Night of Dulled Senses (Open)

Naomi had to keep looking for leads in this strange world. She wasn’t exactly sure what the best way to do that was, so she went with her gut. Walking around and talking to random people. That was if she could find people. A task which was harder than it should have been. At least she had one lead. She looked up at entrance to the place known as the Glowing Leech. This placed seemed to be really popular. She’d given it plenty of thought, and decided it was finally time for her to act. She took in a deep breath and puffed out her chest. It was the same tactic people said you should use on wild animals; the one where you make yourself look bigger than you really are. She was basically entering a jungle, so she found it appropriate. She’d enter the place, only to lose her display of confidence immediately. No matter how she looked at it, this place was amazing. She couldn’t have dreamed up something so sleek and, well, futuristic. If this was heaven she didn’t mind. Actually, she did. She didn’t want to be dead just yet. That could wait another 70 years or so. But by that time, she wouldn’t mind being here. It all seemed so perfect. Except for the person shouting in her ear and the weird feeling she got that robots ruled the world when she walked in. That seemed almost post-apocalyptic. Other than that, it was perfect. She could learn to love this place.

Now, what did people generally do in a nightclub? She knew that they drank, but she wasn’t old enough for that yet. There was usually also dancing, but Naomi had two left feet, so she decided against that. She would scoot up to the bar and take a seat. She felt like such a big girl doing this (technically, she would be an adult soon, but she didn’t feel or act that way). She wondered what this world considered food and drink, “Excuse me, do you have anything that’s na--” She would stop herself before finishing that statement. She hadn’t thought about it until now, but she didn’t even know what currency looked like in this world or how it worked. If she pulled out the money from her world, it could give her away in an instant. Given how she tried to carry as little as possible to keep herself from being too identifiable her, she couldn’t believe she didn’t think of that, “Umm… Nevermind. I’m still choosing.” Looked like she wasn’t going to get to study their local cuisine. She’d have to keep this as a formal investigation. She was kind of hungry though. A snack would have been nice. Thank goodness she was smart enough to bring suckers in case the food here was inedible.

She took another glance around the place. There really were a lot of machines in this place. In fact, it looked like their were more machines than people. Unless… She looked a bit closer, only to realize that some of those machines were people. Still cool, but something inside of her found that a tad much. She loved technology and all, but she wasn’t ready to have that close of a relationship with it. No offense to those who were natural machines, she just didn’t want her arms to be made of metal. She’d glance at the other people at the bar. Somehow, she had managed to find the one other person here who wasn’t a machine. At least, she didn’t think the woman was. She couldn’t exactly tell. Machines seemed to be the standard here, so she could have been. She would look down at the counter, “What exactly is this place…” She would think out loud. Maybe investigating alone was not the best idea. She could really use some backup here. Her eyes would glance over to the woman again, sighing a little in relief. At least she wasn’t the only non-machine. She would catch that thought and shake her head, slapping her hands on the counter in front of her lightly. What was she thinking? Alphonse was a machine and they got along just fine. There was nothing wrong with machines. She was just uncomfortable in this environment, since she wasn’t used to it. She’d just have to suck it up and continue. She couldn’t figure anything out by just sitting around. Now if only she had the courage to talk to someone besides the girl who now lived on her tablet.

Naomi would look over at the woman next to her with a slight look of shock. She hadn’t expected anyone to hear her, let alone comment. Her face would turn deep red and she shook her head, “No. I had no idea. I mean, I could guess, but I didn’t know for sure. I’m kind of new, so…” Her inability with words was starting to take over. Sure, she was sort of holding a conversation, but it was more out of nervousness than anything else. She had to wonder how out of place she looked right now. She ears would begin to ring with how strange this situation seemed, until she heard the woman tell the bartender to get her something. She would snap back to attention, “Umm, thank you very much.” She wondered what something small was, so she looked over while he was mixing the drink. Even he was a machine. Well, it was probably easier for him to do his job that way. She’d look over to the woman again, “I’m Naomi, by the way. What’s your name?” She would wait for the woman to answer, if she did answer. As soon as the drink was slid over to her, the girl would look at it very suspiciously. It wasn’t something she had ever seen before. She’d pick up the glass and sniff it, liking the sweet smell. She took a small sip, finding the taste a little more familiar than she expected, “This is pretty good. What is it?” She’d smile at the woman next to her, “This place just keeps getting better and better. I never would have expected all of this. Although… I must admit I’m still not used to everything.” She’d glance once more at the more obvious machine parts people seemed to have.

