Participants:
| Scene Title | Are You Interested? |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Grace and Jessica all but play 20 questions: What is Grace doing at Exotica? |
| Date | August 25, 2008 |
Evening at Exotica. The DJ is spinning some danceable tunes, and there are a number of women moving through the crowd in various states of skimpy dress (or undress). One is on the stage, getting the lion's share of attention while the others work the room. Jessica's on the floor right now, rather than the stage, and is essentially in a neon-orangeish bikini with white accents that glow nicely under some of the blacklights placed through the place for accent.
The woman who enters the club is most likely not part of its usual clientele. She's made some allowance for dressing up — black slacks, a nice red blouse, a gold chain with a blue pendant. But she wears no makeup, and the scan Grace gives the room is definitely that of a stranger to Exotica, taking in the environment. A hint of a smile tugs at one corner of her lips as she continues down towards the dance floor.
It's odd to see women here at all. Moreso when they're alone; the few they get are usually with their boyfriends. It's enough to draw Jessica's attention…though right now she's only watching as she works the room. It never hurts to be cautious. One of the waitresses comes by, there's a 2 drink minimum here.
Ah, yes. Drinks. Grace has no love for alcohol, but she isn't expressive by nature; hopefully the waitress doesn't notice her opinion. She /does/ have enough familiarity with clubs to not even try and bow out of the requirement; the woman just makes her order. Fortunately, the music and the general preoccupation of the dancers means her harsh voice doesn't catch too much attention.
The waitress goes off to get the drink for Grace. There are some of the dancers talking quietly, as they wonder what Grace is doing. Finally, a willowy Asian woman approaches. "Hi there…what brings you by tonight?"
And… cue more distractions. Grace turns her head to look at the Asian woman, blue eyes unblinkingly steady above a small smile. "Maybe I'm meeting someone," she replies. Though her voice is harsh, the tone is (probably) amiable. "Maybe I just wanted a night out. I don't see that it's your business." That smile broadens, just a hair, and one dark brow arches. "Unless you wanted to dance?"
The woman smiles. "Well, that -is- what people usually come here for. Are you interested?" She's being coy, or trying to. Probably trying to wrangle payment for a dance out of Grace, if she can.
"Like you said," Grace replies, with that same hint of a smile. "That's what the floor is for." But her inflection doesn't /quite/ make the statement an invitation, and she steps in amongst the crowd on the floor, moving with the beat. Maybe additional payment isn't on Grace's agenda tonight. Maybe she's just hoping to confuse the woman.
The woman doesn't press, she moves on. There's easier marks tonight. Of course, the fact that Grace turns it down makes Jessica notice all the more. She's here…alone…and apparently not interested in the dancers. The blonde starts to approach too. Time to check into this herself.
Grace pauses in her own dancing to accept her drink from the returning waitress. She takes a sip of it, expression neutral as she rolls the alcohol on her tongue before swallowing, still swaying back and forth with the beat. Catching sight of Jessica heading towards her, that hint of a smile reappears. "Tag-teaming, are you?" The woman seems amused — maybe. Her harsh voice isn't the easiest to read.
Jessica looks back to Grace, smiling with just a bit of a superior smile. Maybe she has a domme thing going, who knows? "Well, folks who come here are usually looking for attention. So either you're not, or Asian's not your flavor. Figured I'd see which it was."
Blue eyes study Jessica, the woman's head tilting just slightly. "Gambling that blonde is?" Grace replies, taking another drink. "What would you do if it wasn't?" Hypothetically speaking, of course.
Jessica just looks back, amused. "Move on. It's not like it's really hard getting money out of drunk guys. You're interesting at the moment because you're the out of place person. So the question becomes why."
At Jessica's remark, Grace chuckles softly. Not that anything about her voice is really soft — just quiet. "I imagine it isn't." She finishes her drink, and considers the empty glass. "Excuse me a moment," the woman says with a smile. "I believe I'm due for another," she concludes, lifting the glass slightly. Then she locates the nearest waitress.
The waitress is happy to come by and bring Grace a second drink, which she does, putting the overpriced beverage down. Jessica watches, a bit dubiously. "If you came here to drink, you're wasting your money. It's cheaper at any bar."
Trading in her glass for a new one, and paying the woman, Grace turns back to Jessica. The smile, although still small, seems to have more the character of a grin, and she lifts the drink as if in a toast to Jess'. "This is two," she replies, obliquely reminding the woman of the minimum. "I do fulfill my obligations." And she takes a first sip of it.
Jessica still smiles that same amused smile. "Well, enjoy the show, then." She seems to have decided that Grace must be here for purposes other than the girls, but can't find it out without raising suspicion. She turns to start off.
Another guest of the club steps out from the crowd on the floor; standing behind Grace, just a bit taller than she, he sets his hands about her waist. "Leaving so soon?" he asks of Jessica. He might be a familiar face; not a frequent visitor, but an occasional one.
If Jess' turns back in time, she might notice that Grace's first reaction to the surprise contact is the impulse to self-defense — but she checks it before it becomes more than a twitch, forcing herself to relax, tipping her head back to look up at the man. "You're late."
Jessica looks back to the man, and her question seems answered, since clearly he knows Grace. "Got to be on stage soon. Unless you had something you wanted?"
From the man's expression, he's definitely seen Jessica on stage before. "Wouldn't want to keep you," he replies.
For her part, Grace rolls her eyes at him, but she offers Jessica another subtle smile. The glint in her eyes isn't nearly as subtle. "Go fleece them," she says, nodding to the other woman.
Jessica heads backstage, since she's up next. Everyone gets their chance at the rotation; the stage girls get the tips from the men at the rail, and it's good cash. She checks with the DJ to see the music she's dancing to, and then struts out onto the stage, to the obvious approval of the guys.
One guy actually isn't paying attention to the stage. He's busy dancing with Grace. But when the last song before Jessica's performance wraps, he stops and whispers something into Grace's ear. When he steps away, there's no 'farewell' contact — not a kiss, not a hug, not even holding hands. An exchange of smiles, perhaps; nothing more personal. He goes over to get a drink, apparently intending to settle in and watch the show from here out — and Grace works her way gradually towards the exit, probably only not obvious about it to the people not blessed with the elevation of the stage.
Jessica is curious…but she can't show it while she's up here. She keeps dancing, removing piece by piece, watching Grace as she heads out. Some kind of business deal, just a strange place to have it. But nothing to be concerned about, it seems.
 August 25th: Avon Calling |
 August 26th: Do I Know You? |