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Another night at The Doll’s Palace!
It was only an hour past midnight, and it was the club’s busiest hour. With people crowding all over the club in groups. Bright neon lights cast a bright glow on the people crowded in the dance floor, while a few girls on stage performed for the drunken crowd that gathered at the club. The music boomed and echoed throughout the building.
Surprisingly, these types of nights would be the most predictable.
“Did you dig up any new dirt on the dons..?” Whispered a doll from one end of the room,
“Honey, My back is killing me I could not give less of a shit on what happened to the dons I worked on”
There was Ragatha, her body draped across a bright red couch. Finally! She caught a break!
After a long night full of her dancing for men over and over again, a handful of them even requested for private sessions. It goes to show that Ragatha was now sore out of her mind! So this break was well deserved. She found her spot backstage, in one of the dressing rooms where her and some of the girls would usually rest. Some of the girls were smoking, while a few more were drinking their free drinks from the bar. The bitter scent of cigarettes lingered throughout the backroom, the sheer amount of it stinging in Ragatha’s senses. Her nose scrunched, as she covered her face with one of the fluffy pillows to mask the smell of it lingering in her sinuses.
“Could you guys– Put that out-”
“Oh come on, it's just a cigarette!” One of the dolls yelled from the other side of the room, laughing slightly at her reaction.
“Put it out before I throw up..” Mumbled Ragatha, “Give her a break.. Her last client was a bitch”
To the dismay of some of the girls, they put out their cigarettes, rolling their eyes as they dumped the pile of cigarettes onto the comically tiny ash tray in one of the tables. After a collective of sighs that came from the rest of the dolls. Soon after the scent finally disappeared, Ragatha sighed in relief, well that was one problem dealt with.
Ragatha blankly stared at the ceiling, listening to the ongoing chatter of her co-workers. Most of them were gossip, while the latter was just them complaining about clients. All of which Ragatha had already gone through.
“Sheesh- Someone’s overworked-”
“I’m just tired girls.. It's nothing new”
She scoffed, If anything she wanted her shift to be over already. Home was all she could think of.
Ragatha sighs and sits up from her spot on the couch, a few other dolls gathered around her and sat down next to her spot on the couch, a few of them chuckling at her current demeanor. “Say, What happened with your last client?~”
Ragatha choked, her eyes shooting open as soon as her co-worker finished her sentence. “Oh-! I- uh- It was alright!”
“Pfft- Don’t fuck with me here Ragatha, I’ve never seen you so pissed after a session” The other added as she scooted closer to Ragatha. “PSHH I wasn’t pissed! He was just– pushy! That’s all!” Ragatha laughed, hurriedly looking away from the other doll. She then stood up, still looking away from her co-workers as she went towards her table, a few boxes were scattered across the table, an old mirror was propped up against the wall in front of her, the warm glow of a few neon lights cast down onto her.
“Yeah yeah quit making excuses, Momma”
“Quit- fucking calling me that-”
A collective of laughter came from the other girls as Ragatha huffed to their responses. Her face scrunched up as her co-worker walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Face it, You’re basically our Mom now” ” Another girl added from the other side of the room. Ragatha could only roll her eyes as she carefully took off her flashy set of earrings.
“WHA- THAT IS NOT TRUE- ” , “Scolding us is really proving my point Rag-”
Suddenly, a quiet knock came from the side door, The group’s laughter came to a halt. “Damn it- It might be another one of our clients' ' Said one doll, another collective sigh came from every single one of them as the knocks continued. Soon after, another one of Ragatha’s co-workers walked towards the door, grabbing onto the door handle. She quickly opened the door, only to be surprised by who was at the other end of the door.
“Hey uh- Is Ragatha here-??”
“OH! ZOOBLE!!” Another one of the dolls exclaimed from the other side of the room. The rest of them immediately stood up, clearly excited at their presence. “ Zooble honey, did you bring us drinks?”
“Is it your break yet? I got some Juicy gossip for ya!”
The girls kept calling for Zooble as she slowly walked in, closing the door behind her. As more and more of the dolls gathered around them, she scanned the room, keeping an eye out for Ragatha, almost as if she was nervous about something. “Well- not yet but i’ll be on my break 5 minutes– Now have you girls seen-”
“You could have at least brought us some drinks!”
