One Night in the Clube
Days later, Anakin and Jordana followed Dax into his
club. The lights had a blue green tint, and the strobe lights
pulsated to the beat of the music blasting throughout the club. It
rivaled the most exclusive clubs on Coruscant in terms of size,
interior design and lighting effects. Anakin noticed that there were
silver cages hanging from the ceiling, and inside each cage was an
exotic, skimpily clad woman. Jordana noticed that Anakin had noticed
this, and promptly elbowed him in the ribs.
"Hey!" he
protested.
"Fucking pervert." she teased.
They
followed him upstairs to his V.I.P. section, which was much nicer
than the rest of the club. There was a private bar, twice as many
holonet monitors andbetting tables, and large arm chairs and sofas
where people were relaxing. It was slightly quieter than the rest of
the club, and a railing separated them from the rest of the club.
Anakin and Jordana looked at the others in the section nervously,
hoping that either no one would recognize them, or that no one would
care. It appeared to be the latter, since when Dax went around to
greet his friends in the section, no one came to bother them as they
relaxed into one of the sofas.
"Hey Jordie," he
began.
"Yeah?"
"During the chaotic mess of the past two
days I never got a chance to thank you for you and Tahira saving my
ass."
"She saved my ass too, remember. Besides, this isn't
the first time I've risked my neck for you, and it probably won't
be the last either. I've known you for thirteen years, there's
precious little I wouldn't do for you."
"Jordie, you're
the most loyal friend someone could ever hope for."
"Eh, what
can I say?"
How about that you love him, Jordie? You have yet
to try that one. she thought.
A few minutes later, Dax sat
next to them.
"Are all Jedi anti-social?" he asked
playfully.
"Nah, we just don't want people recognizing us."
Anakin replied.
"Please, at this hour, everyone is so drunk they
couldn't recognize their own reflection. Now come on and have a
drink."
"No, thanks. I don't drink."
"Speak for
yourself!" she snapped."I needed a strong drink two days ago, I'm
well overdue." She hopped off the couch and followed Dax to the
bar.
He handed her a menu, "Order whatever you like."
After
carefully reading the menu, she made her decision.
"Give the
lady what she wants." he commanded the bartender.
Corellian
Black Vodka. It is a drink that even the most hardened and dangerous
scoundrels drink with caution. If Jordana wanted a strong drink, she
sure as hell found one. She gazed down at the pitch black liquid in
the shot glass, wondering if she should have chosen a more appealing
looking beverage. She brushed her inhibtions aside and raised the
glass to her lips. At first it was sweet, and she relaxed slightly.
But once the liquid began to travel down her throat, it immediately
lit it ablaze. Dry, scratching heat clawed its way up her throat. She
gasped for air, anything to cool it. The bartender, as if seeing this
many times before, handed her a glass of water, but it did little to
sooth her raw throat. She looked over to Dax, who was unsuccessfuly
trying to hide his laughter.
"What the hell is so funny?" she
rasped.
"The look on your face. Drinks are a little stronger
here than they are Coruscant, aren't they?"
She nodded
irriitably.
"Those drinks are nothing compared to anything
what's here, just watered down to almost nothing."
"Master
never taught me about this." she mumbled.
Just then, Anakin
came rushing toward them.
"Jordie, are you alright? I saw you
gasping."
"Yeah, she's fine." Dax replied. "Her drink
was just a little too strong."
"Hey Dax, do you have, you
know, a regular mixed drink? One that, like, won't set me on
fire."
He ordered her something and leaned closer as he handed
her the drink, "Just some advice: If you really want to try and
blend in, you better get used to the powerful drinks here."
He
left them to talk to the people inhabiting the betting tables, and
Anakin lead Jordana back to their couch.
"Jordana, I want you to
be more careful."
"Anakin, I'll be fine. Don't worry about
me."
"But I am going to worry. You're the closest thing I
have to family right now. I've already lost Padme, I don't want
to lose you too. Besides, I don't think Tahira would be very happy
with me if I let something happen to you."
She set her drink
down on the table in front of them and relaxed into Anakin as he
placed his hand on her waist. The effects of the drink were hitting
her hard: she began to feel light headed, and the room began to
swirl. She leaned her head back against his shoulder and closed her
eyes, focusing solely on the beat of the music.
