A/N: Aurora's theme is #1 Crush by Garbage, I suggest you listen to it. Reviews, follows & favs are appreciated, as always. x
The following night, against all odds, Maleficent found herself walking the street of Oudezijds Achterburgwal, again – and alone. She kept her head down, the hood of her jacket covering most of her face, but the heels on her feet still received a fair amount of attention. Every now and then, someone walked towards her, looking like they were going to say something, but she tilted her head down and picked up her pace, determined to reach her destination.
A night of tossing and turning in the silky sheets of her bed at the hotel had quickly turned into an agonizing trance of mental images torturing her. After trying to fall asleep for nearly two hours, she'd violently beat the pillow until it exploded. Sitting in a pile of duck feathers, she'd given in, gotten up, fixed her face and quietly slipped out of her room.
What had come over her, she could not explain. Blonde tresses flashed before her eyes whenever she closed them, and after smoking a cigarette in front of her hotel, she'd decided that she was courageous enough to make it to the Red Light District on her own.
The pink contours of the giant elephant lit up her anxious face when she reached the entrance of Casa Rosso. Friday night – and more people than she'd expected. There was a line to the ticket-booth. Her stomach sunk about ten inches when she realized that she'd have to stand there alone, in the group of not-so fine, young gentlemen.
Fortunately, the line moved quickly, and when there were only two young French guys in front of her, she lowered her hood. The doorman from yesterday immediately recognized her, but her expression remained indifferent.
"You are back", he grunted and walked up to her. Unconsciously, she began fidgeting. "Did you find raw?" The r's rolled on his tongue far longer than hers.
"Yes", she sighed and pulled her wallet out of her purse. "How much is it?" Since Diaval had paid for her, she didn't know. She'd told him that she was tired. If he, too, was coming to Casa Rosso tonight, the situation would become far more than awkward.
"For you, forty euros", the bald doorman replied, eyeing her purse. "Drink is included."
She nodded but as she was about to step towards the ticket-booth, he moved into her way. Throat tightening, she met his black eyes.
"You are brave, yes?" It was more of a statement than a question. "Women don't come alone. There is danger here."
She looked around with a brow raised. "I'm not afraid of a little danger", she replied calmly and continued past him.
Once inside, she knew the way, only this time she sought out a seat in the second row; the first would've been too deviant. The air was smoke-filled and the only free seat she found was between two groups of chuckling youngsters.
The dim lighting became maroon as the erotic music slowly began playing, and Maleficent began fidgeting even more. The eyes of the men on either side of her alternated between her and the stripper on stage, but she kept her eyes down, waiting for the third performance.
Two glasses of champagne and seven performances later, the young blonde still hadn't appeared. Growing impatient, Maleficent glared at the gold watch on her wrist; 1.22 AM. Pretentious moans and the sound of slick skin meeting more skin echoed in her ears and slowly, impatience turned into disgust.
Fifteen minutes later, the stage became maroon once more, and the same brunette walked out and the group of men on her right got up and left. The one she searched for wasn't coming.
Exhaling a deep breath in pure frustration and disappointment, Maleficent zipped her coat and exited the crowded theatre, careful not to make eye contact with anyone.
When she stepped out into the dark hallway, a duo of two, well-dressed businessmen caught her eye. They walked past her but didn't enter the theatre; instead, they continued down the hall. She shot a glance over her shoulder; the restrooms were upstairs and not in the direction where the men were headed.
'Oh, what the hell', she thought, and then hurried after them.
She reached a stairwell and a steady beat reached her ears; base, but it wasn't coming from the theatre. Heels clicking, she descended the stairs, only to be met by a man far more frightening than the foreign doorman at the entrance.
"You're in the wrong place, lady", he said and brushed his tattoo-covered hand through his slick hair.
Maleficent frowned. He was British. "What's in there?" she asked curiously, yet kept herself composed.
The man grinned wickedly, eyeing her from head to toe, and then moved his finger in a come-hither motion. Swallowing, she leaned closer. "Are you looking for work?"
"What?" she blurted out, offended. "No! You know wh – forget it." She turned around to head out, but he grabbed her wrist. Startled, she pulled her arm away.
"It's fifty if you want to take a look, lovely", he whispered and looked around, as if he was worried about someone hearing them.
"I already paid upstairs, that's –"
"That was for the show", he cut in and his expression became rather stern. "Fifty, or sod off."
Without saying a word, she shoved an orange note into his hand and strode past him.
Suddenly, she found herself in a large space, looking very much like a cabaret. In the middle was a stage in the form of a cube, with several poles and flashing, red lights. On the floor, there were illuminated paths to each and every table – tables, which were almost full.
Her heart was racing too hard. Luckily, the area itself was rather dim, and she couldn't tell whether or not she was being stared at. Pulling herself together, she took a couple of steps forward, searching for an empty seat somewhere.
