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The bus stopped here, just as she had said it would.
The picasso-esque woman climbed off, giving herself a moment to reorient at the stop and take in her surroundings in the darkening afternoon.
She’d hardly taken in the trip itself, too preoccupied by the digital message she’d been compulsively reading over and over. Staring, as if maybe this time, it’d be different when she opened it. It’d cause that blooming feeling of warmth to well forth in her chest, so she’d close it and look away, gazing at anything else whilst not actually regarding the space around her. Rinse and repeat.
‘I’m in the Palm District !!! Alphonse Street- it’s the giant red and gold theatre with the red, blue and pink lights, lol. Super hard to miss. It’ll say ‘NOUVEAU PLAYHOUSE’ on the outside in big ol’ white letters. Just tell the guy at the ticket booth that you’re Ena- he’ll know. See u there, doll !!! ❤️’
She read the message one last time, before dismissing the digital display, into seemingly thin air.
She couldn’t help the giddy grin on her face, so she just flapped a hand absentmindedly for a minute as she bounced on her toes. Once the moment passed, she continued her journey down the neon-lit street.
The Palm District was always an utter spectacle, with its lights and colors. The space followed a day-night cycle, some effort to facilitate a sense of passing time. The day would bring a lemon-yellow sun, the world itself splashed with a palette of flamingo pinks, turquoise, lavender, and mint green. Night time contrasted by introducing the city bathed in shades of near-jet black, with fuchsias, cyans, deep purples and blues, lit by a sunset-gradient moon. The heart of the city sat at the dead center, encompassed by odd buildings- a massive, sprawling 80’s esque mall with multiple floors and sections that seemed like you could walk and walk, yet never explore its entirety. There was even a beach somewhere, for Ena had heard the seagulls and crisp, compressed audio of crashing waves in the distance at one point.
The city was always bustling with locals and tourists, being one of the more busy and populated places to go- the city gave off a better facade of being massive and interconnected. Hard for it not to be, with the gift shops, red carpet movie theatres, cutesy 50’s diners, casinos and hotels with tacky themes and gimmicks. Beyond the regular sights were the more odd ends of Palm District, with streets that seemed to abruptly cut off, nothing but skybox beyond it. Not only this, but the beams of spotlights overhead that waved energetically in the sky, yet never seemed to have an origin point, or the skyscrapers that stood, cleaved in half and floating yet still frequented and actively used by rushed office workers. Unfinished constructions snuggled themselves between pre-existing buildings, only a wireframe of neon fuchsia outlining where eventual faces of building walls would be rendered in. Ena wondered what each building would be used for, once it was completed. If it was completed- sometimes, things seemed to be in a perpetual state of development, never to be finished.
Of course, she’d visited here before. Some errand run that delved deep into the multiple, twisted floors of some tacky gift shop hell. She’d loved it, each floor full of jpegs of whimsical fairy women posing with dragons or shelves of geometrical crystals, wind chimes stretched down a long hall and cases full of intricately-rendered jewelry hand-done and sometimes painfully coated in over-lit rhinestones. She was a kid in a candy store. Of course the trip ran short, and eventually she had to leave, left unsatisfied and craving to explore more of the city she had no chance to wander.
Well, no chance until she’d met Veau.
Thinking back on it now as she walked, her first encounter with the stage actress was just as ethereal and enchanting as she always seemed to be. It was a chance meeting, and boy, was she ever so lucky to be given said opportunity.
...
It had been a festival- Moony, her celestial companion had insisted they go. Her foresight was well as usual, the event was surely the ‘hot’ place to be for the day, a myriad of sights, sounds and smells that flooded the senses and filled one with child-like wonder. Down every line of booths were stalls with poorly-constructed mobile app games, or beloved classics. Foods Ena had never even seen before- or food combinations she’d never even considered. Temporary stages set up live demonstrations, short comedy bits, dancing and music. Everywhere you turned, there was something to see. Which was great and all, until it wasn’t.
