We're Lights That Never Go Out

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Coruscant Downtown​

Coruscant belonged to... Katrine just shrugged as she moved. She didn't care, not really. It was silly. Grandpa Seth raised Mommy on Coruscant and whenever she asked, Mommy always said she was born on Dathomir so it was super important but Coruscant was the planet she considered home for many years. And Katrine asked often, so she could pin point the exact age when Mommy's answer changed. She was eight. And when Mommy said Dathomir, Katrine was actually speechless, a feat that wasn't the least bit easy to achieve. Coruscant though was all flashy lights, people moving quickly, music coming from every bright entrance. True, there were many parts to city-planet but Katrine loved coming here ever since she'd discovered it a couple of years ago.

She stopped in front of one, her hands tugging on her jacket before he eyes wandered to the other one. "Which one? They're all so fun." Katrine spoke to herself, her sapphire gaze switching between the multiple choices. Does it even matter? You could be doing far better things, a familiar voice popped into her head then before she turned to look at her side, the older familiar face standing beside her. "No. Shut up. I want to dance." And immediately she pouted. Yes, somewhere in the back of her mind Katrine knew nobody else could see Avarisa, she was her imaginary friend after all but that was okay. Imaginary friends were important, right. But right now, so was Katrine's fun. We don't have time for this, Avarisa tried to insist. And her insisting only helped Katrine decide, making her march ahead into the club. It was a breather when she could just take off her clothes and change right in the middle of downtown Coruscant. That was out of the question though. So the alternative was here, now, music blasting as soon as she entered the dim setting, multiple lights flashing through the sky, smoke moving as the lights went. There was DJ up high, people most of the club space. Her eyes landed at the bar before she moved in the completely opposite direction. It wasn't that Katrine didn't drink but somewhere in the back of her mind was always a warning about not mixing meds with alcohol. Not that she took her meds anymore but after so long, some habits took a while to break.

Terrible music, Avarisa spoke again though she couldn't see her as she turned her head. "I don't care," Katrine just said and continued walking, even though she kept looking for her imaginary friend, making her not pay attention where she was headed and what humanoid and alien obstacles lay ahead.

[member="Johnny Diamonds"]

 

[Johnny Diamonds]

And so it was that [member="Katrine Van-Derveld"] would walk into the club as a certain song began to play. It started with drums, as horns came in distantly. A young man, of no more than 19, began to move to the music. The bass dropped and so to did he. Arms moving in elliptical ways, He was dressed in a simple dark grey suite with a white button up, untucked. Upon his head, a bowler hat sat still upon his brow, Yet, the music moved him, made him move to the beat. There was something to this song, so he thought, as arms and legs flailed out and the rhythm took hold. He kept dancing, letting the crowd that Katrine moved through grow bigger. Then, the music faded. It was slow and low, and he stood there, letting his limbs move for him. The bowler went flying, the suit jacket came off. He was simply in tune with the beat.

Yet, as the song faded, he bumped into that one crazy girl, and excused himself with a smile.

"Sorry bout that. Must have gotten carried away. Johnny Diamonds, at your service."

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

She walked through the crowd, her hands started moving to the music. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Avarisa kept talking still but the loud music kept drowning the sound. Her hips followed, only her feet focusing on moving forward. Katrine wasn't all too aware of how much she was even moving, blending into the crowd around her. She didn't necessarily appreciate her personal space being invaded by so many people she didn't know but the music somehow made them feel like they were million miles away from her, allowing her head to be at ease as she kept moving.

One song ended, quiet beats showing a hint of the next one yet to start, and someone bumped into her. That brought the purple haired girl straight into reality. She looked at him for a moment, a little unclear at what had happened until he apologized. No, not just apologized. He apologized, explained, introduced himself and finished with 'at your service'. Her eyes narrowed for a moment looking at him. People usually didn't talk that much when they bumped into someone. People not Katrine Van-Derveld, that was, didn't talk so much.

"You're forgiven. The music does that. Katrine Van-Derveld, not at your service," she responded to everything he'd said one by one. "How are you at my service?" And, of course, followed with a question since she was still unclear with how he was at her service. Or why. "Why are you at my service?" Questions were important, answers even more so. Most didn't get that about Kat when they first met her but if the answer wasn't satisfying, she'd ask again. And again. And again. So he'd learn. And soon.

Johnny Diamonds was also the first person not of her blood in this time that that got to hear her last name, Katrine realized suddenly. It was always just Katrine. Both Thurion and Salem only knew Katrine but that was before she'd gone to see Mommy so of course, she knew she couldn't just keep throwing a name like Van-Derveld around. But it was okay now. Mommy knew, Daddy knew. Hopefully Chloe would too soon enough.

By the way, "Is that your actual last name? I've never met someone by the name of Diamonds." She'd met funny names, occasionally some meant something, like Hawk. But she'd never met someone called Diamonds.

[member="Johnny Diamonds"]