Yan Sun is partway through a long sip from her drink when Jessica speaks, causing her to almost choke. She stifles a cough, her cheeks rapidly reddening as she shoots her a look. "Jessica!" she complains through gritted teeth, an embarassed glance passing over the other tweo at the table before she resorts to turning her attention entirely to her drink so that she doesn't have to say anything, draining its contents rapidly.
#ClubCobalt – December 17, 2018
Rafe doesn't even seem to register the way Jessica talks to Yan Sun, well aware of the roughness around her edges. He simply snickers as Jessica grabs Yan Sun by the wrist once her drink has been emptied and drags her off towards the dance floor. There's a certain sadness in his eyes as he watches them take off, but he does his best to push it down.
Kirill gives a deep sigh at Jessica's crudeness. As they set off towards the dance floor, he looks to Rafe, giving the younger man a sympathetic pat on the back.
Rafe turns his gaze back to Kirill, drawing in a deep breath. "So? Whaddya say, old man? We hitting the dance floor?" he asks, trying to turn his mind away from all the history. From that strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. The one that develops when you see someone you have such a storied past with- someone you shared a deep connection with- but time has covered it in dust. Important moments in time reduced to little more than a
Kirill offers a kind smile and turns his gaze briefly to all of the people happily moving to the beat out on the dance floor. "There's not enough booze in this building to get me out there." he says plainly, causing both men to have a hearty chuckle.
Jessica yanks Yan Sun out of her chair so quickly that she barely has enough time to set her drink down. Gripping her by both wrists, she backs up towards the dance floor, body already swaying to the heavy tempo of the music. A big grin remains, assisted in staying up by rounds of alcohol. Her single, glassy, brown eye catches the flashing lights every now and then, fixed to Yan Sun as she pulls her with her. "You are still pissed
Yan Sun lets out an embarassed laugh as she is yanked out of her chair and dragged onto the dancefloor, knocking her (thankfully empty) glass over on the table in the process. As they gain some distance from the others she shrugs a little, avoiding Jessica's gaze for a moment before meeting it. "You know you don't have to be such an asshole all the time!" she replies, having to borderline shout to be heard as well.
Jessica settles into a spot on the dance floor amidst a sea of bodies and releases her grip on Yan Sun's wrists. Her hands come to Yan Sun's waist and she presses their foreheads together, easing with the hearing on the dancefloor. "Maybe I like being an asshole! Mmm?!" she posits through her grin, a small sway to her.
Kirill looks to the empty glass for a moment. When it begins to roll, he reaches out across the table and sets it upright.
Rafe glances about idly, people-watching as he slowly nurses his drink. The pair could not possibly look more out of place. Practically two lumberjacks in a nightclub.
Yan Sun lets out a sigh. "Yeah, I know." she says with a soft shake of her head. She too starts to move a little to the beat of the music, unable to resist it with the alcohol in her bloodstream, despite any lingering discontent. Her right hand moves up around Jessica's neck, looking her over with a tired smile of mixed emotions, her face so close its almost blurry.
Jessica frowns briefly, rolling her head against Yan Sun's. "Do not be like this, kitty cat!" she groans, her warm breath tinted with alcohol. "Is booze. Is dancing." she says, tightening her grip on Yan Sun's sides as he grin returns, "Do not be a bitch!" She pauses for a moment before sighing deeply. "I am not-... did not know that he would be with when I ask for Kirill to come!" she explains, the alcohol seemingly taking a bit
of her edge away. "I do not talk to him since I leave! I did not ever think I am going to see him again! Is not my fault!"
Yan Sun lets out a quiet snort at the request to 'not be a bitch', seeming to take some amusement from Jessica's... Jessica-ness. This is hardly the place for a conversation. Or an argument for that matter. But when Jessica speaks again she can't help but respond, spurred on by the alcohol. "B-... but why? You ditched-..." Her head turns a bit, leaving Jessica's forehead resting against stubble as an uncomfortable look crosses her face.
"Am I-... I mean, how long did-... how long were you two together...?" she asks awkwardly, as her fear that she's just the next in line shines through. The next one used. The next one that Jessica is going to disappear on without warning, met only with mockery and derision should they cross paths again.
Jessica snickers to herself. Probably not exactly a suitable reaction to Yan Sun's obvious doubts. "Months? I don't know." she says, her tone unsure as if she hasn't even put much consideration into it. There's a coldness to it. A lack of respect for Rafe's feelings. The words cause her to lift her head slightly to look past Yan Sun. To Rafe. Their eyes meet briefly causing the slightest hint of guilt to bubble up in her chest. When
she heard he was coming, she had expected a fight. An argument. Maybe had even hoped for one. Something to allow her to put the blame on him. To make him out to be the bad guy. To allow her to justify her actions. But he's just a good man that she abandoned. Simple as that. The shift in positioning leaves her with her lips loosely against the stubble on the side of Yan Sun's head, and she presses something that almost
qualifies as a kiss to her head. "You are worried that I am going to ditch you, too. Mmm, kitty cat?" she decides flatly, almost seeming to gain some amusement from the thought.
