Private In the Headlights

[Acaadi]

Zeltros City

Acaadi slowed to a stop and turned around on the spot as if he was in a holoflick. A flew flecks of rain on the breeze couldn't dampen his spirits. He had never seen such a bustling city club district. In this city a quiet suburb was as lively as the loudest parts of town back home.

Slowly he lowered his gaze back to Kyra. He owed her some of his attention. In the last few months he hadn't been given the time to be a good friend, especially after his eighteenth birthday present.

He had been spending a lot of time on one of the Ranger's space stations learning to fly his Twintail starfighter. As they joined the more senior padawans within the Order they were handed more responsibilities.

This time they both got stationed in the same place, the same corridor of the same hotel in fact. Some conference or other that needed Jedi protection. The conference was done, their responsibilities were over, the robes were hidden in cupboards and the pre-drinks were already down.

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra grinned up at Acaadi, his energy infectious.

It had been a few months since the girl had given him a real smile. A few months since her chatter had been filled with genuine engagement and not a hollow attempt at normalcy.

A few months of preparing for war.

And yet it only took a day back on Zeltros to cure her of her melancholy. It wasn't just being back inside the comfortable pheromone cloud of her people that had her loosing up. It was the vibrant lights, familiar tongues, and that easygoing laughter that fell so smoothly into conversations... it all left Kyra feeling a little more ... like herself.

It was strange to think she might have lost herself a piece of herself to her training on Silver Rest, but as she stood in the epicenter of Zetros...


She took Acaadi's hand and let the last piece of herself free.

Her pheromones drifted unhindered through the air, faint and weak compared to those that pushed past them, but contributing none the less to world around them. She belonged here.

"Come on," she chirped, a neon light reflecting vibrantly against the white teeth she flashed him. "I know just the place."

 

[Acaadi]

"Good!" he said firmly with a soft latter of laughter. The sound was swallowed up by the general hubbub of a busy street. He glanced up at the lines of airspeeders overhead. The place was so busy that it was almost all taxis. Back on Kashyyk it was so quiet that he even felt confident enough to let Kyra drive the airspeeders that she had bought him...

"There are so many places open I'd get lost in the lights.

"Colorful drinks!" he declared suddenly as they crossed the road. His tone was already that of someone who had put away a few drinks. "We should get colorful drinks."

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra laughed, endlessly amused to see Acaadi in such a state. No doubt the planet and the drinks had sunk deeply into his head. Seeing him blithe and carefree was a nice change. She had no intention of disrupting it. For either of them.

"Yes. Drinks! To celebrate a successful mission," she exclaimed, her voice mocking master Yuroic's. She laughed again, tug-tug-tugging him through the crowds and around the vibrate corner of a market place square.

"My mother has a place- just here," she informed him. Eyyyy, at least she told him this time. The entrance to the club was roped off with velvet. A line was managed a bouncer, though why one might even been needed in such a fun loving place, Kyra never questioned.

She pulled them to the front, flashing a smile.

And an ID.

The bouncer gave her a knowing tip of his head,

"My mother in?" She practically cooed.

He uttered a question in zeltron through the mic at his ear, then shook his head in response.

"Good!" And before Acaadi could utter another word to her, she took his hand and pulled him in. The thrumming of music consumed them, though unlike Bespin, there was something much slower and more hypnotic about this establishment. Couches filled the space around the dance floor-- areas of condensed socialization filled with pockets of smoke and chattering bodies.

They were greeted at once by a pretty little thing in a black get up. "Mistress," came the polite greeting. "This way."

 

[Acaadi]

Acaadi remained tethered to Kyra's hand as she led him along, following the girl who had come to meet them. Of course her mother had a club here. She practically owned Zeltros in some regards. The spiral stairs, made of clear glass, took them up and away from the main floor.

Acaadi let it all wash over him. The music reverberated through him, not the frenetic beat of the club they had visited on Bespin. A light, sweet scent of death sticks, beer and spirits, all across the undercurrent of a strong hit of zeltron pheromones. He had become accustomed to Kyra and recognising them, but this was a heady hit. A packed, convulsing crowd of zeltrons many sharing their hedonistic intentions.

The red lighting of the next floor made very clear it was a VIP area. Two heavy gamorrean enforcers had been squeezed into black suits and guarded the rope. They were waved straight past the queue in front of it. Up here the bar was well attended by a full team of attractive staff, most wearing translucent layers of clothing. There were no queues, a small dance floor and plenty of seating and plush chaise lounges to relax.

"Damn, I've never been allowed on the VIP floor of anything," he laughed. "And yay: colorful drinks!" he laughed, pointing to what was being served to a couple at the bar right now.