Archive of Our Own

 Wise walked into the penthouse, eyes fixed forward, sweat already forming along his brow. Almost immediately, he winced as the loud, bass-boosted melody of the function blared in his sensitive ears.

 He didn’t frequent parties this intense in the past, and he had made a conscious effort to avoid them ever since the ocular implants began acting up. Neither he nor Belle had expected the implants to cause any issues with their other senses. Still, something about entering the etheric zones personally, rather than being safely at home, had caused them to act up. Maybe the excess etheric energy had begun to leak into the other senses, heightening them in some way.

Despite this, he showed up, because if Astra Yao herself came down from her pedestal to ask you personally to show up to a party she was throwing in New Eridu, then you showed up. No exceptions. Wise would have shown up even if he was strapped to a hospital bed on life support. He would have shown up even if he had to fight an Ethereal for his spot on the guest list. He would have shown up even if he meant forgiving the entirety of Nicole’s debt.

…

He would at least hesitate, but he would still do it.

Of course, his excitement was only slightly dampened by the fact that once again, these huge, glorified raves were never his sort of scene. He would be the first to admit that he preferred his parties with red solo cups, a movie playing in the background, and some light jazz playing quietly to set the atmosphere. Call him a square all you’d like, but he was the one with a personal invitation.

His sister did not share his disheartened outlook on the situation. This sort of thing was right up Belle’s alley, and unfortunately, she was the only one who could call him boring for having a different taste in… just about everything compared to her.

Wise had clearly let his thoughts simmer for too long, because he soon felt his arm nearly wrench from his socket. Belle had grown impatient at her gawking brother, dragging him towards the intimidating-looking Bouncer standing in front.

Wise hadn’t expected the presence of a bouncer; he was sure that the small army of PubSec officers in front of the penthouse holding the swarming fans at bay would probably be enough, but he supposed that the Bouncer was necessary for filtering out the stragglers.

The Bouncer, a large, barrel-chested man with cropped hair and a thick beard, stared down at them both. He reminded Wise of Big Daddy, but without the redskin, the pig thiren features. It was probably the sharp sunglasses… and the fact that he was twice Wise’s height.

“Name?”

Wise opened his mouth to speak.

“Belle and Wise”, Belle said eagerly, resisting the urge to bounce back on her heels from excitement. Wise was doing a better job hiding it, or so he thought.

The Bouncer uncrossed his arms, thick as tree trunks, and looked through a clipboard that was thick with a long list of names on it. Despite the many pages, the clipboard still managed to look comically small in his hands. As his eyes scanned the pages, Belle began to still, and Wise wrung his hands, until finally the Bouncer looked at them, his slight scowl deepened.

“Not on the list,” He said simply, and he began approaching them, hand outstretched, likely to reach for the scruff of their necks.

Wise felt his heart drop to his feet, but despite that, he clung to a small hope. He cleared his throat, trying to remove the anxiety in his voice as Belle had slightly shoved him in front of the Bouncer in an effort to use her brother as a human shield. He would remember that when they were assigning chores next week…

“Maybe, Phaethon is on the list?”

The Bouncer hesitated, and for a long, icy moment, Wise was sure he and his sister would be dragged out of the building by their collars like stray cats. Finally, the Bouncer straightened up, tilted his sunglasses down to get a better look of the paper and flipped through the pages. When he found the page he was looking for his eyes began to scan it, top to bottom. Wise didn’t realize he was holding his breath before the Bouncer raised a brow and nodded.

“Yep, that one checks out.”

The Bouncer’s mood seemed to lighten as he smiled down at the two siblings, stepping aside to allow them passage.

“Sorry about that. Some of these fans can get very persistent. You understand.”

Wise gave him an awkward smile. Belle had seemingly recovered from their near-death by shame and humiliation and marched forward with all the confidence of someone who owned the building.

“Pfft, don’t worry about it.” She said, barely containing her glee as she pushed the large double doors open.

If the music was loud before, it was deafening when the doors opened. Wise winced, gritting his teeth to hold back an embarrassing sound of pain that only Belle had ever heard.

Speaking of Belle, Wise noted that she seemed completely unperturbed by the noise, already being swallowed up by the crowd as she waded in with confidence, shaking her body to the music and somehow worming her way through the packed crowd. Before he could even question her immunity to the noise, Wise stopped short and stared at the crowd, mouth agape.

Everyone they had ever met was there, and everyone was drinking like it was the end of the world.

Wise’s eyes widened when he made out familiar faces as the strobe light occasionally glided over the crowd. Illuminating the faces of several Hollow Raiders, both Wise and Belle had worked with in the past.

