Open Social Beautiful, Finite

[Yvon]

The woman made a face before saying a simple 'thank you' to Yvon's words. The meaning of the expression was lost on the slicer however and they didn't put much though into it as the conversation moved along.

Dancing was out of the question with her choice in footwear. Yvon felt a little bit of tension that they had been holding in their chest release, the impulsive question directly contrary to the intense discomfort they felt about being on the floor. Dancing, sweating, touching. A quick sweep of the floor with their eyes revealed two women kissing out there. A shiver ran down their spine, disgust at the thought of mixing saliva with someone. Disgust mixed with jealousy.

"A drink... I shouldn't... But yes, I'll have another." They said while putting a slight, friendly smile on their face as they wondered where all these feelings were coming from. Probably the alcohol.

"My name?" This prompted a glance around the bar, eyes settling for a flicker of a second on the camera nearby. "I was working when I walked through the door, so you can call me Envy. Or Vy for short." Yvon said, giving the current monicker they were working under.

"Information security and data acquisition." They said while pulling a small black card from their bag and holding it forth between two fingers for the woman to take. The black card glittered green in the light, holographic letters that spelled out, Envy, and a contact number, both of which shifted in and out of view depending on the angle of the light.

"And what can I call you?" Yvon, or Envy, asked as their fresh drinks arrived and a fresh wave of intoxication surged through the slicer's mind.

@Phoenix

 

[Khalid Din]

Khalid was simply enjoying himself, he did not care much about the conversation about heels, but he had to admit the exchange between the two of them was kind of adorable: Two awkward people trying to go socialize at a party for the first time in a long time, if ever. However, it was not quite as endearing as the spectacle that was Lissa, watching her down the drink in one go just to see the red forming around her eyes.

Khalid let out a chuckle after she grabbed some ice and put her in her mouth, was it her first time drinking alcohol or did she just want to impress the Tiefling by downing it in one go "Shit, ya'all are just adorable" He would say out loud, his eyes wandering over to Edin, who looked far more experienced in comparison and had just asked him for a dance "Sure, why not! Been a while fer me as well" Khalid responded, giving him a certain look as he commented on his tail "Yeah, I bet you do." He added, fanged grin showing once more.

Before leaving with Edin, however, the Tiefling cowboy would lean in to whisper in Lissa's ear, his tail going over one of her shoulders as if it was a hand "Try ta keep up, ice girl, it'd be a shame ta see ya on yer lonesome again" He said before getting up from their seat, Lissa would, however, feel a small caress from Khalid's tail as it came with him, pressing slightly around that side of the neck as it retracted, the Tiefling giving her a wink and a smile before going with Edin.

As they reached the dance floor, Khalid would look back towards Edin "So, had enough about heels, didn't ya? Can't say I blame ya." Khalid said as he started dancing, he was not dancing quite as close to Edin as some other people were, but given how they had just started dancing together, he was certainly starting off stronger than most "Name's Khalid, but ya can call me Khal or...Well, whatever ya like, really."

@Sreeya @Panda Hermit 98 @Phoenix @Arcangel

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tia found herself emptying her drink faster than she expected, there was no hurry to be anywhere or do anything else but it sure helped to take off any edge she was feeling. Her gaze moved from one end of the bar to the other, settling for a moment on a pair, one of which looked strikingly like Arla (@Phoenix), the other white haired individual (@Arcangel) she did not recognize. It didn't matter, she wasn't really in a mood to pry or catch up as she moved her attention back to the dance floor as the music changed to a slower, darker beat.

There was a shift in the crowd, beings returning to the bar for refreshments until the music sped up again. Her elbows being bumped meant for her to move, downing the rest of her drink, the alcohol hitting fast for the lightweight consumer. She could feel the eyes on her as she moved against the crowd, whispers of either jealously or awe as the redhead found her way to the dance floor.

It was hard for the woman to fight against the beats of the music, she lost every time as she moved with the waves of the crowd, the sounds, and touch from those around her. Her fingers entangled in her hair, she felt someone come from behind, wrapping an arm around her waist until she turn out of their grasp, a coy, but warning smile crossed her face as she returned to where she wanted to be, in the crowd, invisible, camouflaged among the others who were compelled to a state of ecstasy.

