heat finds a way to rise somehow
- Eddies
- 14,485
Pink highlights followed behind her as contrails, drawing a path to their young owner. Her blonde hair barely touched the short jacket she wore, just long enough to feel its elastic hem with every breath she took. Those came fast and irregular, sucking in air as she could, there was hardly time among all the other sights and scenery to absorb. The teen, barely still, had been down this street a thousand times before, and still there was more to see.
"Because I want to try this place, what's so wrong about that?" Daiya answered, blowing air through her lips at the question. It was silly to even ask, hadn't they known each other long enough for the reason to be obvious? She blew off the next response too, anyone who followed her for this long knew what they were getting into.
She glanced back at Ada, flicking her eye up and down with a look of approval. Of course she wouldn't have let either of them leave without giving their outfits her approval. It was one thing to spend time around Watson during the day, at night was a completely different story. Everyone looked at everyone, Daiya's clothes were a statement just as much as what she drank or where she went. They could have started the night at Silkscreen, but she did that almost every night so tonight she opted for Riot.
That was an hour ago. Crowds changed in an hour, and Daiya was starting to few fewer eyes on her. Watson might have dozens of clubs but really only a handful. This one had lights and a pulse, but most importantly it had lines! This was where everyone wanted to be tonight. It might as well have been pulling her on a string, with Daiya's whole body drawn here by something far stronger than her own swirling desires tonight.
Ever the changing district, the pink-haired teen knew Watson like the back of her hand —and she'd sketched that enough to know it by heart. Ordinary eyes didn't often pick up the signs for the Tyger Claws, but hers did. She didn't even need her optics to see it, implant or no the evidence was there in plain sight. The might seem like an enigmatic gang, but their routines were all there when someone wanted to notice. By the back door, the stacks of empty produce boxes signaled the random day of pickup for the real product inside. At the door, the sequence of lights over the club entrance. And in case she missed any of those, the giant tiger emblem stitched on the back of the bouncer's jacket.
It all stood out in her vision at once, as if Daiya was only just seeing it now. She blamed the three drinks pulsing with the music through her veins, enough to keep her mind sharp and her eyes a little blurry. That's what the implants were for, and right now her artificial eyes were seeing red. Daiya blinked, and it was still there. With a gasp, she reached out for the arm closest to her, clinging to the rock of friendship to steady herself to the knowledge that she had just led them deep into Tyger Claws territory.
Daiya tried hard to avoid them, as little as it was possible in Little China. They were everywhere and not, and most days she could have passed any ganger on the street without fear. That was days. At night, at a club under their thumb, the Tyger Claws would pour her over ice and serve her right up to the hungriest of Wakako's lieutenants tonight. "Shit, when did that happen? So...maybe we don't head here tonight."
Daiya blinked again, hard. When she opened her eyes, they were lying. Or maybe they were just a moment ago. The stack was gone, the light patterns were random, and the jacket's embroidery was just an abstract design after all. The edges of her lips pulled down, nearly to the pit in her stomach that still hadn't vanished. That wasn't right, even though nothing was wrong. "Scratch that. Uhh, remind me again, who owns this club?" Daiya held a finger up to her blonde temple, cocking her thumb at it once as her eyes rolled out of her head. "Static up here tonight."
A giggle came out with that remark, and it was all she could really do at this point. Daiya clearly needed another drink, if only the line would move faster now.
"Because I want to try this place, what's so wrong about that?" Daiya answered, blowing air through her lips at the question. It was silly to even ask, hadn't they known each other long enough for the reason to be obvious? She blew off the next response too, anyone who followed her for this long knew what they were getting into.
She glanced back at Ada, flicking her eye up and down with a look of approval. Of course she wouldn't have let either of them leave without giving their outfits her approval. It was one thing to spend time around Watson during the day, at night was a completely different story. Everyone looked at everyone, Daiya's clothes were a statement just as much as what she drank or where she went. They could have started the night at Silkscreen, but she did that almost every night so tonight she opted for Riot.
That was an hour ago. Crowds changed in an hour, and Daiya was starting to few fewer eyes on her. Watson might have dozens of clubs but really only a handful. This one had lights and a pulse, but most importantly it had lines! This was where everyone wanted to be tonight. It might as well have been pulling her on a string, with Daiya's whole body drawn here by something far stronger than her own swirling desires tonight.
Ever the changing district, the pink-haired teen knew Watson like the back of her hand —and she'd sketched that enough to know it by heart. Ordinary eyes didn't often pick up the signs for the Tyger Claws, but hers did. She didn't even need her optics to see it, implant or no the evidence was there in plain sight. The might seem like an enigmatic gang, but their routines were all there when someone wanted to notice. By the back door, the stacks of empty produce boxes signaled the random day of pickup for the real product inside. At the door, the sequence of lights over the club entrance. And in case she missed any of those, the giant tiger emblem stitched on the back of the bouncer's jacket.
It all stood out in her vision at once, as if Daiya was only just seeing it now. She blamed the three drinks pulsing with the music through her veins, enough to keep her mind sharp and her eyes a little blurry. That's what the implants were for, and right now her artificial eyes were seeing red. Daiya blinked, and it was still there. With a gasp, she reached out for the arm closest to her, clinging to the rock of friendship to steady herself to the knowledge that she had just led them deep into Tyger Claws territory.
Daiya tried hard to avoid them, as little as it was possible in Little China. They were everywhere and not, and most days she could have passed any ganger on the street without fear. That was days. At night, at a club under their thumb, the Tyger Claws would pour her over ice and serve her right up to the hungriest of Wakako's lieutenants tonight. "Shit, when did that happen? So...maybe we don't head here tonight."
Daiya blinked again, hard. When she opened her eyes, they were lying. Or maybe they were just a moment ago. The stack was gone, the light patterns were random, and the jacket's embroidery was just an abstract design after all. The edges of her lips pulled down, nearly to the pit in her stomach that still hadn't vanished. That wasn't right, even though nothing was wrong. "Scratch that. Uhh, remind me again, who owns this club?" Daiya held a finger up to her blonde temple, cocking her thumb at it once as her eyes rolled out of her head. "Static up here tonight."
A giggle came out with that remark, and it was all she could really do at this point. Daiya clearly needed another drink, if only the line would move faster now.