Yan Sun 's hand drops to Jessica's shoulder, and then her arm, as her disappointment over her reaction causes her to pull back just a little, a frown crossing her face. She looks off to the side, avoiding Jessica's gaze as she stops moving with the music. It's obvious that Jessica's callousness is getting to her. "I don't think I'm in the mood to dance." she says.
Jessica raises a brow, seeming unwilling to release her grip on Yan Sun quite yet. Instead, one of her hands moves to Yan Sun's cheek. Her right hand. That rough, scarred flesh on the palm of her hand grazing against Yan Sun's skin as she pulls her attention back to her eyes. One brown eye searching Yan Sun's while her flame-licked milky white eye follows ineffectually. She opens her mouth to say something, but instantly closes it,
wiping her grin away entirely with it. "You are different..." she says softly. The words don't come easy to her and are nearly drowned out by the music. As a matter of fact, she seems downright uncomfortable with saying it. A side effect of having to be sincere.
Yan Sun 's frown lingers as her attention is urged back to Jessica, studying her face in the shifting blue lights of the club. There's doubt in her eyes, brought on by the part of her mind that's yelling that she's being an idiot and that it's only a matter of time before she's burnt. It's emboldened by the alcohol and the events of the evening, but so is the part of her that sees the skittish side of Jessica, the part that struggles so
badly with this. With being close to someone. With being honest. The part that just wants to wrap her up in a hug. Her expression softens with a sigh. "Am I?"
Jessica falls silent for a moment, merely studying Yan Sun's features beneath the flashing lights of the dancefloor. Far from the place she wants to be for a heart-to-heart. But emotions, alcohol, and necessity have her backed into a corner. She gives a small nod, her movements having slowed to little more than a gentle side-to-side sway, left hand lingering at Yan Sun's waist while the palm of her right rests against her cheek. "Why
we are even here, kitty cat?" she asks, brow furrowed. She tries to get some momentum behind her words- to muster up some of that Jessica aggression- but it just doesn't come. Not in the face of what's clearly a very real concern for Yan Sun. The juxtaposition of her features under the club's lights presents just as much of a stark contrast as her inner turmoil. Soft, clear skin that gives way to ugly, burned, scarred flesh.
One brown eye filled with life. One white, hollow and empty. And her urge, desire, and natural instinct to appear strong- to show no weakness- against her desire to ease Yan Sun's worries. "Is so I can give him the stuff and we can go. Mmm?" she hums, her good eye bouncing between Yan Sun's left and right, unsure of where to focus. "Together. You think I am doing this just to-... what? Mmm? Leave you? And go where? I live my
whole life here, kitty cat. The only thing for me that will be on Earth is-..." she swallows, struggling against her own nature with each word, "...is you!"
Yan Sun 's frown fades as Jessica's struggle becomes obvious, her gaze falling for a moment before meeting hers again. As Jessica points out just how much she's leaving behind she lets out a soft, slightly embarassed chuckle, sympathy in her eyes as her hands move to Jessica's waist, and a small smile crosses her lips. Her final words cause her to lean in and press a light kiss against her lips.
Jessica seems to breathe a sigh of relief when Yan Sun leans in. She presses into the kiss, her right hand returning to Yan Sun's waist. She holds the kiss for a moment and, even when it breaks, she remains close, the pair blending against the crowd of bodies all close together. Forehead-to-forehead as she runs the tip of her nose against Yan Sun's. "You are soooo gay..." she reminds, feeling the scales may have become misaligned by
the disgusting amount of sincerity that exited her mouth. They must be rebalanced. "And stupid. Verrry stupid." she adds, an endearing tone put on her words as if the obvious insult should be taken as a compliment. Those scales aren't going to balance themselves.
Yan Sun lets out a snicker, a grin spreading across her lips as her forehead presses against Jessica's. "Yup." she agrees, bringing her hands together against Jessica's lower back as the sway a little to the music, getting bumped into a little by a surrounding dancer or two on the crowded floor.
Jessica only keeps Yan Sun out on the dance floor for a few songs. Amongst a sea of warm bodies, it doesn't take long to work up a sweat, after all. Their return to the table is met with another round of drinks. It's not hard to see that, with how hard she's putting them back, Jessica has crossed that line into 'drunk' territory. It's light 'drunk', but 'drunk' none the less. And when a song she likes starts to play, she's right back on her
Jessica rounds the table, giving Yan Sun a squeeze on the shoulder as she passes her by and heads straight over to Kirill- who seems to know exactly where this is going and doesn't seem to want any part of it. "We are dancing!" she announces.