Through the crowd of drinks, suits, and men with too much money to spend, she found her way to a small table, not too far from the stage. She eyed the women there; tall, eastern looking, in fuck-me heels and black pearl-thongs. She judged them mentally as she sat down and slipped out of her coat.
In no time, a waitress, looking very much like the women on stage, appeared before her with a tray, asking if she could get her anything. Strangely unsettled, Maleficent glared at her bare chest and then ordered a third glass of champagne – and got a wink in return.
'You're insane', she thought to herself when the fizzy liquid reached her throat. Instead of looking at the performers, she eyed her surroundings. Ties, briefcases, rolls of notes and empty glasses everywhere, the air so thick she could barely breathe normally. Maybe she was supposed to feel light-headed in here. Maybe it would help her relax.
When a familiar tune penetrated the cheering, drunk crowd, Maleficent's eyes returned to the stage. The brunettes scattered, leaving room for someone else. The spotlight turned from red to rosy and Maleficent straightened up in her seat – and was met by sapphire blue orbs. Gasping, her hand covered her mouth as it dawned on her who she was looking at.
The whistling, cheering audience went wild as the tall blonde walked up to the edge of the stage. Nearly naked to begin with, she slowly began undoing the ties of her leather-corset, her breasts peaking gloriously over its hem. Entranced, Maleficent stared with her lips parted; she was in no state to comprehend that the raunchy, sexy girl on stage was the same innocent one she'd known long ago.
The blonde on stage walked up to one of the poles and bent over, grinding the pole against her bare, firm behind. Notes flew onto the stage, and she unlaced her corset completely. The garment fell to the floor, and she brought her hands up to her breasts, cupping them as she bit her lip.
Maleficent didn't know whether she wanted to leave or stay. This was what she'd come for. Now, though, it was far bolder than she'd expected, and she found herself somewhere between embarrassed and aroused. Crossing her legs, she took another sip of her drink as the blonde went down on all fours and crawled to the edge of the stage. The illuminated light made her golden hair shine brighter than the stars themselves.
The blonde crept dangerously close to a few men sitting at the table closest to her, but she stayed in safety and simply threw her head back, making her blonde tresses fall around her rosy face like a halo. The image made Maleficent's breath hitch; there was nothing holy about this place.
The blonde's breasts and stomach were gleaming from sweat. She flipped herself onto her back and thrust her hips upwards, earning high-pitched cheers from the men surrounding her. Maleficent stayed silent, breathing heavily.
At last, the lights intensified to turquoise and made the girl glow where she sat. She writhed, eyes closed and mouth agape in a silent moan. She moved back onto all fours, facing away from the public, and began pulling her thong off with one hand. The volume grew intensely but everything else became background noise as Maleficent stared at the petite figure on stage. When the thong was down to her knees, she got up and faced the public, holding her head high. There was a curious smile on her lips, but her eyes were blank. She stepped out of the thin piece of clothing and leaned back onto one arm with her legs spread. Thrusting her hips forward in Maleficent's direction, she gave the woman a quick glimpse of the darker flesh between her legs.
And then the lights around the stage went out. Notes continued flying onto it, and Maleficent became uncomfortably aware of the warmth between her own legs. She got up and elbowed her way through the whistling, howling crowd.
When the cool night's air entered her lungs, she gasped out loud and looked around herself in confusion. What in the world had gotten into her? She wasn't here to gawk at the girl's body, and still, she'd felt herself get worked up whilst watching her. Fingers shook as they reached into a jacket pocket to pull out a pack of cigarettes.
"You survived."
Maleficent turned around to find the kinder of the two doormen watching her from only a few feet away. She exhaled slowly and pressed her eyes shut, shaking her head. "This place is poisonous."
He lit a cigarette of his own. "And yet, you come back. Who is it you look for?"
She glared at him, annoyed that he knew exactly what she was up to. Or maybe it was obvious? Either way, she'd been in that place for too long to just return to her hotel room, empty handed. "Listen", she began, trying to force a smile. "The blonde downstairs…"
He simply smoked, eyes firmly on hers.
"What, um – at what time does she get off?" As soon as she uttered the words, she imagined him interpreting them in the wrong way, but there was no snotty reply. He looked down at his black shoes, and then back up at her. She sighed and pulled another note out of her pocket. Walking up to him, she gave him fifty euros and titled her head to the side. "I just want to speak with her for a moment. It won't matter to you. Please. It's important."
His black eyes bore into hers, but finally the corner of his mouth twitched. "After four."
She glared at her watch. 3.46 AM. She flipped her burning cigarette onto the ground and tilted her head back to look at the starry sky. She'd already been in this hellhole close to three hours. She could handle one more.