The more Wise looked, the more he found. In the bar where there was less activity and bodies in general, he could see Burnice mixing drinks for guests, much to the chagrin of the bartender, who looked both annoyed and appalled by how hammered guests got from a single drink of nitro fuel. Meanwhile, Lucy was trying and failing to drag Burnice over the bar, apologizing profusely to the bartenders and clearly trying not to draw more attention to them, an act that clearly wasn’t working. Piper was completely passed out, drooling over the wood with a shot glass of nitro fuel firmly in her grasp, with Lighter watching over her, while Caesar had climbed on top of the bar, clearly drunk out of her mind and proclaiming her love to the air. Wise was not surprised to see everyone but Lucy in their usual clothes, but he felt much better about his wrinkled, white button-up and plain slacks.

He spotted Victorian Housekeeping in the further corners of the dancefloor, specifically only Rina and Lycaon. Lycaon was keeping to the edges while Rina was trying to playfully flit around him, clearly trying to coerce him onto the dance floor, much like a siren coercing a sailor into the sea. Lycaon was sporting similar formal wear to what he usually wore, with the exception of a red vest instead of his standard black one. Rina was wearing a red cocktail dress. It felt wrong seeing them without their uniforms, yet not out of character.

He saw Zhu Yuan and the rest of her team dragging a man out of the ballroom, and judging by how shifty and nervous the man looked, Wise suspected he had been caught spiking drinks. Belobog industries were present, although they seemed to be here more for networking opportunities than anything else (Wise was shocked to see Grace in a dress, or anything other than her usual clothes, though, judging by how she yanked at the collar of her dress, it was against her will). And then, as his eyes darted back to the dancefloor, Wise let out a snort.

Billy was out there dancing like he was somebody’s drunk uncle, despite being sober as the day he was “born”. His guns were missing from his hips, thank goodness for him and everyone else on the dance floor; he sported a blazer instead of his iconic red jacket, and a white tie hung loosely from his neck. Like clockwork, as soon as Billy’s hips started gyrating more than usual, Nicole was there, in a two-piece pink dress that stood out in the neon rave lights like a spotlight, to yank him by the tie and scold him for embarrassing her before smiling innocently as she tried to scam someone at the dancefloor for a “commemorative Astra Yao pin”, which even Wise could see was a bottle cap with Astra crudely drawn on the top. Nekomata was absent, and whether it was because Nicole didn’t want her around alcohol or because she had been caught trying to pick someone’s pockets, Wise wasn’t sure.

He was only mildly surprised to find Anby missing from the Cunning Hares. Usually, she stuck to Nicole like glue, but he wouldn’t blame her if she decided not to participate in the event.

Wise spotted Belle bumping her hips with Billy and started walking towards her, before he felt someone grab onto his shoulder.

“Proxy.”

Wise turned a small smile on his face quickly as he recognized the nickname, or rather, title. Perhaps he spoke too soon; maybe Anby decided to show up after all. At least he wouldn’t have to deal with the noise and the crowds by himself. He stepped back slightly as he realized that Anby was not the one standing behind him.

Evelyn Chevalier had clearly seen better days. Despite her appearance being completely polished, as usual, her posture screamed otherwise. She was hunched over, arm spread wide, knuckles cracking with every tense movement like a stalking predator prepared to pounce. She looked ready for a bloodbath rather than a party.

“E-Evelyn,” Wise said, shoving down any fear he might’ve felt. He’d just gotten here, and despite his ineptitude when it came to women, even he knew he probably wasn’t the reason that Evelyn looked more like a crouching Tiger than a bodyguard. Then again, one could never be too careful. “What can I do for you?”

“Have you seen Ms. Yao?” she said, barely holding back a growl.

Wise gulped, “Not a fan of these events?”

Wise could visibly see her face tense up as she resisted the urge to reach forward and squeeze an answer out of him. As if suddenly recognizing his face, or maybe just the frightened expression on it, she relaxed slightly. She took a deep breath through her nose.

“Not. Particularly,” she said through bared teeth, “Too much planning. Too many variables. Too many people. Too many men trying to ask for my number and distracting me long enough to lose sight of Ms. Yao,” She said that last part with more venom than the rest, and Wise decided best not to pry. 

“Speaking of which?”

Wise hesitated, thinking back on what he had seen. He didn’t see Ms. Yao. He looked over Evelyn’s shoulder, hoping to do a quick scan of the crowd. His eyes widened slightly.

He pointed behind Evelyn, “On the dance floor…”

Evelyn followed Wise’s gaze.

Astra Yao, as most idols were portrayed in their shows, concerts, and interviews, was generally seen as a calm and composed, demure young woman with the voice of an angel.

