The long walk through the Emerald Forest was peaceful enough. They had left the ship anchored in a small clearing, obscured by the tall trees that surrounded it. Lotus let her sixth sense guide her forward, stepping over loose rocks and upturned roots while her eyes stared up into the sky above her, admiring the pure blue through the brilliant green canopy above.
Soon enough the canopy gave way to the clearing. The light thrum of the ships engines reached the young faunus's ears, out of place in the calm quiet of the forest that surrounded it.
Lotus let her eyes fall back down on the group that was currently assembled outside the ship. Cinder was standing in the grass, leaning back against the ship with a calm smirk on her face, eyes vacant as she stared off into space. Mercury seemed a little worse for wear, his pants had been burned away entirely, leaving his cybernetic legs exposed for all to see. Emerald was lying on the ground, one forearm laying across her face as she blocked out the light. She seemed uninjured, if still exhausted.
"Looks like it went well on your end?" Lotus's voice rang out through the quiet clearing as she approached the final few yards, catching the attention of all there.
"Oh, it went perfectly," Cinder replied, giving one final pleasurable sigh as her eyes turned to take in the faunus girl, "What happened on your end?"
Lotus shook her head, "We had some uninvited guests at the diner. There was an entire second year Beacon team there at the same time," she shrugged dejectedly, "I kept the huntsman there as long as I could. Seems like it was long enough, right?"
Cinder nodded, "We didn't bother sticking around when I received your message. He didn't see us, which is all that really mattered on your end," she rose up from where she had been leaning and held out her hand, "Consider your part of the deal finished."
Lotus accepted the handshake, grinning as she did so, "So does this mean I get to borrow Mercury for a night on the town?"
Cinder tilted her head in thought, placing a finger delicately against her chin as she tapped it, "Why don't we all go out? I feel like celebrating," the red dressed woman turned her eye down to where Emerald lay on the ground, "Any suggested venues, Emerald? You're the only one among us from Vale."
The girl immediately withdrew her forearm from across her face and locked eyes with Cinder, a budding smile curling her lips as her delight overpowered her current lack of energy, "We could go clubbing? Junior's is a nice enough place."
"I could use some loud music and a few drinks," Mercury chipped in, nodding his approval. He glanced back down at his legs, "And a change of clothes." He vaulted up into the ship and grabbed his pack, heading for the bathroom.
Lotus pulled out her scroll and opened up her contacts, considering giving Coco a call. She could hardly go out in a hoodie, and the extra clothes she had brought were more tactical attire than dress wear.
"I'm going to head into Vale a little early, if that's alright," Lotus gestured down to her hoodie, "I won't be getting much action wearing this."
Cinder spared her an amused smile, "That's quite alright. The rest of us need to remain inconspicuous, so I'll have Emerald send you a message for the time and place once we're ready to leave."
Lotus nodded, "Tell Merc to wear his best. I really owe him for thinking to include me in all this," she gave Cinder an approving smile as well, "And I need to thank you."
At a warning glare from Emerald, Lotus held her hands up with a smirk, "In a completely platonic way, of course. Is there anything you want, Cindy darling?"
Cinder thought about the offer for a minute, a smile finally worming its way back to her lips, "How about we just call it an 'I owe you' for now?"
"Works for me!" Lotus smiled back. She turned to Emerald and knelt down beside her, whispering from behind her hand to hide her lips from Cinder, "No reason I can't be your wingman, too." Lotus flicked her eyes over to Cinder to help Emerald get her meaning, and the girl's perpetual frown eased into a half hearted smile.
"Now then, I'm outta here," Lotus stood back up, giving the group a final promise to meet up later before heading back towards the city.
'Vale, here I come.'
Coco sounded surprised at first when Lotus gave her a call so soon after the diner, but when Lotus explained the situation, Coco was more than happy to agree. Her only amendment to Lotus's plan was that they wait a couple hours for Velvet to finish her shift and get a shower in before the three hit the town.
So, Lotus had the next couple hours to do as she pleased. With a low growl from her stomach, she quickly decided on food as her first objective. She had skipped out entirely while she was in the diner, and realized after a few moments that she hadn't eaten much of anything the day before, either. There hadn't exactly been food on the ship, and Lotus hadn't thought to pack any of her own.
