Fear and Loathing in 2485.
The walk back to the proper hotel lead Veeto and Cael straight down Silversun. The artificial morning to them was blinding, however standard citadel time displayed as 1400, the good citizens now winding down after a busy work day. Thoughts of leisure and freedom now too great to be ignored for the remaining hours of suffocation. When the shift ends the rush of endorphins begin, those first few sips of air when walking out would intoxicate them with thoughts of play. Maybe with enough cheap booze and azure one could be lucky enough to forget that it would begin again the next day.
On some distant habitation block sitting on the end of an arm, a stranger would wake up. Not that they would be strange in any sense of the word, in fact, their lifestyle may be in fact quite comparable to yours. The eye's would open revealing whatever dreams dreamt to be false, illusions of some fantasy unobtainable. Leaving the comfort of bedding with contempt and beginning whatever morning routine that tries, maybe succeeds, in lifting spirit. But while they pour their coffee and toast their bread a thought would interrupt the mind's process. The thought that maybe today, something good will happen. Unexpected love on the commute to work, a credit chit rolls down the walkway with more than today's pay, the office burns down along with every superior with it. With every grand expectation of adventure falling into their arms, nobody seems to remember the resilience of the day to day. Those freak accidents or lottery winnings are just that, freak. Nothing says it's your turn in the que for a lucky day. So when that person happens be slowed down by two junkies stumbling down the path they have been walking to work for years another thought goes through their head. Get a fucking job streetscum. While huffing and eventually shouldering past in a hurry to another eight hours.
That was the appeal of the drugs Vitto and Cael enjoy. No working class citizen would ever understand how right and true the world could feel, while also understanding how deep the rabbit hole goes. For them the choice between swimming in calm waters or surfing massive waves was obvious. Choose danger, risk, adventure, while throwing all sense of fear of the unknown aside.
Playing a game we couldn't possibly win, till the end. i.
Red Cliff was a second tier dining establishment for most biologies on the third level of the Ciara markets. It's medium to high end price point suckered many patrons into a false belief of elegance or class, black and silver uniforms, and the somewhat impressive fake dark red leather seats almost made it believable. The only thing holding them back from competing in the big leagues was the non-existent waiting list. Or the food, Veeto thought.
Cael was sitting next to Veeto on the right, his bathrobe now replaced with a crisp white one when stopped off at their real hotel. When questioned about clothing by the waiter he replied in silence while Veeto calmly explained that the table in question was reserved by very important people that wouldn't like it if their were any problems with their guests. One quick call later and the very waiter denying access quickly lead them to the table.
"Would you two like anything to drink while you wait?" She had said.
"I'm thinking a couple hanging stars to start and then bring out some of that salarian dish, the one with all the miniature eggs, you know. After that just a fresh blue angel every six minutes till you run out of mix."
She looked back up from his notes to Veeto with a look of slight bewilderment.
"Oh, please." Seemingly satisfied enough to end that conversation she turned to Cael.
"And you sir?"
Cael returns a cold hard stare that makes the waitor visibly nervous, a common occurrence and quite necessary in the progression of getting to know him.
"Ryncol." The word rolled out of his mouth, spilling out like gravel. His eye's locked in a predatory fashion to the poor employee, the moment stood much longer then it should have before he smiled awkwardly then turned.
Ah shit were going to need her.
"Hey" only a small whisper as I grab her sleeve. "Just a game of chicken eh? Don't forget those blue angels." She stares back at me like I'm the opposite of civility or something before leaving.
"Cael if you scare off one more goddamn waiter I swear Ill subject you to those art vid's you love so much."
"You're always telling me I should take more interests in your hobbies." He deadpans while obviously pretending to read the menu.
"Hi I have a reservation under the name Dasi for seventeen hundred?
"Your guests arrived two hours early." The accusatory tone was not a good sign, that, and the fact that the attendant hadn't looked down to check the name.
"Are they still here?" She tried adding a curt, professional tone to undercut his impoliteness, but the level of distress on the man's face made it come out sounding more like concern.
With an audible sigh of exasperation he turned and started walking into the dining area, not looking back to see if she was following. "We moved them to a private room after it was made clear they couldn't leave without you."
Airana made note of how far back this room was, they passed the original table near the front. It seemed the restaurant's excitement of showing off top dollar dinner guests to anyone passing by outside backfired spectacularly, as the table itself was in several pieces.