In reality, Astra Yao, who seemed to have gotten a taste of Burnice’s Nitro Fuel, held a whistle in her mouth, shooting short bursts of the shrill noise to the beat of the music, and thrusting her hips forward in what most would describe as “a vulgar display of the capabilities of the human pelvis, and a display most unfitting of a lady”. One arm was in the air, holding a bright green glowstick; her other hand was moving similarly to a PubSec officer directing traffic. Thankfully, Ms. Yao was not dressed in her usual attire or anything similar to it, which would likely cause a scandal that the tabloids would eat up. Tonight she had brought a pantsuit to the function, one bedazzled with fringes and tassels that caught in the light. Everything, unfortunately for Evelyn, was screaming at the growing crowd of onlookers, “LOOK AT ME”!

Evelyn’s face became so pale, Wise worried she had died on the spot. He flinched slightly as she stomped towards Astra Yao, looking so furious he was certain there was steam bursting from her ears. Wise was honestly shocked that a human face could change from ghost-white to fire-engine red in such a short time.

Wise let out another wince as the music changed to something more intense than before, and decided it was best to remove himself from his position ten feet away from a speaker. As much as he wanted to greet Ms. Yao, he knew best not to interrupt Evelyn when she was in the middle of a scolding. He’d have another chance if Ms. Yao didn’t drink herself into unconsciousness, but he doubted Evelyn would allow such a thing to happen even amidst the chaos. Then again, knowing Burnice’s mixtures… He hoped Ms. Yao had a strong liver.

He quickly found himself in a secluded corner of the room near what he assumed was the balcony. A small seating area awaited him, complete with sofas, loveseats, and chairs, all with velvet cushions and golden frames. Unsurprisingly, there wasn’t a fight for seating; most of the activity was happening on the dancefloor and the bar.

He fell back on one of the empty sofas with a deep sigh that belonged to an 80-year-old man with arthritis and not a twenty-something young man with his whole life ahead of him.

This really wasn’t his type of party.

It wasn’t just the headache he got from the loud music. Something Evelyn said had struck a chord in him. Too many people, too many variables. Wise wasn’t a paranoid man; he was simply cautious, something that had to come naturally to a Proxy if they wanted to stay out of jail and avoid losing money to a shady commission. And with everything happening as of late, his nerves were fraying. Tonight, his paranoia had been kicked up to 11; everything felt wrong, every moment felt too sudden, too stiff, and everything he did seemed criminal.

Belle was just as anxious as he was, but she was better at coping with these random bouts of panic and mania. She knew when to cut loose. He did not.

The way the crowd seemed to bunch together into a writhing mass of human bodies, heat, and sweat didn’t help. If you removed irrational paranoia from the equation, Wise still couldn’t stand crowds of people. It felt like being swallowed whole, going through the digestive tract of some great beast. Suffocating was the word he was looking for, but even that felt like an understatement. 

His leg bounced, nervous energy coursing through him. He had barely done any dancing, and he could feel sweat drenching the pits of his wrinkled shirt. Warm, humid, sticky, and disgusting. He felt like a flea under a microscope. He was underdressed, sweaty, and probably looking like some creep. Was he staring at that girl by accident? He was just zoning out; he didn’t mean to stare. Crap, was he a pervert?

Wise squeezed his eyes shut and tucked his head between his knees, pressing his thumbs against his head. He inhaled deeply through his nose and out through his mouth. He could leave with someone. Pretend he had an urgent commission? No, the best thing to do was at least say hi to Ms. Yao and then dip. At least then he could say he was there and enjoyed the party without lying to his idol.

He opened his eyes, scanning the crowd. Maybe he could see if Zhu Yuan had come back to hunt for more drink spikers; she’d probably be a good get-out-of-jail-free card.

He yelped loudly and jumped back as his eyes landed on a familiar woman staring at him with a clinical expression, sitting next to him on the sofa without him even registering the shift in weight on the cushion.

“Anby!” He half-shouted, which thankfully sounded like a normal volume over the music, “Hi!”

If Anby registered the awkward greeting, she didn’t acknowledge it; she nodded.

“Proxy.”

Wise caught his breath and relaxed. Something about that title and the way she said it calmed his nerves, “I shouldn’t be surprised. I saw Nicole and Billy. I guess I just assumed…”

Anby’s eyes seemed to focus on him. Moments like these had made Wise wonder how he didn’t even suspect that Anby wasn’t some sort of android. At the same time, he was thankful he never made such a rude remark to her. She looked at the crowd.

“Your assumption is correct, these sorts of things aren’t my sort of…”

“Thing?” Wise provided after a lengthy pause.

Anby shrugged, “I was going to say ‘scene’. Nicole insists I use more slang. Besides, saying ‘thing’ twice in a sentence felt redundant, but I guess it works in the context of this conversation.”

Wise nodded, “I get what you mean.”

“About saying ‘thing’ twice in a sentence?”

“About these sorts of parties.”

“Ah.”