Ena sometimes struggled with crowds and noise- this was nothing new. Depending on the day and her energy, she was either full of life and excitement, or quickly drained and overwhelmed whilst barely masking it as she rouletted quickly between personalities. Today was one of those ‘battery half empty’ days. She was enjoying herself, but fatigue had started to set in, and then it only seemed to get worse- when she’d looked for Moony, she’d discovered that she had lost her companion in the crowds of festival-goers. This snowballed quickly into an oncoming panic attack, so she’d taken the chance to slip off and locate a quiet space behind a stage to reorient and settle her shaken nerves. It was there she’d sat, tucked into herself and trembling as she vainly attempted to count to herself.
And that was when she showed up, descending the stage’s back steps as she removed a silk shawl from her shoulders and wearily fixed her hair.
“I’m done- for today, Charlie. Put anotha’ girl on, if you must, but I’m off to enjoy the festival before we have to leave.” She tossed back over her shoulder at an equally-weary stage manager.
The actress’s weariness cleared quickly upon spotting the two-toned girl curled up against prop boxes, picking up immediately on the signs of distress practically radiating off of her. She didn’t recognize the girl, not as a fellow actress nor as a familiar figure- however she found her way back here, she was in a bad way. That was something the other could help with, perhaps.
Ena heard and smelled her before she saw her. With her gentle one-two step constantly accompanied by a steady rhythm of jingling skirt bells and the smell of warm cinnamon that never seemed to fade, she came to a stop in front of the girl and kneeled to gaze at her with soft eyes.
“Dear, are you alright?” Oh, that sweet, warm Mid-Atlantic accent cut straight through her and seeped into her head like warm honey. Still, Ena opted against looking up, instead keeping her face against her knees and giving only a slight shake of her head.
“Ahh… Well, is there something I may do to help?” She prompted, this time finally getting the two-toned girl to lift her head and-
Fuck, she was beautiful. Ena felt bad that, of all things, that was the first thought that put itself at the forefront. But hell, look at her.
She couldn’t have been much taller than the other, but her broad chest and tan shoulders gave the impression of a large, protecting figure. A balled-up shawl of two colors rested in her hands- the lower set, Ena noticed. The woman had four arms. Her dark red hair gave the illusion of being short, kept neat by a copper headband and two large disk earrings for ears that didn’t exist. She wasn’t quite sure what the little ear-like pieces that rose from the headband were, but they were admittedly cute. That face was calm but concerned, gazing at her with olive green eyes framed by teal skin that imitated the effect of a liberal amount of eyeshadow. A perfect little beauty mark rested below her left eye, and Ena couldn’t help but stare at it for a second.
Up until she realized she hadn’t responded, in her breathless, startled revelation.
“S-sowwy…” She started up in that weak little voice, “Am I in the way? I’m in the way, awen’t I?”
But the actress only shook her head and squeezed at the shawl, “No, not at all, darling.”
Darling. Something about the way this lady spoke had her all kinds of melting. She was safe, and felt warm, if only for the minute at least. It eased her out of the anxiety-ridden fervor enough to communicate better, shaking fingers clasping mismatched knees as she craned her head to gaze at the other.
“Now tell me, what’s got you in such a way back here?” She tilted her head, earrings moving with her, “You should be enjoying such a fun day like this.”
Ena had to collect her thoughts for a second, emulating a swallow before responding to her prompt, “It’s… It’s all too muuuuch… So much happening at once and- and, I wwwanted to go hooooome, but…”
“But you’re here with somebody, aren’t you?” She seemed to understand immediately. Ena nodded timidly.
“I... I lost her in the crowwwd… I- I, just wanna go hoooome!” She sniffled, pulling miserably at her hair.
The actress glanced around, frowning and contemplating what to do next, but it didn’t last long before she was standing and offering a hand to the girl with a determined look. “I’ll help you find her, if you’d like, doll.”
Of course she’d taken her hand. Why wouldn’t she, the woman was everything that called out ‘comforting’ and ‘safe’, ethereal and graceful with every move she made. Her hand was warm. She’d remember that, until she later found out all of her seemed to be warm like that, to the touch.
The moment their hands locked, it was history. They’d spent the festival talking as they looked for her companion, somewhere along the course of the day seeing Ena granted that same two-colored shawl to wear comfortably as they walked and talked. Veau, that was her name. It was befitting of her, in a sense.
It was only after they’d located Moony and headed home that Ena realized she still had Veau’s shawl.
Lucky her, as it only served as a steadfast excuse to meet her again.