“Yeah Ragatha won’t let me smoke, I might as well get drunk out of my mind!” The doll giggled as she gripped onto Zooble’s shoulders. Zooble only brushed their comments off, groaning as more and more girls gossiped around her. After walking around the room for a few moments, once a tuft of bright red yarn peeping from one side of the room, she knew exactly who it was. “Zooble! Fancy seeing you here so early”
Ragatha chuckled as she glanced at Zooble from her table, putting her jewelry back into one of her boxes.
Zooble only scrunched her face(??) at her reaction. They only looked at Ragatha dead in the eyes and turned their face into a sour expression, signaling something to the doll. Ragatha raised her eyebrow, a quiet “Hm..?” escaping her lips. Zooble only groaned as she tilted her head towards the door again, her glare on Ragatha only growing more and more aggressive.
With that simple look, Ragatha knew exactly what was happening.
God damn it, not again.
She turned around, still staring at Zooble, her expression growing more worried. Zooble furrowed her eyebrows in response.
Not wanting to delay this for any longer, Ragatha quickly stood up and grabbed her coat, glancing nervously back at Zooble to confirm that that was really happening again. Zooble only nodded back, another crowd of the girls began to gather around her.
Ragatha rushed her way to the door, beads of sweat began to form around her temples. “HEY UH- I GOTTA GO TO THE FRONT REAL QUICK GIRLS- OKAY I’LL SEE YOU BYE-” She exclaimed, hurriedly shutting the door behind her.
“What was that about-”
“I have zero clue”
“ANYWAY THE GOSSIP I WAS TALKING ABOUT!”
She rushed through the crowded club, pushing through hoards of drunk people dancing uncontrollably on the dance floor. Ragatha squeezed in between more and more people, oftentimes exclaiming “Excuse me!!” as she rushed to the other side of the club. What was it now, usually Ragatha would only get these sorts of signals from Zooble after a raid. Was she injured again? Did she need anything? Was she coming for another session? But it never was a good thing. It rarely was, most of the time, whenever Zooble would warn Ragatha of something it was because Pomni was injured again, like a broken arm or another set of bullet wounds. The suspense was killing her, she just had to know this early.
However, For some reason, the club felt more crowded than usual, whenever she would push past a group of people, somehow another hoard would block her way. Ragatha groaned, trying to not waste anymore time yelling at people to move. She couldn’t afford to be delayed, for all she knew, Pomni could have been bleeding out on the floor. The loud bustling music would echo and boom throughout the club, somehow it made the situation more stressful.
Ragatha huffed, using her arms almost like a block that way she could push past them more efficiently. She was only a few meters from the door of the club.
However with enough pushing, she ran face first into someone’s back. “ACK-”
“Hey- Slow down will you Dollface!”
It was Jax. damn it, this was going to take longer than she originally thought.
“J-Jax, now's not the time.” , “What, Zooble told you about the boss didn’t they..?”
The rabbit scoffed as he loomed over Ragatha, who was clearly already in shambles. “Wh-”
“I already took her jacket, But you better check up on her” He added as he pulled up a comically large and heavy leather jacket. “How did you- I could barely get her to do that!”
“Pfft- You’ll find out soon Toots, just check up on your girlfriend” Jax laughed.
Ragatha’s cheeks then suddenly flushed red, her eyes widened at Jax’s tease. “I- We’re not— gonna talk about that-”
“Yeah yeah, whatever helps you sleep better at night” He chuckled as he put his hands into the pockets of his dress pants. Jax then cleared his throat and glared back at Ragatha, sending a few chills up her spine as he did so.
“Listen Ragatha, That bitch almost threw up in my glove compartment. So you better get to her fast” He added as he gestured towards the door behind him.
Throwing up..? Was she drunk again..
Nevermind, Ragatha only shook off her thoughts, wanting this to be done with as soon as possible.
“You're gonna leave or wha-.. Oh”
Before Jax could even finish his sentence, Ragatha was already fully out of the door. A small click came from the heavy wooden door as The doll carefully shut it behind her. Jax sighed, chuckling slightly at her demeanor.
“She’s so fucked. ”
As Ragatha stepped outside, she immediately went scanning around her . Looking for any sign of Pomni on the street, any parked cars she might have been in, or a spot where she could have been sitting down.
Shit, where the hell was she?
Ragatha then began walking around the outside of the club, glancing around alleys and dark corners for any sight of the boss. But still, nothing came of her. The doll groaned, as she walked closer to the alley next to The Doll’s Palace. The dark, dirty walls looming above her as she glanced inside. “Oh god damn it..” She mumbled to herself as she inched closer to it.