The issue of her grumbling stomach was quickly rectified, as Lotus spotted a small coffee shop a little ways down one of the less busy streets. 'The Daily Grind' the sign on the ground proclaimed the establishment's name, also announcing that they sold soup and sandwiches. 'I could use a break from the crowd.' So many people all at once was putting her sixth sense on the fritz. The young fugitive had understandably not been out among crowds much over the last couple years and was no longer used to it.
Lotus paused before stepping into the shadowed alleyway, basking in the warm glow of the new city and exhilarated by the fact the she no longer needed to fear the people around her. No one would recognize her as 'The Black Lotus'. She wasn't in the same city. She wasn't even on the same continent anymore.
Every passerby was just a stranger, each roaming eye a coincidence, instead of a threat. Lotus could feel years worth of pent up anxiety rolling off her shoulders in waves, replaced by the sun's rays pleasantly heating her body up through her black hoodie. The hoodie trapped that heat, keeping it close to the young faunus's heart as she finally stepped into the shadowed alleyway and walked towards the coffee shop.
The first thing that hit her was the smell. It was delightful, causing her mouth to salivate while her stomach once again protested its current lack of sustenance. The smell of recently ground coffee beans along with a variety of different soups wafted their way to Lotus's nose before she had even stepped inside. She paused in the doorway as she opened it, revelling as the smells only increased tenfold. 'Okay, I'm coming here on the weekends.'
Lotus heard her stomach rumble and, with some embarrassment, stepped inside, allowing the door to close behind her. Magenta eyes roamed over the establishment, sparring a cursory glance at the very least. There were a surprising number of patrons for such a small shop. The second thing that Lotus noticed was that the majority of them were faunus. Many had their traits hidden, but all eyes gave her a once over as the bell jingled, announcing her arrival.
Lotus could only flash them all a winning smile and head towards the front counter. Her current hunger needed to be rectified, pronto, and Lotus would die of embarrassment if its complaints were to continue among so many with four ears to notice.
The barista behind the counter offered her a menu, and Lotus took it with a word of thanks. She remained at the counter, letting her sixth sense feel outwards even as her eyes roamed over the laminated page in front of her. 'You can never be too careful.' Sure enough, there was at least one person in the building with a decent sized aura. Lotus let her eyes flick in that direction, at least making sure that it wasn't someone who might surprise her.
It was a young, black haired faunus. She sat at one of the corner booths, eyes slowly drifting back and forth across the page of her book as she idly stirred her tea with a spoon. The black bow that rested atop her head twitched, just the tiniest amount. The black haired faunus's eyes darted up to check the room, perhaps sensing the momentary gaze.
Lotus had already looked away by then, having learned her lesson with Coco. Her eyes were now once again busy with the menu. Finally deciding on one of their sandwich specials and a light soup, Lotus made her order, then chose to sit down at one of the other booths along the walls.
Letting herself once again relax into the cushioned seat beneath her, Lotus leaned her head back and closed her eyes, enjoying the relative quiet and lack of people. Only the occasional sound of a cup being set down on a porcelain coaster, or a spoon being dried with a few gentle taps reached her ears. Lotus soaked it all in, and before she knew it, the barista was setting her meal down in front of her, along with a complimentary drink.
"Let me know if there's anything else I can get you," the barista said softly, giving Lotus a smile. Lotus nodded her thanks as she left, and then set about quenching her aching hunger. 'Were sandwiches always this delicious?' Perhaps her hunger was just getting the better of her. 'I guess I'll see for myself the next time I'm here.'
Another thirty minutes passed. Lotus had long since finished her meal, but was content to wait out her time here. The atmosphere was intoxicating, and there was a feeling of safety, being among so many other faunus in a quiet place.
Lotus was firmly reminded that all good things come to an end, as two humans around her age stepped inside warily, eyes darting around the shop. The shorter of the two groaned when he looked at the interior, and the older boy laughed, pushing him into the wall.
"I told you this place wasn't a strip club!" the taller, ginger haired youth announced loudly. His eyes caught on to all the faunus inside, and he sneered, "Although twenty lien could probably buy you a fun night with any of the beasts in here."
The other patrons appeared shocked at the youth's remark.
Lotus was furious.
In only a few seconds, she had crossed the shop to stand in front of him, offering him a sweet smile that did nothing to reduce the frigid stones her eyes had become. "Would you like to repeat that?" she said, a hint of the animosity she felt seeping through the calm tone. Her left hand drifted to the top of her sword's hilt, hand atop the pummel as her eyes bore into his.