And again, and again, and again.
...
And now, she was standing in front of her house. The house that she’d been invited to sleep over at and watch some bad movies. Here she was, clenching and unclenching a hand as she approached the ticket booth and hesitantly rang the little bell.
“Who’se’ryou.” A snappy little voice confronted her, followed by its owner popping up behind the counter. A harlequin eyemask stared blankly at her, settled over where the eyes should have been on a polygonal black body dressed in a matching harlequin bellhop uniform. It was twirling a pen in its hand.
“Salutations! I am the Ena your lovely actress told you about, presumably!” She chirped. The mask sat in silence for a second, stock still and processing the sentence for a nearly uncomfortably long second.
“Oh. Yer the dame they won’t shut their yap about. Yer all good then. Come on in.” It sank back under the counter as a glass door suddenly swung open to her left. Ena, force of habit, gave a little bow, and continued inside.
Aside from the double sets of staircases flanking either side of the concession stand nestled in the middle, the lobby of the theatre looked just like any movie theater seen in the 90’s. Red abstract pattern carpet, overhead stripes of neon, gold metal trim everywhere. Potted plants dotting the edges of the space to fill in the emptiness and a few cushioned chairs to the right. And best of all, the bored-looking actress who was sitting on the concessions counter, lazily chatting with another harlequin-masked figure. The stand attendee perked up and motioned past her at Ena, diverting Veau’s attention to the newcomer with a gasp of delight.
Even when she was sprawled goofily on a counter, she was graceful in sliding off and trotting towards her with that warm smile. Once more that warm ripple of excitement worked through her just upon watching Veau move, regard her with that soft expression she always seemed to have especially reserved for her. Now she was standing there, leaning into a sudden embrace from the actress with a giddy smile stretching across her face.
“So good of you to make it here. I was a little worried, you know. Palm District can be dreadfully confusing.” Came that warm accent, seeping into her head and momentarily clouding her thoughts.
“No issue at all, dear Veau! The trip was fairly straightforward, rest assured.” She recovered, patting her back for emphasis.
Veau was breaking the hug now, unfortunately, but taking her hand and stepping back to lead her. “Come now, so I can show you to my room. Don’t mind the others, most of them are in their own rooms anyways.”
Taking the left staircase upwards would lead them to a vast atrium in the heart of the theatre. The entirety of the ceiling was panels of glass that arched far, far above their heads, allowing space for the unnaturally large potted plants and palm trees to grow upwards towards the sunset-toned moon that sat in the sky now. PNGs of marble statues sat static until you moved past them, in which they’d then rotate to track your movement. Iron garden tables and cushioned chairs dotted a marble floor where plant substrate didn’t cover. The flowers were notably tropical varieties, despite the atrium being generally as cool as a summer night, complete with fireflies and a gentle breeze. What caught her attention the most, however, was the large, wandering creek that disrupted the garden and marble floor with its cyan and turquoise shimmers and ripples.
“Here, this way now.” Veau was stepping into said creek, wading against the water’s flow back to the source. Ena curiously followed suit, dipping a foot in and following it with the other.
Only to her pleasant surprise, the water wasn’t… wet. Quite contrary, she stayed entirely dry as she waded after Veau. It was always a 50/50 chance in this world anyways. They continued up past the miniature jungle of palms and potted plants, far enough until there was, inexplicably, a small waterfall spouting forth from the wall. The actress, calm as usual, reached out and simply parted the continuous sheet of water like one would part a bead curtain. Ena paused, staring in slight awe at it, before taking note of her gesture to step in and open the door that awaited on the other side.
She wasn’t really sure what she’d been expecting, but what she’d come to find was just a rather normal bedroom. It followed the gold and red scheme of the lobby, only more… domestic. Lavish, art-deco esque, but domestic. A red-cover bed with angular sheets of gold for the headboard, a large screen parallel to the foot of the bed on the wall. A couple framed posters for movies and plays she had never heard of before. Potted plants- everywhere. Several bookshelves in one corner of the room, decorated with figurines, medals, trophies, plants and a handful of books. A sliding-glass door that led to a balcony- woah, they were a little higher up than she realized, apparently. There was a nice view of the city from there, and what looked like a red velvet fainting couch out there? Noted. A cute little vanity was situated on another wall, dotted with bulb lights around the mirror and covered in sets of stage and personal makeup. Despite there being a pretty little drawer to one side of the bed, a walk-in closet door sat right next to what Ena assumed was probably the door to Veau’s own personal bathroom. No telling what that was gonna look like. She’d find out later, probably, when it was 2 am and she was panickedly fumbling to figure out how the sink worked.