However, the faint sound of sniffling began to echo from the other side of the street, it wasn't the kind that would come from a raccoon or an opossum, it sounded more like… sobbing? She didn't waste anymore time and rushed towards the noise, still continuing to glance around the street in case Pomni was there.
The sobbing came from behind a Bentley that was parked next to one of the buildings, surely it was Jax’s car.
Oddly enough, there wasn’t anyone in the car, but the sobbing grew louder as Ragatha stepped towards the car.
She raised an eyebrow, and walked towards the left side of the car.
And there she was.
Leaning against the side of the Bentley with a bright silver flask in her hands. One of her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and her hair was a mess in and of itself.
“Zvezda..?”
Pomni slowly looked up at her, her eyes drooping from just how intoxicated she was. “H-Hey Dolly..hic”
She chuckled, wiping the tears that streamed down her face. Ragatha felt her heart drop suddenly, this can’t keep happening.
“I- uh- I’m.. hic- I came with.. Jax..” she mumbled as Ragatha leaned down to be eye level with her, the boss looked away almost immediately, almost as if she was embarassed. Ragatha sighs as she slumps down in front of Pomni as a few more tears start to roll down her face.
“Oh sweetie.. What happened now..?”
Pomni shook her head, a sigh of relief came from Ragatha. Her gaze softened as she reached out to touch Pomni’s cheek, however when her fingers brushed against Pomni’s skin, The boss flinched, baring her teeth almost as if she was going to growl at Ragatha.
“Sheesh- That bad huh..?”
“No it's- I’m… I’m okay..” Pomni mumbled as she stuffed her flask back into her pockets.
“Honey you’re drunk, You can barely even talk and you’re crying on the floor right now.. I don’t exactly think that's okay” The doll added, rolling her eyes in response.
“Ragatha please-”
“Just tell me what's wrong..”
Pomni gulped the lump in her throat as she looked up at Ragatha again, her eyebrows then furrowed once she saw the redhead’s demeanor.
The doll on the other hand was worried out of her damn mind. Pomni was basically a mess and the sight of it could break her heart into millions of pieces. Pomni whimpered as she placed one of her hands on Ragatha’s thigh. “I can’t.. I can’t take it anymore..” she mumbled as she leaned closer to the doll. More shivers ran down the other’s spine.
Pomni leaned in closer, her breath shook as she leaned her forehead onto Ragatha’s shoulder, still shuddering as more tears built up in her eyes.
“I’m so sorry.. I never meant- I-I never wanted this to happen. I’m so sorry, I don't want to- I don't wanna- Be-”
“Woah woah! breathe honey breathe-” Mumbled the redhead as she placed one of her hands on Pomni’s back. Suddenly, The boss flinched at the sudden contact. She suddenly pulled away, bringing both of her hands to her chest again. Her eyes widened as she looked directly at Ragatha. She was always so well put together, she was clean, primed and proper at all times. She was way out of Pomni’s league. In Pomni’s eyes, she was just a mutt. A scarred and mutilated mess, she could barely even look at herself in the mirror anymore.
So the mere fact that a woman that beautiful and proper, would worry over a disgusting person like her.. Could send her into a fit of anger. Her face scrunched up, her gaze hardening as she hid her face in her hands.
“Hey- Zvezda-”
Before she could even finish her sentence. Pomni suddenly started sobbing, more and more tears started to stream down her face as she whimpered into her palms. Ragatha’s eyes widened. “I CAN’T TAKE THIS ANYMORE” The boss yelled, her voice booming throughout the empty street.
“I-I I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHY I’M DOING THIS. I WANT IT ALL TO FLUFFING STOP ALREADY” Pomni exclaimed, the pain lingered in her voice as she gripped onto the floor. More tears started to roll down her cheeks. Her breaths grew heavier as her sobs grew more violent. “Please Ragatha, I can't take it anymore. I wake up everyday and I can barely even move- It hurts so much..”
The redhead could only sigh as she placed a hand on both of Pomni’s shoulders, her chest tightened at the sight of the other sobbing uncontrollably onto the ground. As more minutes passed, Pomni eventually started to lean into Ragatha’s touch. “I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry please forgive me..” She mumbled again as Ragatha eventually pulled her into an embrace. Hard and heavy pants came from Pomni as her sobbing got louder and louder.
