Chapter 37: Business and Pleasure

Adora watched the display on the elevator panel count down with growing apprehension. Wherever 'The Garden' was that Vasher was taking her to, it apparently lay deep in the bowels of Eden—far deeper than even their hotel underground was.

The elevator car slowed to a stop. A ding sounded, the doors slid open, and Adora followed Vasher out onto the central concourse of the 15th basement floor.

It was dark like night, and cold enough to make Adora want to rub her shoulders for warmth. Vasher offered his coat to her, but it smelled of smoke and whiskey, and she turned it down after imagining how comical she would look wearing it, like she had a fur-lined leather blanket engulfing her.

The longer they walked and the more of this level's concourse she saw, the further Adora came to realize that the lower levels of Eden were meant to be like a completely different world compared to what was near the surface. The ceiling was painted in a way that made it seem like there was no ceiling at all—that they were instead walking under a vibrant night sky with stars twinkling in the black above their heads. The floor was made of cobblestone, and it gave off a muted clack with each of their steps, unlike the polished smooth flooring of the higher levels. Iron lampposts wrought in the style of old oil streetlamps lit the area in misty, muted tones.

The shops on either side of the main walkway beckoned to her with a different kind of energy than the shops above too. Each seemed to panhandle for attention with their bright neon signs and window coverings, all designed with advertisings and slogans that fueled a sense of mystique and primal curiosity inside her. Adora wondered what kinds of toys a shop named 'Sappho's Playthings' sold, and what child would come so far down in a seemingly seedy part of the station for them.

"Hey there, big man," said a voice off to the side. "Are you and your girlfriend looking for a fun time?"

Adora looked and saw a svelte man, wearing too much makeup and a fishnet outfit that showed off way more skin than she was prepared to see, standing off to the side with his hip cocked out and a coy expression on his face. Vasher turned just enough to give the man a dangerous look and he stopped short.

"Sorry Vasher, didn't recognize you there." The low light of the floor combined with his neon makeup and twisted the terrified expression on his face to a comical degree. "I saw the girl and thought…well, never mind. Please don't tell Lysithea I tried to solicit you. She'll have me by the balls come morning."

Vasher grunted and Adora couldn't tell whether that meant he'd agreed to keep silent or not, but it was enough for the man. He backed away slowly, nervous look still on his face, then turned completely around and rushed off. When he did so, Adora saw that the fishnet outfit he wore—which was already precariously designed just looking at it from the front—covered absolutely nothing of him from behind, and she got an eye full of bare-naked butt cheeks, glaring in the light because of how pale they were.

Oh…my…god.

She averted her gaze, but the damage was already done. That exchange had flipped a kind of switch in her, and suddenly she was acutely aware that many of the people on the concourse she had up until then only paid less than a passing glance at were dressed in a similar fashion. Couples walked arm in arm, some of them pointing excitedly at shops with furtive smiles, others strolling along in a more secretive and tentative manner with flushed faces, all of them whispering to each other in intimate voices. Even the ones not dressed as scantily as that man still wore clothes Adora wouldn't describe as anything other than 'brave.' You certainly wouldn't have caught her wearing anything like that; in fact, her and Vasher seemed to be one of only a handful on the concourse dressed appropriately at all.

Someone wandered by in a form hugging dress Adora swore was see through. Six shops in a row on either side of them had men, women, and aliens she wasn't sure even had a gender to begin with all standing outside, soliciting those passing nearby for 'company.' Adora heard one of them outright ask a nearby couple if they wanted to 'take turns watching them ride their partner like a bicycle,' and Adora nearly choked.

"Where are we?" she asked, agitated and flushed. "Vasher. Where the hell are you taking me?"

She caught the small smile that flashed across his lips. He had been waiting to see this reaction from her.

"To the Garden," he said. "Like I told you earlier."

"I don't know what that is," she said. "If we were going to some sleezy part of the settlement of all places, a little heads up in advance would have been nice, you know." She stopped walking. "I'm not taking another step until you tell me exactly what the Garden is. I don't want more surprises."

"Are you uncomfortable?" Vasher asked, looking at her.

"Yes, I'm uncomfortable! How could I not be uncomfortable?"

"I thought Kal would have already explained. I'm sorry."

Adora was about to go off when she saw Kal himself approaching from a distance.

"Explain what?" he asked, walking up to them and adjusting the strap of the backpack he carried so it didn't bunch up the fabric of a fresh shirt he had put on. Thankfully, he came dressed like a normal person as well.

Adora looked up at the sign above the building they had stopped in front of. The words 'the Garden' were anchored above the entrance in cursive neon pink, and Adora wondered if it were life's way of tormenting her, negating all the grandstanding she had done moments earlier on account of them having already arrived.