The sneer didn't leave his face. The tall ginger looked down at where her hand rested on her weapon, "Go ahead. See what happens." He raised his hands up to Lotus's shoulders and attempted to shove her back. She dug the tips of her appendages into the floor. Lotus didn't budge an inch. The ginger's eyes went wide when his strength proved entirely lackluster.
With only a flicker of attention given to her sixth sense, Lotus could tell this youth had aura, as well as his friend next to him. They were both weaker than her, but not by a wide margin. The young spider faunus smiled as she noticed the position the youth was in, still standing in the doorway. 'Why don't I just move this along?'
His expression eased as she let her hand fall of the sword's pummel, only for him to shout in surprise as Lotus's hand drew back and collided with his chest, the full force of her appendage shrouding her arm added to by her other three appendages striking him in the chest simultaneously. He was lifted off his feet and thrown back through the door. The youth slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the alleyway, shattering a section of the brick wall with his impact as he dropped to the ground in a heap, aura entirely depleted by the unexpected blow.
Lotus flexed her fingers, then brought them back into a fist as her eyes set on the shorter of the two boys, "Do you have something to say?"
He frantically shook his head 'no' and ran outside, calling out to his friend as he left, "Cardin! Are you okay!?"
Lotus let the door close behind him and stood facing the it for a few seconds as she calmed back down. She turned around to see the eyes of every patron and staff member on her and gave a nervous laugh, bringing her hand up to scratch at the back of her neck, "Sorry about that."
A few people started a slow clap while she returned to her seat. As they did, Lotus realized something about herself. She might be able to talk a big game when it came to Cinder or Mercury, but having so many people paying that much attention to her was uncomfortable. Maybe it was the years of actively avoiding the eyes of others that made her feel that way, all Lotus knew was that she wanted to curl into her booth and hide.
The clapping died down as she did just that, keeping her head down as she avoided eye contact and slid back on to her padded bench. The barista headed over to her table, "Would you like anything else?"
"Just the check, please," Lotus replied, giving her a weak smile.
"Nonsense. Your meal is on the house this evening," the barista gave her a heartwarming smile, "Thank you."
"Oh, um… just a refill, then?" Lotus said hesitantly. She wasn't used to being praised for her more… violent tendencies. Not by anyone that didn't also have gallons of blood to their name, anyway.
The barista was quick to fulfill her request, then seeing that she wanted peace, left her alone to head back behind the counter. A few minutes passed, before finally the gentle quiet atmosphere returned full force. There was a light shuffling sound as the bow wearing faunus walked to the counter, speaking in hushed whispers with the barista before paying and leaving.
Lotus was just about to pull out her scroll and send Coco a message when the barista approached her once again, this time holding aloft a small bowl. She set it down gently in front of Lotus and smiled politely, "The young woman that left wished for you to have this. It is a Tiramisu Panna Cotta, made with both kahlua and espresso."
Lotus eyed the dessert sitting on the table before her. It was a small, circular gelatin. White, with fine brown powder sprinkled along the top. Lotus gave the barista a nod and picked up her spoon, slicing down through a portion of the dessert. The thicker outside edge gave way, revealing a much creamier center. Lotus tentatively took her first bite.
"It's delicious…" she mumbled aloud. The barista grinned and stepped back, leaving her to it. Lotus took her time, savoring every bite over the next few minutes. 'Okay. I'm ordering this every time.' Who knew such a hellish world could create something so heavenly? 'I'll have to thank that girl the next time I see her.'
Lotus was pulled from her thoughts as her scroll buzzed, the caller ID displaying 'Coco Adel' in bold font across the front. She set her spoon aside into the bowl, now lacking any remains of the dessert and accepted the call.
"Heeyyyy, Olivia~, we're headed to downtown Vale now. Let us know where we can meet up, okay?" Coco's voice came through rather loud compared to the stillness of the shop interior.
Lotus quickly reduced the volume on her scroll and turned into away from the room, "I'm at 'The Daily Grind', do you know where that is?"
"Oooh!~ Velvet and I love that place! We'll be there shortly to pick you up, alright?"
"Sound's good," Lotus smiled back as Coco ended the call, sitting back in her seat as she breathed out a contented sigh.
'I could get used to this...'
It was another fifteen minutes before Coco and Velvet arrived at The Daily Grind, and another half an hour after that before they were stepping into a very high end clothing store in a much grander district of Vale. The long marble steps that led up to the front door were flanked by tall white columns, rising up to the roof twenty feet above them.