 

[Arla]

Arla was suddenly very intrigued by this "Envy" person. Because if this was business that required an alias then it might be something that they could help Arla with as well.

Interesting, she said, taking the card and looking down at it, tilting it in her hand to look at the way the light played off the holo display.

She stashed the card in her purse and then tried to decide if she should give her own real name. It probably wouldn't matter in the end. It wasn't like Arla was galaxy famous like her parents, after all. She was all but unknown and maybe things were better that way.

Arla, she finally said. You know, I may have to discuss a job with you, she said before looking back up and noticing that the slicer looked like they were about to fall over. Her head tilted slightly to the side.

Maybe later, though. Tonight's for pleasure and tomorrow's for credits, she said, recalling what they had discussed earlier.

So how did you get involved in tech security? she asked. This was what people did right? They made "small talk" though in this case, the "small talk" had the added benefit of telling Arla a bit more about the person she may be looking to work with.

@Arcangel

 

[Yvon]

Yvon sucked at the straw of their drink as the woman examined the business card they had given her. The drink was fruity, but still held a pungent alcoholic taste. Yvon was beginning to wonder when all the booze they had been drinking would kick in.

"Arlaaa." They repeated the name back to Arla, dragging it out. "Arlalalaaaa." Yvon said again before giggling behind the rim of their glass. They gave an eager nod as Arla brought up discussing a job. Finally, to business.

Or not.

Yvon frowned a bit as Arla put the business talk off, but the frown didn't last long as the room started to tilt onto it's side. The Echani slicer's reflexes were good, honed through years of martial training, so as they began to sway one way they stuck an arm out, counterbalancing themselves for a moment as they wondered who turned the room sideways.

"Wellll alright. Pleasures for tonight and creds tomorrow!" They slurred excitedly before taking another sip. Was their mind playing tricks on them, or was the drink tasting better by the minute. A wider than usual grin spread on their face as Arla asked them Yvon about their background in tech security.

"Oh! Wellll I started learn to code n' slice since before I can rememember." They giggled before continuing. "Securi-security is chil's play now, prolly cuz I learned how to firewall n' scramble n' codes n' stuff when I was just about this high." They held their hand out at an approximate height that kept shifting with the rest of the room. "Data acquitati- acquistatio-asticquat... Stealin' data is'th'real fuuuun. Think I sliced my firs' gov'ment server when I was uhhh... like thirteen or fourteen." Yvon stumbled through an explanation, blinking in a steady rhythm as they tried to clear the blur from their eyes. They were... pretty sure they were making sense.

"What 'bout you?" Yvon waved a hand towards Arla, stepping forwards slightly as they lost sense of the space between them. "What'dyou do?" They reached out with their pointer finger, booping Arla on the nose briefly as they asked before withdrawing the finger and staring at it in horror. Had they just... touched another person??? There was a slight sense of nausea as the image of nose germs crawling all over their finger wriggled its way through Yvon's brain before being quickly forgotten.

@Phoenix

 

[Jayna Thorne]

Jayna rolled her eyes dramatically when Leon questioned who could possibly cancel on their date. The Heiress was silently grateful that she had her face towards the bar when the message came in - most likely masking the disappointment that vividly flashed across her typically inexpressive features. She would sooner keel over than admit how much she enjoyed being around the Padawan.

Of course, there was no preventing the hint of a smile when Leon accepted her hand - gravitating towards the dancefloor. With two fathers that thoroughly enjoyed dancing with one another, Jayna had been practicing since she could walk - her hips and shoulders already beginning to sway languidly to the beat. Her steps were light and graceful - her head bobbing in rhythm with his own.

Jayna brought her own hand up when Leon pulled her close - letting it rest against the back of his neck. She felt the hand that pressed against her lower back, sending goosebumps across the Heiress’ skin and causing the smile she wore to grow wider still. “I’ll try to keep up,” She said as barely a whisper - twirling beneath his arm gracefully. Each movement caused her dark hair to whip around in a blur of movement, though her silvery gaze came back to lock with his own every time.

Her fingers dragged across the back of his neck until she reached the center of his spine - holding him firmly to keep their bodies close throughout the dance. She paid little attention to her surroundings or anyone else watching them, failing to notice her Auntie Tia making an entrance to the nightclub.