A long line of patrons snaked from the entrance and curved around the far corner out of sight. A bulky alien with four arms stood in front of the one open door with a glare on his face, checking slips of paper one by one at the front of the line before letting people in. Punchy music thrummed from the inside, reverberating through the cobblestone and coming through the front doors heavily muted.

"You said we were going to watch Ly's show so we could meet with her after," Adora said to both Kal and Vasher. "Why are we down here in what I can only assume is Eden's red-light district?"

"Because Ly performs here," Kal said, flashing her a toothy grin that matched Vasher's own. They both of them were like hyenas eyeing prey they intended to play with. "I told you she wasn't going to be what you expected."

Adora grumbled but didn't say anything more. She followed Kal and Vasher to the front door. They bypassed the line entirely, and the bouncer only nodded to Vasher before letting all three of them in. The music ratcheted louder the moment they walked through, the bass thumping hard enough Adora felt each pulse rattle her bones. When they got past the counter and to the main area, she finally recognized the Garden for what it truly was: a nightclub.

Whereas the outside concourse gave the impression of an artificial night out on the streets of an ancient city, the inside of the Garden was just dark. Neon lights rimmed the walls, giving her the general outline of a large room with a spacious center dance floor. A raised stage stood in the back with a floor-to-ceiling pole installed in its center, and a number of private booths lined the perimeter. The floor was packed, and a bar with six bartenders and a wall full of booze stood just far enough away to be separate but easily accessible.

"You have the booth closest to the stage," Vasher said. "Let me take you."

"You aren't staying with us?" Kal asked, as both him and Adora followed him down the steps to skirt the far wall toward the stage.

"Not this time," Vasher said. "I'm doing damage control. Ly is not happy."

"You told her we were here?" Kal asked.

"I feared what leaving it a surprise would do."

They reached the booth and Adora slid in after Kal. When she did, the music suddenly dampened.

"The booths all have noise suppressor fields installed under the seats," Kal said, seeing her surprise. Despite speaking at a normal volume, Adora heard him easily, and still could enjoy the music in the background too.

"Come here often?" she asked, tone conveying either disapproval or curiosity—she honestly couldn't tell which herself.

"It's been three years, remember? But even before then, I wouldn't come as often as you'd think. And not for the reasons you'd think either," Kal said in a level voice completely at odds with the smug look on his face. "Ly started performing here as a hobby before I left. I have a feeling it's her main gig now."

"What did she do before?" Adora asked, only half paying attention as she watched the dancers on the floor, the DJ in the back, and the waitresses and waiters carrying platters of alcohol and food to and from the bar to the other occupied booths.

"Smuggling."

That caught her attention. "She did what?"

"Smuggling," Kal said again. "We all did. Lots of ignominite crystals and munitions across Imperial regional borders."

"So, she went from smuggling contraband with you to working at a nightclub? How does that even happen?"

Their waitress came before Kal could answer, and all interest in hearing what that answer might have been vanished as soon as Adora saw her.

She was all smiles, holding a small tablet in one hand to take their order. An intricate dragon tattoo snaked from her exposed shoulder down the entire side-length of her body, peeking out from the deliberate rips in her top and skirt before coiling around her leg and terminating at her ankle. It glowed green against her skin from the blacklight in the club, and Adora could clearly see the chisel of muscle on the exposed parts of her body—the girl worked out. Adora couldn't get enough.

She left, shooting her a wink as she turned.

"Wha?" Adora said, her brain having jumpstarted at the loss of attention. "Why'd she leave? I didn't even get to order or see a menu."

"She asked you what you wanted, but I don't think you realized it," Kal said, barely suppressing his laughter. "You were too busy gawking at her, so I just ordered for the both of us. Did you really not notice her looking you in the face and talking to you?"

Adora was glad it was dark in the club because she felt herself flush so hard her face burned. Kal finally lost his restraint and burst out laughing in tears.

"Hey!" she said, wishing harder than she'd ever wished in her life for the floor to open up and swallow her whole. "I've been caught off guard more times than I can count in the past few days, okay? Don't tease me."

"I'm sorry," Kal said, still trying to suppress laughter. "I'm not trying to be mean, I swear. It's just, you've had such a sour face on this entire time, and to see your eyes almost pop out of their head like that because of some pretty waitress is just too funny."

Adora was scandalized. "Sour face? I don't have a sour face!"