Lotus paused at the threshold, with Velvet behind her and Coco ahead, holding the door open for the pair of them. Lotus curled in on herself, her stomach dropping at the pure decadence she could already see. The attendants that walked the sales floor were all impeccably dressed, carrying themselves with finely practiced grace. The customers were even more so, wearing the fanciest clothes and attire that Lotus had ever seen, aside from some of her higher paid targets.
"Uh, are you sure it's… okay for us to be here?" Lotus whispered sideways to Velvet. A faunus in Mistral would be barred entry, or kicked out within a few seconds if they managed to enter a place like this.
Velvet's answer was to put her hands on the young faunus's shoulders and shove her inside. She stumbled awkwardly through the entryway past Coco, and drew herself back up with an unappreciative frown back at the rabbit faunus. Velvet gave her a reassuring smile in return, and stepped in as well, allowing Coco to let the door swing shut.
One of the employees, a tall, curvaceous woman in a tight black suit and matching skirt headed their way. She held a clipboard under one arm and gave them a well practiced smile as she approached. Lotus waited for the worst. Someone with an obvious lack of social grace such as herself didn't belong in a place like this. Her clothes would say as much to anyone with even a modicum of fashion sense.
Coco took the lead, stepping ahead of both the faunus girls to catch the older woman's attention, "Nice to see you again, Iris! I've brought a friend along today that is in desperate need of a make-over." Coco spun her head back to give Lotus a wink, "No offense, kid."
The woman eyed Lotus up and down. The smile on her face never changed, but the young faunus noticed a spark of glee light up in her eyes. Lotus groaned inwardly, 'They're going to play dress up with me, aren't they…' She took an involuntary step backwards toward the door, only to be met once again with Velvet's hands on her shoulders.
"We can certainly accommodate the young lady," the older woman's smile became predatory, seeing Lotus's desire to flee as a challenge, "If you'll come this way, I'll take your measurements. Ms. Adel and I can choose some outfits for you to try on after that."
Lotus was nervously led over to one of the dressing rooms for a little privacy. The older woman stepped into the spacious room with her, a mirror on one wall and a bench opposite it. From one pocket she pulled out a measuring tape, then eyed Lotus again.
"You'll need to remove the hoodie if you want accurate measurements," she clipped out lightly, extending out the measuring tape and waiting expectantly for Lotus to comply.
"I, uh… can't just leave it on?" Lotus replied hesitantly, subconsciously gripping the end of one sleeve to keep it down.
"Young lady, hiding your figure is a criminal offense in a place such as this. Yes, you will need to remove it," the older woman said it with exasperation, quirking an eyebrow.
Lotus calmed herself, 'She seemed fine with Velvet being here…' Even so, after hiding it for so long, Lotus was intensely self-conscious about her faunus trait. She had been able to hide it for so long and so easily, that the thought of willingly exposing the black veins to another person, a human no less, was terrifying.
Very slowly, Lotus reached down to grasp the bottom hem of her hoodie and pulled it up over her head. She hesitated one more time after it had been removed from her torso and head. With the way she had chosen to pull it off, her arms were the last things still covered, safely tucked away in the sleeves.
The older woman tapped her foot once, impatiently. Lotus sighed and exposed her arms as she pulled the hoodie off, tossing it on to the bench behind her. There was a long drawn out moment while Lotus waited to be asked to leave, waited for a disgusted sneer to break the woman's practiced smile.
"Well?" the woman asked expectantly, tilting her head, "Raise your arms, dear. I can't get the measurements with your hands down at your sides like that."
Lotus did as she was asked, dumbstruck by the lack of care the woman had for her faunus trait on display, "Do they… not bother you?"
"Arms?" the woman glanced at Lotus with confusion, already holding out the tape measure as she began sizing her up. Wrist to shoulder, shoulder to waist. She continued as they spoke.
"My veins," Lotus corrected.
The older woman sighed, stepping back for a moment, "My dear, the human body comes in all shapes and sizes. Some have small hands, some have big ears, and some are adorably short. Black veins or not, none of that changes the fact that each and every one of us deserves to feel appreciated and comfortable with our own bodies." She gestured down towards Lotus's legs, "Now widen your stance a little, I need to take more measurements."