Kirill gives a stern shake of his head. "Oh no we're not." he assures. "I wouldn't even know-..." he manages before his arm is grabbed and she's tugging at him and telling him to 'shut up and dance'. He persists in trying to refuse, "I ain't-...! This-...!" but his words are instantly overriden by Jessica as her tugging intensifies. Finally, begrudgingly, the older man releases his grip on his mug of beer and allows himself to be
pulled to his feet. This is his hell. And it's written all over his face as Jessica leads him towards the dance floor, already getting into the song with her usual enthusiasm for music.
Rafe snickers along, putting a hand on Kirill's shoulder and giving him a few gentle shoves towards the dance floor to assist Jessica. He keeps his gaze on them as they move away, big smile remaining. He's worked up a little bit of a buzz himself but, as seems to be in line with the rest of his personality, he's a much more restrained drunk than Jessica. His gaze turns briefly to Yan Sun as he realizes they've been left behind. The
Yan Sun laughs as Jessica drags a reluctant Kirill out onto the dancefloor, sipping her new drink with a grin on her face and swaying slightly to the music, both arms on the table. She continues to watch them until she notices Rafe looking her way, awkwardness seeping into her smile as she finds herself with no idea what to say to him.
Rafe can only assess his beer for so long before he takes a swig and rests it right back on the table, looking Yan Sun's way once more. "This was... fun." he says, a chuckle accompanying it to acknowledge just how strange the night has been. "Hopefully it goes without saying that I didn't come here to cause any issues for you." he adds, a hint of discomfort in his tone over bringing it up. But it's obvious he wants to make sure that much
is clear and there's no lingering worries on Yan Sun's end. "Really did just wanna-..." he sighs, glancing out towards the dance floor where Jessica is boogying and Kirill is basically standing completely still and looking about awkwardly. It brings a smile to his face, but there's a sadness to his smile that he doesn't try to disguise. "...Just wanted to say goodbye..." he finishes, returning his attention to Yan Sun.
Yan Sun offers a soft nod and a friendly, if a little awkward, smile. "I get it." she says, looking down at the drink in her hand, slowly rotating the glass for a moment as she searches for the right words. "It's-... look, I don't agree with-..." She lets out a sigh. "You seem like an okay guy, and... I feel kinda bad about the whole thing outside."
Rafe gives a half-cocked smile, tilting his head to the side in a shrug. "Don't." he says. "Really. I knew what I was in for when I hopped into that truck, believe me. That woman is about as difficult as a person can get." he continues with a snort, trying to lighten the mood a little. "But... that's the truth about most things in life worth a damn, right? Nothin' comes easy." His gaze lowers briefly, but he doesn't seem ready to let that
thought linger. "At any rate I should be the one apologizin'. I made the choice to come out here and I know it put you in an uncomfortable position. So-... so yeah. I'm sorry." he offers, just in case the situation requires an olive branch.
Yan Sun shifts a little uncomfortably, her gaze going out towards the dancefloor for a moment. She's gotten the distinct impression that there's a lot of lingering emotions on Rafe's end, but it makes her feel more bad for him than it does awkward since he's been nothing but amicable about the whole thing. She lifts a hand in a dismissive gesture at his final words, shaking her head slightly. "It's cool. I get it. Closure's... good, yeah?"
Her eyebrows furrow as her mind goes to Changying, discomfort growing in her gut and prompting her to take a long sip from her drink, leaning over the glass with the straw in her right hand.
Rafe lets out a huff of air at the notion, sucking in his lower lip and nodding, if a bit distantly. "Yeah..." he says, ignoring the nagging deep inside reminding him that he hasn't gotten the closure he came here for. "You leave open wounds for too long, and they just fester. Infect you. Sooner or later, you gotta figure out how to heal and move on." he says before bringing his drink to his lips.
Yan Sun falls into awkward silence, turning her attention to her drink as she hopes silently that Jessica and Kirill will be back soon.
Thankfully, the song soon comes to an end and with the end of the song comes the return of Jessica and Kirill, the latter clearly happy to be free of the torment of the dance floor.
Jessica wipes at the sweat at her brow as she drops heavily into her seat. "You move like an ollllld man!" she taunts through laughter.
Kirill gives a frown as he retakes his previous position. "I don't know, I thought I did alright out there..." he says, despite his version of 'dancing' pretty much boiling down to stepping back and forth from foot to foot. At least in regard to dancing to the type of music on display at Club Cobalt. He's had far less to drink than the others, strategically making sure to have just enough beer left in his mug as the rounds turn over to not
Yan Sun seems relieved as the two of them return, a snicker slipping out in response to Kirill's response and Jessica's laughter. Sitting and waiting, and working on her drink, has caused a comfortable buzz to settle in, but she still feels far too awkward to chat any more with Rafe, and she remains silent as the others return.