A silence settled between the two of them. It wasn’t uncommon; they were both used to these silences. It was a ritual at this point, whenever either of them had talked themselves into a corner, which happened a lot, they made the habit of resetting with a quick beat of silence. Anby had commented that this was also a film technique used to let the audience sit with information, and more easily digest the visuals of a scene. Something Wise found himself understanding more and more.

The music grew slightly louder. Wise grimaced.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” She yelled over the music. Something Wise found a bit jarring, having only ever heard her voice stay at a single level for any conversation.

“At the party?”

“In the corner, alone.”

Ouch.

Anby turned to him, “You seem much more social than that.”

Wise let out a slight chuckle under his breath, “I guess you could use that word to describe me. But in my defense, this isn’t exactly a social situation.”

Anby tilted her head at that.

“What I mean is,” Wise began, “Most social situations, at least meaningful ones in my opinion, need some level of conversation. Parties like these are too loud for anyone to have meaningful conversations and rely mostly on physical connection rather than emotional. There might be some exceptions, but I have an easier time connecting with people on an emotional level rather than a physical one…”

He trailed off as he realized how much of a shut-in he sounded like. He turned to Anby, expecting her to stare blankly at him.

Instead, he was surprised to find her hand on her chin, deep in thought. Genuinely contemplating his words.

“I see,” she said, “So similar to how humans bond with animals or inanimate objects through physical activities, connections can be made in situations like these, but we simply are not well-versed in the action enough to successfully do so.”

Wise blinked, “...Yeah.”

“Fascinating.”

Wise couldn’t hold back the laugh bubbling up from his chest, which caused the silver-haired girl to turn to him, “Did I say something funny?”

Wise shook his head, “No, no. You’re just easy to talk to.”

It was small, but Wise noticed a micromovement, a subtle straightening of her back and raising of her chin. He smiled softly as Anby spoke, “I pride myself on being a good listener.”

Wise rested his chin on his hand, “But you’re a good conversationalist too.”

“Am I?”

“In your own way. You add a lot to the conversation,” Wise turned his head to face Anby, “I’ve started looking forward to our movie ‘dates’ for our discussions rather than the actual movie.”

Anby stared back at him, clinical. To the untrained eye, the compliment didn’t seem to register, but Wise noticed the slight quirk of her lips. She looked away first, a rarity in their dynamic. She moved to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. It was then that Wise finally registered that Anby was not in her usual outfit.

Like the rest of the Cunning Hairs, Anby had opted to dress in semi-casual attire (Wise had done a lot of research before realizing he couldn’t afford any formal clothing on short notice). The dress was a bright neon green, which worked well with the lighting to make Anby stand out more in the crowd. The only remenant of her usual appearance where her large, black and yellow headphones. It was a miracle Wise hadn’t noticed sooner, the dress was sleeveless and clung to her top half only to flare out quite a bit around her waist and end abruptly somewhere below her knees. She looked-

“Stunning.”

Anby blinked, “Did you say something, Proxy?”

Wise cleared his throat, “That dress looks stunning.”

Anby looked down at her clothes, as if she had forgotten they were there, “Nicole picked it out for me.”

Wise nodded, “She picked a great one.”

“She did.”

Wise rubbed the back of his neck shyly. It’s not like he didn’t give Anby compliments before; he was acting awkward, and he knew he was. Anby didn’t seem to notice, smoothing out her skirt.

“So…” he began again, “How did you guys get in here?”

He raised his hands at Anby’s piercing stare. She likely didn’t mean anything by it, but Wise’s instincts tended to assume that he was in the wrong. “What I mean is, this party isn’t exactly open to the public. I’m shocked to see some of the other agents here,” Wise chuckled, “Don’t tell me Nicole bribed the bouncer?”

Anby shifted, brushing back the stray strand of hair that had fallen from her bangs. Was she embarrassed?

“Actually, I was able to secure an invitation.”

Wise curled an eyebrow.

“Astra Yao…invited me personally,” she said more timidly this time.

Wise’s eyes widened, and he let out a slight laugh under his breath, “No kidding?”

Anby straightened up, “I assure you, Proxy, it’s the truth.”

Wise stroked his chin deep in thought. Astra Yao had invited Anby, too? Were they childhood friends? No, Anby didn’t know anyone other than her ‘sisters’ in the Silver Team; there’s no way Astra would know anything regarding her past. Maybe Astra had done it out of pity, saw Anby rummaging around bins, like that one time Nicole had thrown out an IOU, that Anby had mistaken for a contract worth thousands of dennies? That seemed uncharacteristic of Astra; she would be helpful, but inviting someone to a party instead of just spotting them some Dennies seemed too out of touch for her.

As Wise scratched his head, thinking of all the possible scenarios where this match-up could be possible, Anby watched him carefully. Finally, she answered his unspoken question.

“She invited me when we were paired up for a commission.”