Lotus complied wordlessly, quietly accepting the woman's touch as she went about finishing up. Her pencil scratched away at her clipboard as she finished, jotting down each result, "You may wait in here if you wish. I'm certain Ms. Adel and I will have more than enough clothes for you to try on. We will hand them over the door to you."
The young faunus nodded her acceptance, hiding her arms behind her back as the fitting room door was opened. Only Velvet was nearby, though. She gave Lotus an encouraging smile before the door once again closed.
"Does Coco bring you here often?" Lotus asked over the door, knowing Velvet was easily close enough and had the ears to make out what she was saying.
"Oh, once every month or so."
"So… are they all as accepting as Iris?"
"For the most part. Being choosy over customers isn't exactly great for business if it means turning away those that would have otherwise spent money in their store. Then there's always the White Fang to consider…"
"The White Fang?" Lotus could already see what she meant.
"Yeah… They have a habit of burning down places that turn away faunus. Most shops are afraid to even confront a faunus if they're misbehaving in their store. They don't want word to get back to the White Fang that would paint them as a potential target."
Lotus frowned, "That doesn't stop them from being racist outside of their profession."
"No, it doesn't. If anything, it makes the humans more irritable and quicker to anger when they see faunus in public. It's a vicious cycle."
"Do you think Iris is just pretending, then?" Lotus couldn't deny that the woman had a very professional air to her demeanor. It would make sense if her kindness was all an act.
Velvet let out a light laugh, "No, I don't think so. Coco wanted to wait to bring you here because she knew Iris would be starting her shift right about now. She's the one we always go to whenever Coco wants me to try on a new outfit. Iris means what she said."
There was silence for a handful of seconds, with Lotus taking what Velvet had told her to heart. 'I might as well make the most of this.'
"So, what kind of faunus are you? I heard something about veins…" Velvet moved closer to the door as she said it, trying to still keep her voice low so that Lotus could retain her privacy.
"...Spider," she replied simply, also keeping her voice low.
"Oh, wow! I've never met a spider faunus before."
Lotus was more than ready to change the subject. Thoughts of another spider faunus were starting to come to mind, and a call she still needed to make, "Did you... go to a combat school?"
"Yup! Coco and I both went to Pharos here in Vale. We didn't really meet until we both came to Beacon and ended up on a team together."
"How'd you not meet each other if you went to the same school?" Lotus asked, confused. 'Are there just that many students? I might have more competition that I thought...'
There was some hesitation in Velvet's voice as she spoke, "I uh… was always the girl on the side lines, watching from a distance. Coco was the outgoing type that was surrounded by friends and admirers. She wasn't really approachable for someone like me."
Coco's voice crooned as she walked within earshot, "I wish you had introduced yourself sooner, bunny. Just think of all that time we wasted!"
A pile of clothes slapped against the door on Lotus's side after Coco hefted it over the wall. Lotus took them off her hands, staring wide eyed at the sheer amount of clothes Coco had brought her in so short a time.
"I already had a decent idea of your measurements. Not saying I was checking you out or anything…"
Lotus could hear the smirk in her voice and laughed out loud as she reprimanded the girl, "Your girlfriend is right there!"
"Vel knows I'm only joking," Coco replied smugly. Lotus could feel her walk over to Velvet and embrace her for a moment before turning back to speak over the door to Lotus, "I put the outfits in order. You had better show them off after all the trouble we're going through! No keeping those curves to yourself."
"Yes, ma'am," Lotus rolled her eyes and set about trying on the outfits she had been presented.
It was several hours later, after many suggestions, alterations, and garment changes by the time Lotus was checking out. Coco had offered to pay for it, as thanks for letting her dress up the young faunus, but Lotus refused. She had more than enough to spare. Spending a little over seven hundred lien didn't even make a dent.
Lotus treated them to dinner while they regaled her with stories. The young faunus was especially interested in their retelling of initiation, and kept a mental note of all the details she could remember. It matched up with the tips that Qrow had given her, reaffirming her gratitude for not having to kill the huntsman.
Once they were finished with their meal, Velvet was able to recommend her a faunus friendly hotel to spend the night in, and gave her the address so that she could track it down from her scroll.
The group parted ways, with a few more thanks from Lotus. She was genuinely appreciative that the older teens had decided to take her under their wing, her determination to get into Beacon only growing by the minute. 'If this is the kind of people I can expect…' Lotus hadn't thought before that she could be happier about leaving Mistral, but each passing moment was proving her wrong. There was a difference between having high hopes for the future, and seeing those hopes realized.