Jessica gives a wide shake of her head in response to Kirill. "Like an olllld maaaaan." she repeats her taunt through her wide grin.
Kirill snickers to himself, giving a shake of his head as he lifts the beer he left behind. He examines the contents before tossing back the last remaining swig. Setting the glass back down, he glances about the table to the others, gentle smile showing through his unkempt dark beard before giving a tired sigh. "Well, if it's all the same to the rest of you, I think I'm about ready to get outta here." he says.
Rafe has a chuckle at Jessica's ribbing. Kirill's call to wind the night down gets a simple nod out of him and causes him to look to the two others at the table before resting his gaze back on Kirill. "Yeah. Suppose we got some stuff to take care of in the mornin', don't we?" The thought causes him to suck on his teeth, not particularly looking forward to facing an early morning after a night of drinking. "C'mon." he continues, looking
from Jessica to Yan Sun and giving a gesture towards the door with a nod of his head. "It's cold out there. We can drop you off wherever you're stayin'." he says, an offer which gets an agreement from Kirill by way of a stern nod.
Yan Sun glances over towards Jessica to try and gauge her opinion, chiming in with a slightly uncertain "Sure...?", not exactly want to speak for Jessica given the situation but also hoping it might be a chance for a more amiable goodbye between the two of them. ...and maybe the idea of skipping the cold walk back to their room sounds like a nice bonus.
Jessica gives a slight frown at the idea of ending the night, still bouncing a bit in her seat to the next song. She goes to take a sip of her drink before realizing she has already emptied it, causing her ire to be turned towards the mug in the form of a scowl. Drawing in a deep breath she gives a reluctant: "Fine..."
Jessica makes sure to pick up a six-pack to bring with them, seemingly forgetting they live above a bar that has much better prices. Drunkeness doesn't exactly allow for the best decisionmaking. The four are seated relatively comfortably in the truck given its size. Jessica takes a position between Yan Sun and Rafe. With a healthy dose of alcohol in her veins, she doesn't seem to be bothered by what would otherwise be an awkward situation. It
also, thankfully, gives Yan Sun the window seat. Judging by the inside of the truck, Kirill spends a lot of time in it. Comfortable blankets line the seats. Pillows are stowed away behind them. Long trips are the norm, which probably isn't surprising given the sparseness of Aite. A small, digital picture frame is attached to the dashboard that displays only a single photo: Kirill, a good 10 years younger with his arm around a woman of a
similar age with long dark hair. Between them is a younger girl, no older than 15 or 16. They're all smiles. Undeniably a family photo. During the ride back to the Respite, Jessica keeps her omni-tool on her lap spewing out more music. The energy levels from the other two seems to have drained, but there's still smiles all around. Aside from Jessica's music, the others remain silent. Despite the chill in the air, it's a clear night and Litae
hangs high in the sky. A fact that draws Kirill's attention, that gentle smile of his spreading across his features as he takes it in through the windshield once he's pulled into the Respite parking lot.
Yan Sun gains a brief smile upon noticing Kirill's photo, although it fades quickly. She remains silent during the short drive to the Respite, watching out the window as she listens to Jessica's music, her left hand having a gentle grasp of her right wrist, messing idly with the frayed fabric around the hole Jessica cut for her thumb.
Kirill turns off the truck, drawing in a deep breath as he looks over across the other three. "Well... Here we are..." he says, a hint of sadness in his voice as it sinks in that this might be- no, almost certainly is- the last time he's going to see Jessica. And, as much of a pain in the side she's been- as ungrateful, hateful, angry, spiteful, and just plain mean she's been- he's going to miss her.
Rafe seems to have a similar thought, though he does his best not to let it show and gives Jessica a playful nudge in the side with his elbow.
Jessica doesn't seem ready just yet to let the night end as she reaches down to the floorboard for her six-pack with her free hand. "No, no, no!" she says with a bit of a slur. "Is too good of a night for us to not have-... have one more beer! Mmm?" she insists, gesturing towards the moon with a nod through the windshield. "We are having fun, yes?" she asks. "One more drink and then you two fucks can pass out on our floor for
Rafe looks to Kirill for a response, leaving it to him to decide whether or not they'll push the night any further. He's in charge, after all. "...Would be nice to get outta the truck for a night, Kir." he offers.
Kirill snorts, actually seeming to brighten up at the thought that Jessica isn't quite ready to go yet despite her rather crude way of getting it across. Not ready to just... wave them off like she did months back when she up and disappeared. And, as much as his better judgement tells him they should turn in for the night- they've got things to attend to the following day- he seems to relent a little when Rafe speaks up. "Jess, we
can't-..." he sighs, giving a small laugh as he leans forward to look Yan Sun's way. "...That alright with you?" he asks apologetically, as if afraid they might be imposing by this point.