"Yes, you do!" Kal said, leaning forward and gesturing over their shared table. "My god, yes you do. For three years I wandered around Etheria and saw you on broadcasts or on visits to kingdoms. I even saw you in person a few times before you recognized me. And every time I saw you, the only thing I could think of was how miserable you looked."

"You're one to talk," Adora said. "I couldn't tell if you were a person or a corpse when I first saw you, since you looked half-dead already."

"Half dead and still kicked your ass up and down the room until your castle woke up."

Adora scowled and he held up his hands in a peace offering, the ghost of a smile still on his lips. "You're right though," he said. "I'd been running myself ragged far, far too long by the time you realized I wasn't supposed to be around. I was probably halfway there before I even set foot on Etheria, truth be told. That's why I'm especially qualified to know what a sour face looks like. You need a vacation, and that's coming from me of all people."

Adora rolled her eyes but let the conversation die, trying instead to soak in the ambience of the club and actually maybe enjoy herself. As insufferable as Kal could be, he did have a point. Even wandering the station on her own earlier only left her more shaken after that man confronted her. He had wanted her runestone, and if he somehow got it away from her? So much for ever using She Ra or Heart…so much for defeating the Beast and saving the galaxy. Sacrificing her relationship with Catra…

She was spiraling again. It was so easy to get lost.

If she didn't take the time to at least try and unwind like Glimmer and Angella and, god, even Salas and Kal had and were urging her to, then she'd truly be hopeless. Adora let her eyes wander the dance floor again, subtly trying to spot their waitress and her shiny dragon tattoo among the crowd.

The music turned down and Adora saw the DJ in the corner pull the mic mounted on his setup closer to his mouth.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he said. "Are you all having a good time at tonight?"

The crowd gave a muted cheer and the DJ shook his head. "That doesn't sound like the shout of anyone really having a good time—let me try that again: are you all having a good time tonight at the Garden?"

The crowd cheered even louder and the DJ flashed a wide grin. "Now that's more like it! We have a special guest here to perform for you today, and I have the great pleasure of introducing her to the stage. So, ladies and gentlemen of all colors and races, please give a warm welcome to the Temptress herself: the one, the only, Lysithea of Tantrice!"

The crowd roared again and Adora turned her attention to the stage when it lit up. A woman in heels and a fur-lined dress that hugged her curves strutted out. She rested a hand up high on the pole in the center, and Adora felt the blood drain from her head; if she had found their waitress cute enough to gawk, she didn't think she had the vocabulary to describe Lysithea or her own reaction at seeing her. She had never seen someone so intimidatingly attractive before.

The crowd's cheering died down enough for Adora to hear that the DJ had put on a new track—something that started with only a simple drum pattern. Slowly, more layers added onto the track, countermelodies played by synthesized tenors and altos, contributing rhythms that turned the original melody into fleshed-out chords, and a low, thrumming, throaty bass that rounded out the sound.

Lysithea hadn't moved from her pose—ratcheting up the tension in the room by standing firm against music that compelled others to dance—and the crowd only grew more excited. The music built, growing louder, its melody and counter melody weaving in and out of prominence with one another.

Finally—finally—in in the final four counts at the zenith of the buildup, Lysithia pulled her dress off and threw it to the floor in one smooth motion, revealing a stunning lace outfit. Adora thought her heart had stopped. Then Lysithea hoisted herself up on the pole just as the beat dropped, began her routine, and Adora reassessed: maybe it was a stroke she was in mortal peril of experiencing, and not a flatlining heart.

The crowd went nuts, and Adora could sense at the edge of her awareness that Kal was giving her a shit eating grin. She didn't care that her mouth was wide open; she didn't care how obvious it was she was entranced, and she didn't care how blatantly she stared. The stroke or heart attack could turn literal, instead of metaphorical, and she'd die happy in that moment. The only thing her two remaining, working brain cells could focus on was not taking her eyes off the performance.

And what a performance it was. Lysithea was as flexible as she was strong, spinning on the pole in time with the music, capping particular high points in the songs with crazy, show-stopping poses. Adora had no idea how she managed it, let alone how she made it seem like pole dancing was as easy as walking or breathing.

Lysithea's routine ended when, after having climbed near the top of the double-height ceiling, flipping upside down, and holding herself there by her thighs around the pole, she dropped straight down, stopping just shy of the floor in a dramatic pose in perfect time with the end of the final song.

The crowd roared their approval and Lysithia planted her feet back on solid ground. She grabbed her dress from the end of the stage, took a deep bow, and disappeared through the back with a wave and a smile.

"Told you she wasn't what you'd expect," Kal said, grin still plastered on his face.

"Holy shit," Adora said, earning a look of mock surprise from Kal at having heard her swear. "That was amazing!"