@Zay

 

[Arla]

Arla downed another drink and though she was one or two behind Envy, she could feel it starting to get to her head as well. And that wasn't so bad. She felt... lighter and more free, like she didn't have so many things that constantly needed to bounce around inside her head.

On the other hand, Envy appeared as if they were now quite intoxicated as words started slurring together and there was a bit more up-frontness about their business. Slicing government systems and stealing information. Useful skills and ones that Arla might someday be able to use. She was starting to wonder if perhaps the job she had for Envy was below their paygrade. Well, the worst thing that could happen was a "no" and the best was an established partnership for the future.

She recoiled her neck slightly as the finger booped against her nose, having absolutely no idea how to respond to that.

After blank-screening for a few more moments in her slightly alcohol-addled brain she finally decided to pretend it hadn't happened and answer the question asked of her.

Bounty hunting, she said. It was at least partly true. Arla was a free-spirit with many different interests, but assassination and bounty hunting were skills she kept up on and they were currently paying her way through the galaxy.

She threw back another shot. It's always exciting, she said.

@Arcangel

 

[Yvon]

There was a moment of shared blue-screening as Yvon stared at their finger, eyes and mouth widening by the moment before Arla's voice shook them out of the horror they were experiencing. Shaking the hand slightly as if the motion would somehow shake any bacteria off, they turned their attention back to the woman while frantically grabbing a small bottle of sanitizer out of their hip pouch.

"B-boun'y hunting?" They repeated as they scrubbed the finger vigorously with the anti-bacterial gel. There was a brief moment of processing as they blinked and tried to make sense of the words. "Cer'ainly not a borin' job." They nodded as they inspected the freshly cleaned finger, satisfied. "I pref- prefer slicin' thoough. Prefer not'a get my hands dirty..." Yvon thought about that in relation to the compulsive actions they had just taken before laughing a little too loud. "Figativ-figuratively an' literal." Still stumbling over their words as they spoke and looked around for another drink.

"Are you a uhh, bring 'em in warm or cold kinda gal?" Yvon asked as they tried to flag down the bartender, waving at him and trying to get his attention with little luck. If they knew any better they would think the man was ignoring them.

@Phoenix

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon let himself get lost in her presence. She was the only one here far as he was concerned. As he pulled her close he half expected her to push him off, but instead… His mischievous little smirk settled on his lips as he refused to look away from her moonlight eyes. Her smile melted him, but he had to play it cool, couldn’t let her know she already had him, no fun in an easy mark, right?”

His smirk spread into a smile as he watched her spin. Their eyes meeting each time she came around. Leon could read the next move coming and was already shifting to bring them as close as possible meeting her rhythm as they moved. The tell-tale sign of a good dancer wasn’t the ability to lead, it was the ability to be in the moment, to be alive and in unison with your partner and the music.

Jayna’s hand slid up his jacket to his spine skin on skin. Point one, Miss Thorne. Baudelaire wasn’t one to be out done, especially on the dance floor. The hand on her lower back pulled her into him as he rocked back and forth, before effortlessly transitioning her into a dip, and bringing her back up. Their faces inches away, lips close enough to kiss, breath hot, “We’ll see,” he replied in a voice so quiet you’d need super hearing to pick up.

Leon wasn’t sure why he could do this. It wasn’t something he secretly practiced, it wasn’t a skill he’d honed, it was just purely force given. To be honest, on any given day, Leon would have traded his special ability for something more suited for survival. Especially, given the level of danger he and the rest of the scrub squad regularly found themselves in, but right now as he felt Jayna pressed against him he decided his secret power might be more useful than he’d originally expected.

With a pop of his hip he bounced Jayna up and spun her around, he stepped up behind her and gingerly ran his left and up her arm, while his right wrapped around her waist. His hips swayed to the music as his left hand intertwined with hers. His head rested on her shoulder and he savored the smell of her perfume before lifting her arm and stepping under bringing them back face to face.

Thank the force I hit that growth spurt, he thought as he reveled in her eyes. His gaze slipped to her lips and he found himself suddenly fighting an intense urge to lean in, but that was the fun of it wasn’t it. Not just yet, he thought, his smile widening.

In a voice barely louder than a whisper, he said, “I’m glad you hit me up, what the hell took you so long?”