Subtle splashes of alcohol and god know's what else left stains on it's top, most likely from before it was left in a heap. I hope that doesn't come out of my retainer, wonder if I'll have to atleast sign something for that…
Turning left she was lead down a hallway containing the private rooms, each one fitted with thick sound proof doors. It's design reeked of a taste coming from crime vid's, elegant white and cherry wood red accent's on the dark grey metal walls. It inspired drama, a life of intrigue and danger. Only long enough till anyone see's the dirt in the corners, or the cheap lighting casting unflattering shadows for the colour. The details matter, something everyone stands for but seems to forget.
The attendant stopped in front of a door with the number seven holographically displayed in blue on the upper top half. The attendant pulls a datapad from the inside of his jacket and looks it over.
"The bill for the table, chairs, whatever damage they've done to the inside of that room, the sixteen drinks between them, the seven orders of salarian drim scheln, and the money owed to the server who went and bought them cigarettes. Plus gratuity." The last part was added with a hint of smugness. "Do give it to your boss or whoever runs you all." He holds the datapad out and she pauses for a moment before reluctantly taking it. Without waiting for a response the attendant walks back down the hallway leaving Airana alone in front of her assignment.
She turns toward the door.
Okay calm down, this guy can't be that bad. Just raise your right hand up to the panel as soon as you're ready.
…
Any time now.
…
"There you go buddy big whiff, that's it."
After making some horrible wheezing sounds he came back up from holding his head between his legs. "So what did you do?" He said while stuttering through coughs. Seeping undertones of stress crept along when he spoke, Looking like he was at the point where all questions needed answers, any reality that existed without was absurd. The first time feeling all of the connections can be overwhelming, let's slow it down abit…
"Only thing we could do, pretend we were plain clothes detectives in charge of keeping the place secure overnight. Helps that we had a uniform with us at the time, I forget his name, turian though. Never saw him after that."
"Wonder where he went." Cael gruffly added while popping open another capsule and raising it to his nose.
The server, which his name turned out to be Novus, was procured somewhere in the time staff pushed the two of them into this private room. Maybe it was Veeto, maybe Cael, neither remember and neither think it's important. However one of them saw what made Novus important and that was the certain quality of loneliness seen when walking down any which direction. His sadness was wandering and aimless, frequently lost in fantasy about people or places or things all of which were inaccessible. To stare into the mind bubble floating around his head and see his perception, his view of the world. Not mind reading, not insanity, just observation.
The table is pushed up against the window vertically, the tablecloth taken by Cael, after complaining that it was cold. The lights were off as well save for the soft bleed in of a neon rainbow coming from displays around the room bathing all three of them in changing colours and shadow. They had sat for what felt like hours in a triangle in the farthest corner of the room, each taking turns snorting, smoking, and all around consuming varieties of colorful substances. The impulses to fight, to scream and smash the place up more now quelled to the quiet peace of deep introspection. Veeto cherished the peace for one moment longer then turned to Novus.
"You want to know the truth now?" He says while sliding over to Novus and pulling his head close to make sure he'll hear his next words.
"The truth." Said less like a question and more as a thank you for bringing the topic up.
Cael chuckles quietly in the backyard but Novus is too spaced to hear, he's seen the act before. Veeto, the master of infecting others with his thoughts. He saves it till your in your most vulnerable headspace, then moves like a surgeon, implanting words. He had been doing it for so long and Novus was an easy target, his low tolerance has left him with a blank page in his head. Easy prey.
"Consider the following."
He licks his lips softly and savours the look of concentration before continuing.
"Imagine the course of people lives as walking through an ever changing landscape that is formed by the sum of thought and emotion entirely. The beautiful fields and sun, crossing rivers and mountains, bright nights and rainy days, all of these things represent what you feel about all things in your life. When you wander through this metaphysical plane, at some time or another you find the salt flats. The endless waist stretching farther than you've ever seen before, it doesn't matter where you are and you could just walk away. To the ones who find themselves walking farther and farther inside, with enough endurance, they find something. A hole. Completely black and devoid of bottom it stretches on, past any reason. This is the void and you have found it, but what now? Do you look? Stare into it as it stares back. The people that return tell stories about how they made the journey, or are forever changed by looking. But the brave, the true...jump."
As Novus turns to look at Veeto, a blinding light smashes into all three. A wave of brilliant light, that felt quite appropriate to the story.
Standing in the threshold was Airana Dasi, or as the pair would know her as, the Asari outside the elevator earlier in the morning. Not that they specifically remembered the altercation, as the following words out of Cael's mouth were quote. "I didn't know this place would actually send a prostitute."
Airana stares at the huddled circle, really wishing she hadn't picked the wrong profession.