She’d give the woman a look of confusion at her next statement, “I’m just exploring the place. You know, tourism and all that. As for my outfit, I just like dressing like this. I think it’s fun. Although, I could go without the heels some days.” She would shrug, “Oh well, it’s part of the appeal.” As for the last question, “What does going ‘out back’ with a man mean?” Yeah, this could only end with her being more confused than when she entered. Maybe she should have gotten more cultural courses from Beep before she decided to walk into the lion’s den. She’d move on from that topic though, “This place seems pretty popular. I can only assume something here draws people in.” She had never been to a club before, so she could only guess it was dancing. That seemed unlikely though, “What about you? Do you think this is the best place for a newbie to go?”

Naomi would look between the glass and Helen a few times before speaking up, “Without falling over? How much alcohol is in this thing?” She couldn’t even tell when she had tasted it earlier. It seemed to just be a normal drink, aside from being as thick as honey, “Thanks for the warning. I wouldn’t want to have trouble getting home today.” Crossing dimensions was weird enough as it was. She didn’t need to try it while half smashed. Her pupils would wander to the corners of her eyes with a small sigh, “I’m just not very bright. In that respect, I guess I was living in a cave.” So, this place had a sums, and it didn’t seem to be keeping up the same pace as this place. She’d look back down at the drink, “I’ve just never been good at paying attention to the world around me. Maybe I should start.” She’d laugh a little at herself, “Besides, I know some basic history. I’m just a little slow on what’s popular.” Trying to play off like she was just a stupid resident was pretty hard. If she wasn’t careful, they’d find out that she wasn’t even from this world. She had to learn to fit in and quick.

She would look at the dance floor once more as Helen pointed it out, “Do many people here dance, because it looks and sounds like something else is blurring out the music.” She’d listen closely to the announcer. It sort of sounded like the commentary at a wrestling match. Were they big into sports in this world? Especially the violent ones? She was trying to figure out just what she had gotten herself into when Helen snapped back her attention. What could she say that didn’t sound completely crazy, “Honestly, I’m from a bit further away so I was hoping to learn more about what it’s like to be here. Do you know the feeling?” It wasn’t a lie, but she left out the part about still being from a different San Malarus, “Thank you for being so nice, Helen.” She had been afraid to be doing this all on her own. She was grateful that somebody here seemed kind.

Naomi would push the drink away just a little, “I’m sorry to sound rude, but I’ve never had any alcohol before. I think I may be in over my head.” Helen had ordered it for her, but she knew when she was bested. There was no way for her to have any more than that one sip, unless she wanted to pass out. This entire time, she had been aware of, but not particularly paying attention to the man next to Helen. When he stiffened up, she would look down at his glass, which was half gone. The moment he stood up, she would have to say something, “Sir, maybe you should sit down for a while. Give the drink some time to pass through your system a little.” She wasn’t particularly loud, as she was nervous about talking to someone whose face she couldn’t see, but she was concerned. The man hadn’t said much, but it didn’t sound like he was used to this kind of drink either, “I mean, only if you want.”

