"
Come on, Zenie!" the teen said, pulling at her younger friend. The bleary-eyed girl lagging behind her stumbled at a near-zombie pace, resisting her older friend's urging. Daiya shook her head, rolling her eyes into the back of her skull at Zenie's tepid sense of adventure. She was bursting at the seams, the thrill bubbling up her throat and threatening to gush forth if she didn't put it to good use soon. Which it would be, once they got to where they were going.
If they ever got where they were going at this pace.
"
I don't even get what we're doing out here. I'm tired, I'm cold, I just want to go back home," Zenie protested, her bottom lip quivering impertinently. Or perhaps that was from the chill of the constant rain as the girls darted from overhang to overhang, keeping free from the pelting of liquid misery. The lights from the neon signs and holo-ads, constantly moving and changing design to draw the eye, burned through the night in spite of the weather, flooding the streets with a hazy glow that basked the pair in light but not warmth. No one bothered to heat these roads, either, so it shouldn't have surprised her that Zenie was shivering with her skinny arms wrapped around the t-shirt and skirt she wore.
With all of her belongings left back on Belazura, Daiya had offered the auburn-haired girl some of her clothes that no longer fit, which Shenn had conveniently kept in the storage bins of his safehouse they were using. A memento? A wish that she and Tawrro would return? Mere pragmatism to stock a girl's size 12? No matter the case, it had made it a simple matter to dress Zenie in something appropriate for a night such as this.
Besides, it was a pretty wicked t-shirt, and that skirt had been Daiya's favorite at Zenie's age. It wasn't really her fault that none of the jackets the tall Zenie tried on would fit.
"
It's Osk-Whatever in the morning, and there's a party!" the girl explained. She didn't understand why it needed more explanation than that, twirling around as if it would illustrate her answer better. What it did was reflect the colors of the avenue off Daiya's
shimmering, silver top, something she had picked out just for the occasion. The thick straps which bared most of her shoulders hung like a ribbon down the front of the satin garment, making the girl look as if she'd been wrapped in tinsel. She hadn't made the mistake this time of donning an actual dress, the dark pants she wore gave space to hide the blaster she'd never go without in this part of town. Not if she wanted to walk out of her own accord, anyway. "
You'll be fine once we get there. Trust me, in an hour, you won't even want to leave!"
Assuming they even made it an hour without Tawrro finding them.
Daiya knew sneaking out was probably a foolish idea, but Tawrro was being foolish to insist that she spend the time sleeping instead! Darkwire had succeeded on two different planets now, bringing those worlds under the domain of the corporate leadership on Denon, and somehow that was a good thing for the crooks and ne'er-do-wells in Darkwire. The girl didn't pretend to understand the convoluted dynamics of politics, all she knew is that Darkwire was hosting a party to celebrate and they were invited. It would just be plain rude not to show up after going through all the actual work being celebrated.
The music emanating from inside the casino floor spilled out gleefully into the streets, and gave Daiya a head start on warming up for the dance floor. Her shoulders rolled as her arms swayed, and, taking advantage of the space they'd surely lose inside the party, the girl grabbed Zenie's hands and spun her at arm's length until her younger companion laughed. The glee put a grin on her own face, and Daiya took it with her to the bouncer as they reached the front of the queue.
"
Friends of Darkwire? Yeah, sounds about right," she giggled at the stern doorman, before handing over her credentials. It felt strange to be on the inside of these gatherings now, and not just hearing about them or struggling to get in late. The bouncer gave her a barely-discernible look of skepticism before returning the ident and ushering the girls inside.
Through the doors, Daiya and Zenie entered a world of music, dancing, mingling, chatting, drinking, gambling, and more than their young eyes and minds could absorb all at once. Daiya's mirth at the scene was palpable, though the short adrenaline rush she'd inspired in Zenie seemed to have worn off. Though the dance floor called her home, the girl grabbed her friend instead and pulled her toward the bar, "
Come on, you need a pick me up. A good caf will wake you right up!"
"
But..." Zenie's soft protest was lost in the cacophony of the revelry, and she was dragged off with an unheard whimper.
"
Two Spiran Cafs," Daiya told the bartender, adjusting her voice to carry over the raucous club scene. Pretty soon she had a
pair of glass mugs in front of her, filled just below the brim with a rich, dark liquid, topped with a creamy, caramelized foam. Daiya put up her hand before the bartender walked away to tend other customers, leaning in to deliver a suggestion for the drinks, and soon the drinks were topped with a long-stemmed variety of a small muja fruit berry, its bright color completing the drink's look.
"
What is it?" her younger companion asked, staring at the warm beverage thrust into her hands. She giggled at the frothy mustache that had developed above Daiya's upper lip after taking a drink, prompting Zenie to take an experimental sip of the concoction. She looked up at Daiya with a confused expression on her face after sampling it, but raised the brim to her lips again.
"
Just drink," Daiya insisted. "
It's good, isn't it?"
"
I guess. It's kind of bad and good at the same time."
Daiya giggled at Zenie's assessment of the beverage, waiting until she was sure that its restorative effects were well on their way before explaining, "
It's Bovo Yagen Caf, Corellian Rum, cream and a muja berry on top."
"
Ohhh," Zenie remarked idly, smacking her lips as if she was growing to like it. Then her face turned sour, and she looked down at the drink in her hands, pushing it out toward Daiya, "
Wait, rum?"
"
Yeah, caf to wake you up, rum to loosen you up. You're stiff as a board, Zenie!"
The younger girl chuckled nervously, but didn't take back the drink. Daiya shrugged as she took it. After finishing off her own, she downed as much as she could of Zenie's, then put the mugs down on the bar, slamming them a little harder than she needed to. A fleeting look of guilt crossed her face, but disappeared just as quickly. She turned back to her friend, "
And now, we dance!"
Then Daiya grabbed Zenie's hand once more to get her to follow, and the two girls headed off to the dance floor.