Wise stiffened at that, and he let out a groan of realization.

“Of course, I should’ve thought of that. That probably explains why there’s a lot of other hollow raiders too.”

Lately, Wise had been receiving a lot of commissions with several ethereals who had a low tolerance for electricity and ether, so he had been pairing Anby, Nicole, and Astra. He smiled to himself, glad to see that Anby’s charm was not lost on Astra either. Though he had never noticed the two interacting, it could simply have been that he was too focused on the commission, or more likely, he was constantly trying to prevent Nicole from using Astra to convince him to cancel the Cunning Hares’ debts.

Wise refocused and looked at Anby, shifting in his seat to sit closer so he wouldn’t strain his voice over the music, “Still, that’s great news!”

Anby leaned forward, and Wise had to resist the urge to lurch back; their proximity was much closer than usual. He didn’t know whether to curse or thank the stars for this moment.

“How so?”

Wise looked out at the crowd, “Well, if you really think about it, the Cunning Hares are really moving up in the world!”

Anby followed his gaze. It seemed that Wise’s good luck had not been a fluke but rather an equivalent exchange. Before their very eyes, they saw Nicole talking animatedly with Grace, while holding a very frightened-looking Billy in place. Wise held back a laugh. Billy, who tended to tower over most of the population in New Eridu, was being held by the scruff of his neck by a short, pink-haired woman who was likely negotiating a rate for pimping him out. Grace didn’t even seem to register Nicole, simply nodding along to what she said as she stared down at Billy with eyes that either wanted to dissect him or do unspeakable things with him.

Wise looked over to Anby and noticed the ghost of a smile on her face. His laughter faded, but his smile remained, warm and small. Despite his grievances, maybe parties like these weren’t so bad afterall.

Anby’s acute senses were onto him in mere seconds as her head snapped back almost mechanically towards him, causing him to jump slightly.

“Do I have something on my face?”

Wise turned away almost immediately. “It’s nothing.”

She opened her mouth to pry, but before she could utter a word, a tray full of drinks was shoved between the two of them. Wise looked up at the worker, a man who probably had student debt, staring dead-eyed into space.

“Drinks, for the happy couple?”

Wise felt his face grow hot. He imagined Anby was probably unfazed.

“We’re not-”

“What kind of drinks?”

The young man sighed, “I don’t know, something strong, probably worth an entire college education, aged.”

He looked at the drink, “Brown.”

Wise resisted the urge to be snide, instead taking two drinks of the rich brown liquid, which looked nearly black in the darkness and the neon lighting. “Thanks.”

Wise handed a drink to Anby. Then he turned back to the young man, who was still there.

“Oh! Sorry,” Wise reached into his pockets for his wallet, giving the man a modest amount of dennies, leaving enough for a cab fare, in case he actually did decide to leave early. Belle could take the car home; he felt better if she was driving herself, though he feared for the lives of every New Eridu driver on the road.

“Much obliged, sir and ma’am.” The young man said before finally dragging his feet and leaving them both alone with the awkward tension he brought with him.

The two of them said nothing, their silence this time stretching an uncomfortable length of time. Their careful rhythm had been interrupted, and Wise didn’t really know how to salvage a conversation from this sort of awkward tension. Wise elected to do the smart thing and drink his “social lubricant”; he grimaced, and whether it was because it was definitely something that would have emptied his wallet for a shot or because the drink was just that strong, he couldn’t tell.

He held back a cough, covering his mouth with the back of his wrist. He knew he would never match Anby in any contest of strength, but some part of him didn’t want to look ‘weak’ in front of her either.

Anby looked at him for a long moment.

“Not being able to handle something like that doesn’t make you weak.”

Wise choked, letting out a sharp cough. Did she somehow learn to read minds?

“Your face made it very clear.”

Wise sighed, setting the drink down, “Yeah, that’s fair.”

“I appreciate the attempt.”

Wise turned back to her.

“You tend to hold back expressions of pain around me. I notice you are less restrained when I am not present.

Wise let out a dry chuckle, “Am I that obvious?”

Anby shrugged, “No, I’m just that good,” She downed the shot of alcohol, hiding the smirk on her lips with the glass. Wise simply grinned. There were rare moments like these where Anby felt safe enough to do things that weren’t “necessary”, cracking jokes, smiling, shedding a tear during an emotional moment of a film. It was moments like these that made Wise’s heart do somersaults in his chest. He prided himself on being someone who could make someone like Anby laugh.

Wise opened his mouth, though mentally he was still trying to figure out what to talk about next. He felt the large sofa shift behind him. He and Anby both turned. Anby’s eyebrows rose slightly, while Wise leaned away, eyes wide in shock.