Her nerves were beginning to make her ramble mindlessly. If only she wasn’t so bad with words. She’d back down pretty quickly and return to her own conversation, “These fights sound like they really draw a crowd.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say about them. After all, she hadn’t seen one. She would be taken aback when Helen called her out like it was nothing. Then, she’d laugh a little, “Yeah, I’m not from around here, but I am a tourist. I really am just trying to learn about what it’s like here.” She’d lean her elbows against the counter and lower her chin to her hands, “I’ll try not to get into trouble. I mean, what exactly could I get myself into?” She thought about that statement for a moment, “That was a stupid and obvious question, wasn’t it? Can we forget that I’m an idiot for about five seconds? I need to redeem some semblance of intelligence?” She’d sigh a little, “Seriously though, how much trouble could I manage to get myself into?”

Naomi would wave her hands in front of her face to try and distract Helen from that thought, “No way. I am not getting into a fight. Even if it was a joke, I’m not insane.” She would sigh, but mix it in with a laugh, “Well, I am afraid of death. I mean, I’m not old enough to even be thinking about that sort of thing just yet.” That, and she promised a friend recently that she wouldn’t get herself killed. If she jumped into a fight, that would quickly turn into a broken promise. She’d glance over to Helen with a small, sad smile of her face, “I can’t fault them if it makes them happy.” She would say out loud, but then lower her voice, “But I wish they could be happy with the way they were born.” She would look down at her own hand with a bit of a stupid smirk on her face, “Maybe it’s just me, but I like my own flesh and bone. I couldn’t imagine willingly giving away the parts I was born with.” She questioned taking another sip of the drink, but went against it, “Besides, what good is it to keep getting he best parts? If everyone keeps getting them, won’t they all eventually become the same? Seems like a real shame to me. I mean, what’s the point?” She had to wonder if she was drunk. This wasn’t like her. Usually, she would keep these kind of comments to herself, but now they were just spilling out. She glanced back at Helen, “I take you don’t like it much?” It wasn’t as if she was hiding it. She moved the glass further away. She was definitely drunk, “Do you like San Malarus?” It was slightly out of place, but she was wondering.

She leaned her head back against her hand, “I’ll never know. You could always ask someone that’s had a lot of work done on them? Maybe they could tell you why they did it.” Well, she knew one person who could possibly fit in here. If this place was made of mostly machines, she would have to bring that person at some point to check it out. Naomi would nod, “I’ve met her. She was pretty nice. In fact, she’s the one who told me about this place. I would have had no clue where to go if it wasn’t for her. She’s the coolest thing ever.” She would have to thank Beep next time they spoke. She had been right about this place, “It is pretty nice here. Aside from the empty streets, I mean.” She would have to think for a moment, “I’m probably not going to stay for very long. Actually, that depends on how things go. Who knows, maybe I’ll decide I like it here and move.” She laughed, “I’m kidding. I would miss my home if I suddenly moved here. As for where I’m staying, that’s a se-cr-et.” She would twirl her finger in the air as if she were spinning something, “Sorry. I think that drink is having its way with me. I should probably get going soon, while I can still walk straight. What do you think?” She had never been in this situation before, so she was pretty lost. She was also a lightweight when it came to alcohol. Heck, soda basically made her a sugar-high mess, “Actually, maybe you should too. You’re starting to look a little tired.” Unless she was just bored. It was probably one of those.

With a small nod, Naomi would stand up. Okay, the drink was messing with her that badly just yet. She could still see straight and that meant she would be fine to walk (probably). She would give Helen a thumbs up, signaling that she was okay, “Thank you for tonight, Helen. And don’t worry. I’m a fast learner. I’ll be able to take care of myself soon enough.” She didn’t know what else to say. The woman had been kind enough to speak with her, and Naomi had learned a little more about this world in the process. At least Helen seemed to be nice enough, “Enjoy yourself, okay?” She didn’t know when/if they would meet again, so she could only wish her a good life. For now though, she needed to get back to her own world. She’d give Helen a small bow before leaving the Glowing Leech Thank goodness pink doors attached to thin air weren’t that hard to miss. Oh well. She’d have to take note of what she had figured out here as soon as she got home. That, and take a very long nap. She would look around one last time before stepping through the door back to her San Malarus.

{EXIT}