to state why for it was clear he is the source of her peace in this moment. Past events undisclosed often plagued her mind after all from times of her childhood that make nights like these triggers for skittish and often reclusive behavior. His presence meant more than just an average repeat customer.​

​

"How long will you stay?" She wondered. She couldn't bring herself to carry idle conversation yet until she knew.​

​

[member="Marius Orson"]​

 

[Marius Orson]

He was glad when she didn't fight him and instead just sat. Yes, she had done it slowly enough, but the fact of the matter was she had sat and was in his lap now. For the time being, Marius studied Yukiko, and his free hand touched along the length of her back. Nothing that would get them into trouble, nothing that would get him thrown out, just a soothing run of his hand against the exposed portion of her skin.

"I planned to keep myself holed up in here all night long or until they throw me out." he answered her without missing a beat. He lifted his hand to turn her face so that she would look at him instead of the fuss going on elsewhere. "Why do you ask, sweets?" he questioned her, more than curious, and clearly amused.


[member="Yukiko Saito"]

 

[Yukiko Saito]

To have her face turned from the brewing commotion at first startled her. She looked to him, his touch had already soothed her but touching her face had rendered up cautionary feelings all over again. She then touched her cheek where he had briefly, then gazed off to the side to avoid his questioning look. "I think you know." She pointed out. She turned her head to look towards the bar once more and then shook her head and returned her gaze to his. "The Dive is filled with wonderful entertainment tonight." She offered. Was she aware that he preferred her? Of course, but she couldn't start to idolize that preference now could she? Not on the clock at least. "You never know what you will find." ​

​

Beneath the veil she bit her lip again, then rest her fingers against his leg where exposed so she could keep balance as well as perhaps touch. Even such a simple touch she could feel solid muscle--strength. She sits in the lap of someone who does harm and she knows it. Yet with her? He's only ever seemed to be kind. Blows her mind.​

​

"Plenty to enjoy before you're...thrown out." She teased with the lightest of giggles, the kind meant to be stifled and quiet.​

​

[member="Marius Orson"]​

 

[Marius Orson]

Marius was always careful when it came to any touch to Yukiko's face. He knew not to disturb the mask she wore, and he respected that fact, always. At least when in the public eye. "Oh I know exactly what I will find," he sighed out at her when she spoke up about the entertainment in the room. "Though I have spotted two new dancers that I've never seen before." he let out. However he hadn't paid much attention to either of them other than the fact that he had never seen them before.

He let out another sigh, and he shifted in his seat just a little, mindful of her still on his lap so that he didn't unseat her. "Alright, seems as if you could use as much of a distraction as I can." he pointed out, a smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. "How about a table side dance, hm?"


[member="Yukiko Saito"]

 

[Yukiko Saito]

Truth be told she could probably drown in his touch. Always gentle, with warm hands and a soothing sensation despite whether or not his hands were rough in texture. He wasn't like the other patrons, though also gentle per regulations of the club--there's always that one special patron--that one preferred handle. He is her preference. It made the request for a table side dance easy to accept, she slid from his lap easily and swayed upon touching the floor and righting herself, palms pressed to the table edge for balance while she swayed side to side, her shoulders up near her ears as she leaned so that she could be close--maybe even nose to nose--her eyes drinking his image in at this closeness. At this closeness? She could see him clearly.​

​

"How come I never see you outside The Dive?" She finally asked. It had been a curiosity for a while now, especially since she wasn't a stranger to being met after hours by curious or testy patrons, as have each of the girls at some point most likely. "You're like a ghost or something." She teased, then lift her palms from the table so that she could lift her arms over her head and gyrate to the music now that her attention wasn't on using her words.​

​

[member="Marius Orson"]​

 

[Marius Orson]

He watched her slide from his lap, and almost instantly Marius' eyes darkened. He leaned back fully against the support of his seat, which would make her have to work for it when she leaned in towards him, but his hands did not rise to touch her this time. He asked her for a dance, and he was not going to hinder her while she did so for him.

"I do have other things to be doing, other than coming in here and making good use of my credits." He answered her with a shrug of a shoulder. "I tend to leave here and get back to work." Which wasn't always true, but in a public establishment, you could never know who was listening in on conversations, and he wasn't about to tell on himself.


[member="Yukiko Saito"]

 

[Yukiko Saito]

"Hm." She closed her eyes now, settled by his answer for the time being. For now she focused on dancing not only for his entertainment, but it meant she didn't have to return to the bar. She is after all--doing her job. She even turned so her back faced him and gyrate her hips to the beat, though her head turned so she could see him partially and meet gazes as she did so. Does she favor him? Perhaps. Perhaps more so than most. Being in a healthier environment let her develop favoritism though she tried hard to not let it show too much. Still, she kept her eyes locked on him and continued to sway, turn, and gyrate to his delight. ​

​

"So you're a ghost." She ended up teasing, smirking as she did so. ​

 

[Marius Orson]

Marius' eyes drank in her, hungrily as would be expected. He remained a good boy however, and even put his hands up behind his head to make sure he remained that way. But his eyes spoke volumes, dark and watching while Yuki continued to dance for him. How many other girls had he spent his time with here? How many of the girls did he pay to whisk off and have his own show away from the other patrons? Most of them, most likely, but Yukiko had been different.

Marius had taken a liking to her almost immediately, and he had spent his time sense seeing her building a reputation with her. Showing his favor of her without shame, and gaining her favor in return.

"No," he finally answered, lifting his gaze from those hips of hers up to her seeking gaze instead. "A Wraith."