Two partygoers were making out on the other end of the couch. Clearly, they were both a little tipsy and had fallen back on the couch by pure luck. The woman on top was taking the lead, grabbing at the man’s collar as her lips moved fervently across his. The man’s hands held firmly onto her hips and waist, only for Wise to notice them move lower. Wise stood up, turning to Anby.

“We should give them some privacy, huh?” He said his mouth was going dry, his face flushed. God, he felt like a prude, but he couldn’t stand such intense displays of PDA.

“Why, they’re both in a public place,”

Wise would have digressed, but he’s pretty sure he heard one of them moan behind him, “I don’t think they know that.”

Anby looked mildly annoyed; of course, Wise could only tell by the small furrow of her brow, but she stood up regardless.

Wise and Anby quickly left the corner, and Wise realized that he had no idea where to go. From what he saw earlier, that corner was the only safe haven in this place for people like them. He was certain Anby wouldn’t want to go on the dance floor if she sought out the corner. Suddenly, Wise felt an immense wave of guilt for removing Anby from an area she felt comfortable in, just for his own selfish comfort. He turned around, ready to tell her she could go back if she wanted to.

He felt her cold hand in his as she gripped it tightly, looking up at him.

“Dance with me.”

Wise blinked, “I thought you- I mean, didn’t you want to- I, uh…”

Anby tugged him towards the dance floor, “I said we’re not well-versed in bonding through physical activities. That means we should practice.”

The way she said it seemed logical, but even as Wise let her lead him onto the dance floor, he hesitated.

“I don’t know how to dance.”

Anby smiled, “Neither do I.”

They found themselves in the crowd, bodies pressing against bodies, in the large, writhing mound of flesh. Yet somehow it didn’t feel as suffocating as before. Wise followed Anby’s lead. Her head swaying to the rhythm, arms leading the movements of her waist, knees bending slightly. He tried his best to mimic her rhythm, swaying forward when she swayed back, swaying backward when she leaned forward. At one point, he felt his elbow hit someone in the back; he apologized, turning his body to meet them head-on. Anby’s hand grabbed his face, guiding him back to her.

“I notice no one cares for anyone other than their partner when they dance,” she said simply, “I find it helpful to do the same.”

Wise nodded, gulping thickly. His rhythm had been thrown off a bit, but he followed her lead once more. This time, keeping his eyes firmly on Anby.

Anby’s dancing was hypnotic. It wasn’t by any metric good, but the movements weren’t really what he focused on. Halfway through the song, her eyes had closed instinctively, and she entered a zone similar to when they had visited the Bardic Needle. Eyes closed in deep thought, mouth slightly open, head swaying to the rhythm. He found it fascinating back in the clear lighting of the record store, but with the dim lights and neon glow, she looked almost ethereal, like a surreal painting or a dream sequence in a film.

He found himself instinctively moving closer, and Anby did the same. Wise no longer had to worry about elbowing another partygoer, because both he and Anby were so impossibly close, brushing up against each other with every sway and movement. At some point, they began dancing in circles, with Anby slowly rotating and Wise continuing to follow her push-and-pull movements. When she turned back around, her eyes opened back up again. Staring up at him. Wise found himself wondering if she would pull away, but she remained in place, dancing along with him to the melody. In that moment, there was no one else in that large, dark room but Wise and Anby, lost in their own little world, dancing to their own tune.

If this were a scene in a romance movie, then this would be the moment where the DJ says some corny line and plays a slow dance tune for the couples in the crowd. The male lead would awkwardly flounder about where to put his hands before the female lead takes charge and places his hands on her hip and shoulder, before wrapping her arms around his neck and staring at him with all the wonder in the world.

But this is not a Romantic film, it’s an Astra Yao party.

And the DJ had recently broken up with his girlfriend. And as a result, he had removed all slow dance songs for the foreseeable future from his playlists.

Instead, what came next was a bass-heavy, loud, boisterous song. A song that would no doubt hype up the crowd and get them moving. And by all accounts, it wasn’t a bad idea. But the combination of the loud music and the DJ’s idea of increasing the bass on the already bass-heavy song led to one outcome.

As the deep rumble burst from the speakers, Wise winced as a searing white-hot pain burned into the back of his retinas. His vision turned white as his ears seemed to vibrate along with the speakers, threatening to burst. Wise was too preoccupied with the pain to realize he had doubled over and was groaning loudly. The music seemed to mute his grunts and low screams of pain.

He felt an impact hit his knees and heard someone calling out his name before he realized he wasn’t on the dance floor anymore.

Wise’s eyes shot open, and almost immediately, he regretted waking up.

The music was gone, thank God, but despite the dim light of the room he was in, his eyes burned as if they were suddenly exposed to light. Something damp weighed heavily on his forehead, and he reached to feel a wet towel draped across his brow. There was a sharp smell that filled his nose, causing him to snort slightly. A chemical smell? He groaned, rubbing his eyes and sitting up straight, opting to keep them squeezed shut and hoping he could feel around for a door.