She’d hear the humor in his words. He was pretty aware how crazy things had been for the Throne’s recently, but it was fun to tease the Heir— A shock of red hair stole his attention, NOT NOW A.D.D, then his eyes went wide as realization dumped over him like a cold shower.

Without missing a beat he switched sides with Jayna putting her back to her aunt and said, “I’m not shitting you, your Auntie Tia is over your shoulder, what's the move?”

Leon immediately started mapping a plan of egress. He’d been on the wrong end of Tia’s anger for a second and wasn’t interested in incurring her full wrath.

@Altaris @GABA

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

The Zabrak’s insistence that he slow down, moderate himself, and take the drinking a little easier were all suggestions that were probably a lot healthier than what Laeo was doing.

“Eh.” Laeonas answered, and that was the only response the Zabrak would get out of him if he brought it up again. “Just cause I can keep a quicker pace don’t mean Ai’m movin’ too quick, ayy?” Laeo answered, not even realizing that his accent had thickened quicker than he could get the words out. He might’ve felt a little embarrassed if the Zabrak’s accent wasn’t as incomprehensible as he imagined his was to most people.

When his unexpected drinking buddy was finished choking on Laeo’s drink, Laeo managed to stifle his laughter. “I’d call you a lightweight, but I’m just glad you didn’t drop dead!” He teased, grinning as he leaned forward in his seat. When the Zabrak brought up that he might as well enjoy “the ride,” Laeo cocked an eyebrow and grinned. “Trust me, the ride hasn’t even started yet.” He declared playfully. He thought about winking, but that was a little to on the nose for his taste.

He was a little surprised when the Zabrak offered a trip out on the dance floor so quickly, but he wasn’t going to turn him down. “Well, my legs are a little sore, and I kinda got a headache, and there was this other guy I was meeting up with,” he teased, stepping off his seat and walking over with an outstretched arm. “I guess I can make an exception though.”

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Lissa Blackhand]

Lissa took a moment, the ice almost seeming to turn to steam in her mouth, or maybe that was just her imagining things. It wasn't even the regular alcohol burn, she was fine with that, it was the extra burn piled on top that lingered on far longer and infected every pore of her mouth - felt like a Death Star reactor at Endor. This had the unintended effect of making her look extremely pouty as she turned to the Tiefling hearing him comment.
"You! You...I am not adorable, I am a mysterious hard-drinking badass!" She exclaimed, holding a finger up at his face. A moment of pause caused said finger to plant itself back at the bar. "Whiskey-drinking badass, not that, that was karking spicy." She never meant any of it maliciously, she was just having some fun, and hey! Who didn't wanna act a lil bit like a pouty child every so often.

The Tiefling's next act made her feel like anything but a child though. She froze up a little feeling the tail wrap around her shoulder, it's warm embrace sending a chill down her spine as it caressed her neck. Many thoughts entered her mind, none of them wholesome, all of them dirty, and she couldn't help but giggle softly to herself before turning to the dance floor and following them - the drink was hitting her, it seemed. He was dancing with someone else but he had extended an invitation so she didn't see a problem with getting close to them, starting to dance in a way that could best be described as 'no bones, all fluid'.

@Xorism @Sreeya

 

[Lux Avery]

The moment that Neri offered Lux to give into any apprehension she might have came and went in the blink of an eye. Lux was a woman who knew what she wanted nearly always. And what she wanted right now more than anything was exactly what happened next.

She felt Neri's lips touch hers and a shiver of electricity snaked its way up Lux's spine. Her hand found the nape of Neri's neck, caressing it lightly before Lux's fingers raked gently through the woman's hair. She tried to resist the urge to tighten her grip and tug it, a sensuous smirk curling the corners of her lips.

As Neri pulled away, Lux would lightly bite at the woman's bottom lip. The look in Neri's eyes was one Lux had seen and given enough times in her life that she knew exactly what was being said despite the silence between them.

Leaning in, Lux would run her finger tips slowly along Neri's thigh before whispering into her ear.

I'd love to see you try, Lux said coyly, her gaze meeting Neri's, unblinking and wanting. Do you want to come with me and get another drink, or should we find somewhere quiet to see just how much you can handle?,

Lux let her question hang, closing her eyes as she swayed and moved with the beat of the music.

@lizziie