The trip to the hotel took her a fair way out of the nicer district. She was back among the more common buildings, made from brick and mortar, with none of the finery lining the streets like where she had spent the majority of her day. Lotus didn't mind. This area was still much better than the Mistral slums. 'At least there's pavement under my feet instead of mud.'
The hotel she found was oddly laid out at first sight. There was a small building that rested in front, nestled between two taller buildings on either side. Dozens of windows lined the walls facing out towards the street, many of them just now lighting up as the sky began to turn a darker shade of blue.
Lotus opened the jingling door to the front office and immediately felt the presence of the spider faunus that waited inside. Her heart clenched, gripped in panic as her mind flashed through all the things she would need to say to Widow. A moment later, though, her breath came out in a long sigh. This sense was different than the one she was used to. It was not Widow inside, but another young faunus that sat behind the desk.
Their eyes met, each of them sharing in that same moment, gripped by an indescribable fear of the other, before they each smiled half heartedly.
"W-Welcome to the Majestic Refuge. Are you… staying for the night?" the other spider faunus asked hesitantly.
"Y-Yeah. Yeah, I'd like to get a room, please," Lotus replied, her nerves beginning to calm.
"Good! The left building is reserved for our faunus customers," she began rustling around a few papers and then turned back towards the wall behind her. There were two distinct boards, one on the right, and one on the left. Each held a multitude of keys, hung by the pegs on them. A great deal were missing from each side, and Lotus figured that must mean those rooms were taken.
Already, Lotus could see the advantage of hiring on a spider faunus for this job, making it painfully simple to distinguish who was a faunus, and who was human without having to single anyone out specifically. Many hid their heritage, even from other faunus. Lotus had been no different. She idly read the girl's name tag, 'Lily' with a small depiction of the flower next to her name.
"Did you want to be in a quieter section?" Lily asked as she turned back to Lotus, "We try to suit the needs of our guests to the best of our abilities."
Lotus thought it over, "Quiet would be nice. Somewhere away from most people."
Lily nodded her understanding. It could be tough to sleep sometimes if there were too many unknown individuals constantly moving around and getting picked up by your sixth sense. In an unfamiliar place, it was like trying to get some rest while someone shouted at you from only a few steps away.
Both of their eyes scanned the board, and reached the same conclusion. There was a series of vacant rooms all gathered on the top floor, mostly unblemished aside from a few missing keys. Lily snagged a key off its peg, furthest from the rest of the occupied rooms, and handed it to Lotus.
"It's fifty lien a night, plus whatever room service charges you rack up," she eyed Lotus's hoodie. She had reverted to it after spending so much time trying on other clothes. Returning to a bit of normalcy had been comforting.
Lotus saw the hesitation and held her hand up with a smile, "I can cover it, don't worry." She reached into one of the bags and counted out enough lien for the rest of the month. 'I'll be staying here until I get into Beacon, anyway.'
Lily's eyes bulged momentarily at the sudden fist full of lien that she was given, and nodded, counting the amount into the till. "Well, alright then! Would you like me to help you to your room?"
"No, that's fine. I think I'll manage," Lotus replied and accepted the key that was offered to her. Lily smiled and gave her a polite wave as Lotus left the front office, stepping back out into the street momentarily to turn to the left building.
Ten minutes later, Lotus had found her room, entered, tossed her bags of clothes on to the floor, and crashed down on her bed in a slump. It had been an exhausting day, more mentally than anything else. 'Why is trying new things so tiring?' She had never felt this way after a mission as far as she could remember, and those usually ended with someone dead.
Lotus felt one of the other floor's occupants pass and head to the room a few doors down. Thankfully, without focusing on her sixth sense, the faunus was just out of range. Lotus relaxed into the bed, feeling the soft mattress giving way beneath her, conforming to her body as her eyes began to droop.
A buzz from her pocket brought them back open the next instant, as her hand reached down for the offending device. It was a text from Emerald.
"We'll be at Junior's in an hour. Merc says he expects you to keep your promise. I do too."
What followed was the address for the club, as well as the specific time that Emerald thought they would arrive, incase Lotus couldn't figure out what an hour from the current time would be.
Lotus groaned as she flipped back over, but was already feeling a sense of renewed energy. 'What else was all that shopping for?'
She hopped off the bed, and started getting ready for a night on the town.