The waitress returned and placed two drinks on the table between them. She shot Adora a smile. Thankfully, Adora had recovered enough to properly smile back and say thank you, but her reaction to seeing her and her tattoo again was far less powerful after the high Lysithea's performance had given her.

Adora leaned forward to take one of the drinks from the table and sipped at it. It was bitter, and she probably wouldn't have liked it enough to finish if it weren't for the fact her throat had gone extremely dry. She took another sip, and another, and then another until it was practically gone."

"Slow down," Kal said, laughing. "I'm not promising to carry you out of here if you can't walk on your own." He picked up his own drink and swirled it around in the glass before taking a sip.

Adora saw Vasher and Lysithea, who had changed into more comfortable clothes, come out a side door and head straight for them. Lysithea did not look pleased, and Adora considered warning Kal until she saw he was already tracking her approach. She marched straight into their booth and right up to his face before—

SMACK

—she slapped him clean across the face with an open palm, sending the drink he had in his hand spilling all over him and the leather seat.

"How dare you," she said.

The DJ had already moved on to another song, but the crack was loud enough to draw the attention of the closest club-goers. They looked their direction, glancing briefly at Vasher before pointedly turning away and back to their own partying. Vasher stepped into the booth and fiddled with something under the cushion. Suddenly, the music outside grew even dimmer, and Adora had a feeling that also meant it was harder for people outside the booth to hear.

"I deserved that," Kal said, placing his now empty glass back on the table and rubbing at his cheek.

"You deserve a hell of a lot more than a smack to the face," Lysithea said. Her anger seemed to boil over once more when she balled her hands into fists that shook at her side. "How fucking dare you show up here again after what you did. Do you realize I'm still paying off the debt from when you abandoned us on that job?"

"I had a feeling you might still be chipping away at it," Kal said, not shying away from her anger but doing nothing to provoke it further.

"Thirteen thousand fucking pounds of raw ignominite in that package, and I find you just sitting here three years later, sipping a Sazerac in the Garden? Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"I had a good reason for it, Ly," he said. "You know I did."

"You don't get to call me Ly. It's Lysithea to you, if I ever even let you speak to me again at all after this conversation is over, Kalanthe." She gave a scornful laugh. "I'm surprised you go by that name still. Thought you'd change it to something even more obvious this time around."

She cocked an eyebrow at him, looking for a reaction, and huffed when she didn't get one. Adora tried to sit as still as she could and make absolutely no noise, hoping she might be invisible and passed over if she were surreptitious enough.

Lysithea glanced to her before doubling down on Kal again, eyes flaming anew. "And who the fuck is she? You pick up a new traveling companion after abandoning us?"

Adora winced and pushed further back into her seat. So much for being surreptitious. She tried to open her mouth and say something—introduce herself, at least—but the dryness in her throat from earlier returned and she got nothing but a pathetic gurgle out past her lips before shutting them, promising herself she'd never speak again as long as she lived.

"That's Adora," Kal said, evenly. "She's the current holder of She Ra's power."

Much of the aggression and bluster in Lysithea's demeanor vanished. She blinked, fully turning to inspect Adora, tilting her head to get a better look at her. "You're not joking?"

"Would I joke with you, Lysithea?" he asked, emphasizing her full name.

She growled an insult out at him, and finally addressed her directly. "Is he being serious? Are you She Ra?"

Adora cleared her throat and forced words to come. "Yeah," she said, clearing her throat a second time and wincing when her voice came out too gravelly. She held up her right arm to show the runestone in the bracer. "I've been having some trouble actually using my powers, though. Don't ask me to transform in front of you or anything, but I do have the magic connection to her."

Lysithea raised both eyebrows. "Well, isn't that something," she said, more to herself than anything. When she turned back to Kal, he was already holding up the backpack he had come in with earlier.

"I told you I had a good reason," he said. "Every day for three years I've wished I didn't have to leave you behind like I did. But Evelyn's prediction came through and I finally got my hands on it. Even the AI managing the vault named it as such."

"So that means…in that bag…"

"Is the Eye of Shukra," Kal said, nodding. "And if Evie's predictions about it are as true as her others have been, then…the original algorithm the Eternians hand-crafted for their Barrier…"

Lysithea's breath hitched. "The imperfections in the version of it we put in…?"

Kal nodded. "We can fix them. Ly, we can finally shut the Beast away for good. Permanently."

A beat of silence passed between all of them. The music from just outside thumped softly in the background. All trace of Lysithea's prior anger had vanished.

"God damn it, Kal," she said, sighing and shaking her head. "Why is it never easy with you?"