[member="Yukiko Saito"]

 

[Yukiko Saito]

It confused her when he spoke. So final, so abrupt was his correction that as she danced she had to turn her back to him again to contemplate this privately. She swayed those hips he favored, smoothed fingers through her own hair in parts not braided so she could fluff her locks as she moved this way. She pondered--she would dwell. But then she turned to face him again and lean against the edge of the table, palms braced as her upper body leaned forward again so she could close the gap between them. "A Wraith?" She let out, and this time even as she moved though with more subtlety now, her fingers came up cautiously--to initiate touch. She had never done this in this way, not once had she dared to explore him. But she moved her fingers slowly enough to be avoided, closing in to touch the space above where his heart would be. "What's the difference?" She wondered. ​

​

Perhaps that was an elementary question, but this service had been the only education she's known for as long as she could remember. Thankfully, rehabilitation services exist, and were working to catch her up. ​

​

[member="Marius Orson"]​

 

[Marius Orson]

Wait, what was the question? Marius' focus had shifted the moment Yuki had turned herself around to face him the way she had. And when she actually reached out to touch him, to initiate contact herself? It had shattered whatever focus he had, had up until that point. So when she questioned him, he had to forcibly pry his gaze from the fingers she had rested against his chest and up to her instead. At first, he had started to utter a question that would make her repeat herself, but luckily his brain seemed to catch up.

"What's the difference?" he repeated her question, and one of his arms came up so that he could run the rough, calloused pads of his fingers against the smooth surface of the arm she had braced against him. "The level of danger one presents over the other." he answered her, then once again lift his gaze to find hers with that smirk in place.


[member="Yukiko Saito"]

 

[Yukiko Saito]

She felt like she could scream. The emotions--the sensations he riled up within her bordered too much, enough so that her voice trembled slightly with her words. "Which is worse?" She felt like she knew the answer before asking, and beneath his fingers would be goosebumps caused by their interaction that she couldn't seem to keep control of. Here she's supposed to keep reigns on their titles of patron and employee, and she could barely keep the lines from blurring. That had never been a problem before. ​

​

Her hand abruptly moved from him and whether he would take hold of her or not, she looked down as nerves overwhelmed her, her voice low so that she didn't draw any attention as she spoke. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry--I'm sorry--" She ran fingers over her braid and through unbraided hair, then looked to him. Her eyes screamed for him, yearned to learn of him in more than just her time in the club, but she couldn't seem to find the words to express it. Maybe she even feared it. ​

​

"Forgive me, please." She whispered, but there was no reversing what she allowed herself to feel. Her fingers reached out and touched the palm he used to touch her, and felt along his skin both top of the hand and beneath, then reached to pour more into his glass, so he could have a fresh drink, busy herself, and seem at work all at once to extend their interaction. ​

​

[member="Marius Orson"]​

 

[Marius Orson]

Which was worse? Was that a real question? A noise rumbled in Marius' throat and his gaze once again lift up to Yuki's face so that he could study those eyes. Though before he had a chance to say anything, to give her an answer to her inquiry, she was withdrawing. Closing up and withdrawing. When she pulled her hand back, he was quick to reach up and catch her wrist, though his grasp was firm it wasn't harsh.

"Why are you apologizing?" he questioned her. There was no need for her to be apologizing, and he was very clearly confused as to why she was doing so now. He certainly hadn't minded her touching him, or being close, or any of those things for that matter. What exactly had Marius missed from one moment to the other?


[member="Yukiko Saito"]

 

[Yukiko Saito]

He did indeed grasp her again and this time? It made her breath catch. She looked to him and felt herself dare to shut down even further--an action she is desperately trying to break. Not only did she not want to cause an issue with her employment with all of the help she has been receiving to have a new chance at life, but she valued this patron as a person. She cared. An emotional journey she had never truly traversed until this point. ​

​

This caused her to take a deep breath in and a slow sigh out. Though humble and quiet, Yukiko did not like to hide when it came to this. She took another deep breath in to steady herself, then twist her wrist gently so that her hand could better touch him in return. "My life before this was difficult." She admitted. "These things I feel...it's hard to say." She also admitted while looking off to the side. "This isn't the place." She settled on. If she had a heart to heart now? She would be a mess on her work floor and she wasn't going to let that happen. She didn't want to devalue it. At least not on the open floor.​

​

"Forgive me." She murmured. She studied him, felt that riling of emotion in her chest again and smiled beneath her mask. "Wraith." She let out, looking around to make sure there weren't any eyes on her expecting her to carry on from the table. None thus far, so she didn't leave him yet.​

​

[member="Marius Orson"]​

 

[Marius Orson]

He was quiet, contemplating these things that Yuki said to him. He knew about her past, having asked a time or two about how she had learned to dance and how she had come to be here. Never out in the open, he wasn't an idiot after all. It was always when he had, had enough of the floor spectacle and moved on instead to a private room where she could relax, he had her all to himself, and it was all VIP treatment.

Marius' fingers of his free hand drummed idly against the table next to him, and he made a thoughtful sound to go right along with the thoughtful expression on his face. "Well," he finally spoke up. "If here is not the place to speak, then perhaps it's time to move on to a less crowded room, hm?" His gaze finally returned to hers and he loft a brow up at her. His free hand then disappeared into a pocket at his side, and when it reappeared there was a credit chip between his index and middle fingers.

"What do you say?" he questioned.


[member="Yukiko Saito"]

 

[Yukiko Saito]

The moment she saw the credit offered she felt her heart in her throat. A private room with him always made her feel some type of way, an almost addictive habit she couldn't shake. She craved it even though she never admitted it. Yet as always it is her choice in the end, so she contemplated and then took the credit gently while she nodded. "Alright." She mused. She would secure the funds given and then take him by the hand, her walk as alluring as ever and every so often her head turned to make sure he was attentive as she led him, still loosely linked by fingers. She passed through guarded access and led him to the room she preferred.

[member="Marius Orson"]​