“Ragatha please.. I don’t wanna live like this anymore.. I want it all to stop, dear god make it stop please..”
With every plea that came out of Pomni, Ragatha felt her heart sink deeper and deeper. It hurt to see her like this. Her job basically took over her entire life. To the point that the poor girl couldn't even curse when she pleased. Ragatha sighed, mumbling a few sweet phrases as she rubbed circles around Pomni’s back.
“I want it all to end- I don't wanna be like this anymore- “ She mumbled again, as she leaned more and more into Ragatha. Her tears began to soak into the doll’s dress. “Oh honey..”
“Please make it stop.. I can’t.. I can't handle it anymore.. Everything- Everything hurts..” She heaved as another string of sobs left her lips. Her grip on Ragatha grew tighter. The doll could only give her comfort.
As Pomni cried into Ragatha’s shoulder, The redhead repositioned herself, making sure that the boss’s head was still leaning onto her shoulder. Ragatha would gently caress Pomni’s cheek with her other hand, as she continued to sob. Ragatha’s eyebrows furrowed, she never really expected something like this to happen to Pomni. But truthfully, she wasn't surprised, it was inevitable that one of these days, Pomni would finally snap.
She sighed, squeezing onto Pomni’s hand as a few tears built up in Ragatha’s eyes. It really really hurt to see her like this. Pomni wasn’t in her usual, charming but cold demeanor. It almost felt pitiful to see her this way. Her tears would seep and soak into her cotton, somehow it made all hurt a little more.
She cleared her throat as she leaned into Pomni, resting her head on the other’s. “Oh baby, You really should have told me all of this sooner”
“I really hope you forgive me, I'm sorry. its just that-”
“Ap ap-, leave the explaining for later, just focus on catching your breath again, Sweetpea” Ragatha cut her off, tightening her grip on the poor thing sobbing into the nape of her neck. “You’re alright with this right..? It’s not too tight for you?”
“No it's… okay I guess..” mumbled Pomni.
As the minutes ticked by, the night grew dimmer and dimmer. The moon’s gentle glow casting upon the both of them as they rested on the floor. Pomni’s sobbing was still rather aggressive, with her even needing to wail into the night to let out her emotions. Her pleading for everything to stop would come back every now and then.
Ragatha would continue to rub circles on Pomni’s back, to at least get her calm a bit.
She didn’t exactly know what happened to Pomni, all she knew was that she was having an existential crisis in front of some building’s parking lot. And that clearly, it was her job that was making her act like this.
Though working in a mafia sounds great to some people, very few take into account the sheer amount of pain a person can go through in that particular line of business. Obviously Pomni was getting the worst of it. As a cold breeze passed through the street, Pomni shivered, still hiding her face in Ragatha’s neck as a way to get warm. Her grip on her was still tighter as ever, almost as if Ragatha was going to vanish or disintegrate in seconds if she let go. She heaved, her lungs struggled to get any proper amount of oxygen, and her words would slur in a way that she could barely even let out an “Im sorry”.
“Please don’t leave me .. Please..” She panted, her warm breath gently grazing on Ragatha’s skin {????}.
“Shh I won’t ever leave you, Never..”
Ragatha hummed, placing a kiss on Pomni’s hand as she did so. Thankfully the sobbing started to slow down. The redhead looked up at the dim night sky, taking in the stars and the gentle glow of the moon that casted down on both of them. Admittedly, The night was actually very beautiful. Until Ragatha looked back down at Pomni.
She laid there, curled up in Ragatha's arms as a few tears still kept streaming down her face. Her breathing was a bit more stable, but she still kept mumbling apologies and pleas to make whatever it was that was hurting her end.
The both of them sat there in silence as another hour ticked by. The low rumbling of a few cars passing by would interrupt their moment under the stars. But Ragatha didn't let it get to her. As a few more minutes passed, she eventually started to brush her hand on Pomni's hair, petting her in a way. All of that attention on Pomni was very welcome.
The boss sighed, wiping a few more tears off of her face as her breathing finally calmed down. Pomni would let out slow and deep breaths, still leaning into Ragatha’s touch as she nuzzled deeper into her.
“You feeling a little better hun.?”
“Yes uh…. Thanks..” she muttered.
The doll sighed in relief, thank god she finally calmed down. She looked back at The Doll's palace