He let out an ‘oof’ as a firm hand pushed him back on the chair he was in. Panic surged at the unfamiliar sensation as he finally woke up. This clearly wasn’t the dancefloor; he couldn’t see where he was. Who dragged him out here?

“You shouldn’t exert yourself.”

Anby.

Wise let out a low groan, half in relief, half in pain: “Trust me, the last thing I want to do right now is exert myself.”

He flinched as he felt something cold and damp brush against his ear. He must have suffered some sort of concussion, because he swore he heard Anby click her tongue in disapproval, something that would be more shocking than the cold against his ear.

“Hold still, you have a bit of blood still left over,” she said, her tone obviously flatter than normal. She was definitely annoyed.

Wise grunted but relented, allowing Anby to dap at the dried crust left behind. TO think it got so bad that his ears had started bleeding. He should have been far more careful.

“What happened?”

Wise let out a yelp as Anby dug into his ear harder than he felt was necessary.

“You decided to show up to a party with loud music, knowing that your ears were sensitive. That’s what happened.”

“To be fair,” he said, wincing slightly as he felt crusted blood peel off his earlobe, “The sensitive hearing is a new development.”

Anby stopped, “Since when?”

Wise waved his hand weakly in what he hoped read as a dismissive wave and not a pathetic attempt to slap away her hand.

“Wise.”

Great, she was using his actual name now. Now he has guilt added on to the fact that his head feels like someone took a swing at it with a hammer.

“I’m not sure. Probably a consequence of going into a hollow despite the eye implants suppressing my ether aptitude. It’s probably some leftover ether corruption that’s making my hearing more sensitive.”

He felt Anby freeze.

“It’s minor corruption,” he said quickly, “Belle and I got ourselves checked. We’ll be fine. It’s just a minor side effect.”

Anby didn’t ask questions anymore, though he could feel an annoyed glare burrowing into his forehead.

“What happened?” Wise asked again.

“You clutched your ears, groaned loudly enough to attract the attention of a few bystanders, then you fell to the ground on your knees. At that point, I picked you up, lied and said you had a hangover from a similar party the night before, in case this was a proxy-related injury, and then made my way to the pool area to nurse you.”

“That explains the smell.”

Wise flinched and let out a high-pitched yelp as Anby smacked his thigh with the wet towel she had been using to clean his injuries, “Be grateful this place has a pool. I would have searched for a medical facility, but I was afraid I wouldn’t find one in time, and if I couldn’t find one, I would have to resort to handing you over to Public Security for an escort to a hospital.”

He snorted, “I wasn’t dying, Anby.”

“I didn’t know that,” she said in a tone so sharp it cut off any retort he planned on firing back with.

They sat there in silence; this one was the unpleasant kind that he preferred to cut short whenever possible. Slowly, Wise opened his eyes from squeezed shut to a hard squint. Slowly but surely, his eyes grew used to the dim lighting. When he finally opened them completely, he blinked a few times before letting out a sigh.

“At least I’m not blind,” he said light-heartedly, turning to Anby.

Anby was staring at the concrete floor, a towel wrung dry around her hands, straining as she used her strength to wring it harder than it would physically allow. Not a good time for light-hearted banter. He sighed.

“Anby.”

Anby started, letting go of the towel, which promptly untwisted itself violently, before falling to the ground with a wet slap.

“I’m fine…Really.”

Anby’s shoulder slumped, and Wise heard a slight exhale of breath.

“I’m glad.”

He pushed forward, towel dropping haphazardly on his stomach, as he made an effort to try to sit up again. Anby walked over and pushed him down.

“I said you shouldn’t exert yourself.” She said, her tone much sharper than he was used to hearing.

Wise held back a scoff, brow furrowing in slight annoyance, “Anby. I really appreciate your concern, but I’m fine,” He emphasized the last two words as he reached for her wrist, “So if you don’t mind, I’d like to-”

Anby stared down at him, “Return to a party you weren’t really enjoying?”

He knew that she had meant it as a genuine question, but her usual lack of tact and grace made it seem as harsh as it felt. He let out a sigh and sat back in defeat. Anby’s shoulders seemed to hunch, and she looked away.

“I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

Wise said nothing, staring up at the glass ceiling of the pool room. He felt the wet towel leave his stomach, leaving behind a damp spot on his wrinkled button-up. Anby’s footsteps receded, and he heard the wet towels slap against a metal rod as she hung them up. As Anby returned, he spoke up.

“You’re right…I wasn’t really enjoying myself.”

He turned to her. Anby stood by the water, staring down at her feet.

“But when I met up with you,” Anby perked up, and Wise continued, “I felt so much better.”

