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Part of me wanted to just go home. Just get as far away from the other people as I could. The creep who left that note could be anywhere.
But a different part of me took over. I didn’t want to go home to cower alone. I needed a distraction. Getting a drink with a handsome Vinduthi and trying to forget the night from hell seemed acceptable.
“Okay,” I managed to control myself enough to say. “Lead the way.”
Jalik responded with a simple yet devilish smirk. Then he placed a hand on the middle of my back and led me out of the casino.
At his touch, my heart skipped a beat. I found myself wishing he’d grip my hips. Or at least hold my hand as he led me along. I wanted more of him.
My head was swimming so wildly with Jalik’s presence that before I knew it, we were at the bar.
‘The Glimmering Moon,’ the sign read. But this place was anything but glimmering. I knew we were in the Promenade and not The Under, but this was still a place I’d never go alone.
Jalik led me inside, where it was even less ‘glimmering.’ The very air in the place was musty. If the lighting wasn’t so low, I could probably see all the blood stains from the countless fights that must break out each night.
The patrons inside seemed even worse. Gruff, angry-looking folks who didn’t seem happy to have an outsider like me stroll in. The bartender, a Monion, even paused from pouring a drink to glare at us with his reptilian eyes.
Likely sensing my nervousness, Jalik gripped my side and led me further into the bar.
“Kam,” Jalik said to the bartender. “Two of my regulars to the back booth.”
The bartender just grumbled in response but started fixing two drinks.
“Don’t worry about anyone in here, I got you. Plus, their bark is way worse than their bite. The bartender most of all.”
“What’s his deal?”
“He lost a match against me and now I get free drinks here for a whole year.”
We sat down in a booth at the back of the bar. A moment later, the bartender slammed two drinks down in front of us before sauntering away.
“So, do you fight a lot of people?”
“I’ve fought my fair share, with even more waiting in the wings to challenge me. I?—”
“Hey, Jalik…” a drunk Dargun slurred as he stumbled towards us. “Such a great fight. Won a hundred bucks from my brother-in-law thanks to you.”
“You’re welcome,” Jalik responded flatly. “Now, please, we’re having a conversation.”
“Hey, just keep up the good work,” he mumbled as he walked away. “I got more money on you tomorrow night.”
“Sorry about that. The perks of my work are fantastic, all I ever could’ve wanted,” Jalik mused before taking the first sip of his ‘usual’ drink. “But I could do without that.”
“I know what you mean,” I responded. “I haven’t even been performing at the casino for all that long, and I’ve dealt with the same thing. It can be… overwhelming.”
“You get used to it. It doesn’t exactly stop being annoying. But you get used to it.”
“I don’t know if I want to get used to it.” I took a sip of the drink Jalik ordered for me. It was extremely strong and burned from my lips down my throat.
“What do you mean? Surely you expected this sort of thing as you dreamed of being a singer.”
“I never dreamed of being a singer, Jalik.” I took another sip of the drink. It still burned, but I wanted more.
“Then what did you dream of becoming?”
“Nothing. I really just dreamed of surviving. As a human living in The Under, that’s all you can really dream for.”
Jalik fell silent and took a big swig of his drink, then motioned towards the bartender to order another. It was easy for folks like him living it up at the Black Star to forget the reality of the many humans living in the filth of Thodos III.