“Oh, you can set your things down anywhere you’d like, doll. I’ve already got all of the snacks ready! Did you bring those movies you told me about?” Veau was closing the door and settling in front of the screen with an expectant expression that made Ena’s chest flutter.
“Y… Yes! Oh- here we go!” She fished around the little duffel bag she’d brought with her, producing a few dvd cases and handing them over to the actress to get situated. Veau took them contentedly and in a matter of minutes, had everything set up and ready.
Everything was fine and dandy until Veau was clambering up onto their big bed and settling back with the remote in hand and a happy little sigh, tray of snacks set up in the center. They gazed up at their guest, blinking curiously. “You can lay here too, you know.”
Ah.
Ena mentally short circuited for a minute. Opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, pursed her lips, and nodded enthusiastically before hopping right up into bed next to her.
“What’s this movie about, anyways?” Veau was either none the wiser, or very aware and nonchalant about just how flustered her two-toned companion was getting.
“It- I believe this is the one I had told you about- nnnot actually a bad movie per se, but experimental animation, yes? I thought you might like it.” She sank into the sheets, trying to at least appear relaxed whilst her legs, on the contrary, felt like jello. Oh, well. She’d calm down once they got into the movie.
…
That was partially true. In which she was doing quite alright munching on various snacks and laughing at the embarrassingly bad movies they’d eventually reached. Not true, however, when she realized she was getting a glimpse at a side of Veau not as openly presented. She liked films, that was already known, but these ones- the ones so awful they had one yelling in frustration, picking apart the logic, laughing at scenes that might have been intended to come off as emotional… Ena found herself several times feeling floored when calm, level Veau would burst into a round of cackling akin to a hyena.
...Ena loved that.
That wasn’t helping fix how flustered she felt whenever she simply gazed at the actress. Then Veau had to go and make it even more unbearable as the night went on, because of course she did. Ena was either the luckiest or unluckiest girl with this situation.
They were just starting the last movie of the night when Veau gave a content little sigh. Ena was too busy with the brief notion of just how cute that simple little sound was to process the next action until it'd happened. Shoulders touched, giving her a jolt of happy surprise chased by disbelief as the actress leaned more of their form against the other, resting their warm cheek against her and closing their eyes for a minute as they decompressed, any tension they could have possibly had leaving their body.
She must have felt Ena tense, because she paused, tilting her head just slightly to regard her. “Apologies, dear, is this ok? I did not realize how tired I was getting.”
All thought on Ena’s end flew out the window there and then. “...Yes! Yes. Y-you- you’re fine.”
“Alright, then.” And she settled in more, finding herself comfortable amongst the multitude of pillows. Ena, likewise, settled back against her, embracing her touch with a quiet, complacent smile.
They didn’t even make it to the end of the movie. Which was funny, and adorable, and Ena was hyperfocused now on the fact that Veau's arms were currently happily tucked around her waist.
She was so warm. Like a heated blanket. It was soothing, almost. So was her quiet breathing. Her face was pressed against her side, nearly lost in the vast mess of long hair freed from the bun she usually kept it in during the day.
She’s so pretty. They’re so pretty. She’s so pretty. They’re so pretty.
Back and forth in her head, non-stop. Over and over, even as Ena finally shook herself from her frozen, giddy state and reached to switch the bedside lamp off and settle down next to her. This was okay, right? Of course it was, Veau never minded. Veau was quite literally cuddling her right now.
...She spent a solid few minutes laying there in darkness, gazing at nothing while her mind felt like it was on fire. Grinning at nothing. She knew what she wanted to do, but not how to go about it.
“Ena.”
She paused again.
“You gonna hold me, or not?”
That surely cleared up any doubt for the moment. She gave a quiet laugh, rolling onto her side to embrace the actress in turn and snuggle her face up into the space between her chin and her collar. This was comfortable.
This felt right.