A Fairy's Tale (Eustass Kid X OC) (ORIGINAL)

Chapter Seventeen: Clubs Aren't For "Kids"

They arrived at around nine at night. Loklynn could tell exactly what sort of place it was before she even walked in the door; the building practically shook with the constant boom of a thrumming bass overlaid by a firey electronic melody. As they approached, Loklynn could make out raucous cheers from what sounded like a pretty big crowd inside.

Killer opened the door for them and motioned them inside. Though she thanked him politely, she couldn't stop herself from cringing at her surroundings as she passed over the threshold.

... A club. She'd heard of them, but she'd never been into one before. She remembered Shanks telling her that it wasn't really their 'scene.' Now that she was here, all she wanted to do was leave.

Her nose crinkled in reflexive disgust as she was accosted by a noxious miasma of miscellaneous vapors. That tangled wave of Incense, nicotine, marijuana, liquid nitrogen, and God knew what else set her perfectly healthy lungs on fire, stealing away her precious fresh air and setting her eyes and throat to burning. The stench of sweat and alcohol only added to the putrid aura. She could taste the air, could almost feel the smoke clinging to her clothes and hair... how horrid.

Due to the blinding stage lights and excessive lasers and strobes adorning the ceiling, it was somehow both too dark to see and bright enough for sunglasses. The visual incongruity was dizzying, hindering her balance and making it difficult to find her bearings. All this together with the tantric thrum of that bass that just wouldn't stop damnit...!

Loklynn was overwhelmed. She wanted to turn around, take out her wings, and go. She wanted to escape into the sky and breathe. What use was having all of her senses if she couldn't even use them effectively? Her Observation Haki was more of a hindrance at this point with all of the chaotic energies she was being bombarded with.

She didn't know how long she'd stood there before she felt a large hand settle gently on her upper back. She squinted up to find Killer's mask tilted down at her. Heat and Wire were gone, probably already sitting with Kid and Mohican.

"Hey. You alright?" He asked, having to lean down and raise his voice to be heard. Loklynn shook herself and nodded stiffly.

"I'm fine. This just..." she glanced around the room and found herself seconding Shanks' opinion years after the fact: "...isn't my scene."

His shoulders shook a little in a silent laugh as he straightened. "I can tell. You want me to take you to the ship?"

"Wouldn't you have to stay with me?" Loklynn asked. She sighed when he paused. "I thought so. No, I won't trouble you, let's just go sit for now. I can handle it for awhile."

"...If you say so."

He led her through the club with a hand on the small of her back as she endeavored to process her chaotic surroundings. There were strange circular platforms scattered around the venue. They resembled small stages, and each one had a metal pole in the middle stretching from the floor to the ceiling. She watched with passive interest as a scantily clad dancer performed an impressive aerial stunt, swinging herself gracefully around her pole as she slid from the ceiling to the floor. Unfortunately, the song ended so she didn't catch more than a glimpse. what an interesting dance, though... She'd never seen anything like it!

Killer walked her over to a circular booth right up next to the tallest of the platforms. Wire, gloomy as ever even amidst the mischief and revelry of the club, loomed against a nearby wall, while Heat had perched himself on the back of the booth, feet on the cushions. Mohican was already drunk, slouched comfortably a few feet to the right of where a woman currently hung off of Kid's metallic shoulder.