Wise turned back up to the ceiling, mortified at the corny words that tumbled out of his mouth moments before. God, he could already hear Belle mocking him for his sappy, old-fashioned, old man sense of flattery. He shut his eyes tightly and held back a scowl at the thought of his younger sister. How she managed to worm her way into his subconscious is beyond him.

When Wise opened his eyes, Anby stared back down at him. His heart jumped from the shock, but he was already growing used to her ghostly presence. Somehow, she had once again sat next to him and managed to prevent him from noticing the shift of weight on the poolchair.

“How do you do that?” He said, half-smiling.

Anby shrugs, “Lots of practice.”

“So you ARE doing it on purpose.”

“...Maybe.”

Wise let out a half-hearted laugh, “I knew it.”

Anby shifted her weight, cheek resting on her shoulder as she leaned towards him, “It’s not my fault your shock is so entertaining to watch.”

Wise rolled his eyes, “And what if I had a weak heart, Anby, what then?”

Wise’s half-smile grew as he saw her smirk. 

“Well, then, Proxy, I think that’s what Belle would call a ‘skill issue’.”

Wise groaned, “Please don’t let her corrupt you. That’s the last thing I would ever want.”

Anby hummed, “Well, Belle has freely offered to expand my vocabulary with modern slang. I’m afraid she’s my only willing teacher. Unless you’re offering to take up that responsibility.”

“Fine, as long as you don’t start inheriting her brain rot.”

Anby wagged her finger, “Not so fast, Nicole has told me time and time again that I shouldn’t concede on a good deal so easily unless you offer me a better incentive.”

Wise’s heartbeat began to speed up, which was dangerous since it was already drumming against his ribcage as she sat next to him. His face began growing hot, as he had noticed how imperceptibly close she had gotten to him.

“Well… That is sound business advice, but I don’t plan on clearing any of the Cunning Hare’s debts to give you slang lessons.”

Anby’s expression shifted from mildly amused to mildly annoyed, “Of course. It’s always debt talk with you and Nicole.” Her hand darted forward, grabbing his collar tightly, yanking him closer to her. He winced slightly, and her grip loosened, her face moving back slightly. A silent apology.

“Wise.” She began simply, staring into his soul with her piercing hazel eyes, “I don’t want any monetary exchanges.”

Wise’s heart was now threatening to burst, and he prayed to God that he didn’t actually have a weak heart. Especially not now.

“Well then, what do you want?”

Anby’s eyes darted from his eyes to his lips. Wise gulped, opening his mouth slightly to make a remark, but it died in the back of his throat. She looked back up at him. Waiting for his move.

Wise leaned in-

Wise’s ringtone blared loudly, causing even the calm and collected Anby to jump back and nearly fall off the pool chair from the shock. Wise’s mind screamed vulgar curses at whoever decided to call him at this inopportune moment. He could feel his face grow red and hot from embarrassment and from the last few moments. Anby nervously tucked a strand of her white hair behind her ear, looking away from Wise shyly as he finally fished his phone out of his pockets.

Belle’s profile picture smiled up at him in mockery, and never before had he lamented not having his sister in front of him as much as he did now. It took all his strength to accept her video call request and not immediately scold her for something she had done unintentionally.

The phone screen was suddenly filled with Belle’s face, spiking Wise’s ire. She leaned back and grinned.”

“Hey jackass! Where’d you go?”

Wise resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I had to step out.”

“Booooooo!” She yelled into the phone, her mouth filling the screen. “Old ass man! Get back in here, Officer Mew Mew is chugging Burnice’s barrel of Nitro Fuel!”

“HOW DID YOU EVEN SMUGGLE THAT IN HERE!”

Wise winced, recognizing Zhu Yuan’s voice, “As tempting as it would be to watch that, my eardrums nearly burst, so I don’t think I’ll be coming back.”

He noticed Anby stop trying to smooth out her already pristine skirt to stare at him.

Belle’s brow furrowed in confusion, “Shit, really? What happened? I didn’t think your ears were that sensitive.”

At that, Wise’s own brow furrowed. Both he and Belle were suffering similar side effects. Was he suffering more intense reactions?

“How are you holding up so well?”

Belle looked down at the phone in bewilderment, “Ear plugs, duh! I just got some more effective ones than usual.”

Wise was quiet for a long moment.

“Earplugs?”

Belle stared at him.

“Yeah… The ones I usually bring to raves…”

Anby turned to fully face him, and in place of her usual porcelain expression, her mouth hung agape as her brow furrowed deeply. Wise decided not to look at her.

“Did you not wear earplugs…To what is basically a RAVE?”

Wise opened and closed his mouth for a moment; his neck felt hot. “I thought it would be rude,” he said quietly.

Belle slapped her phone camera repeatedly, “Dumbass!”

“Idiot!” Anby hissed. Wise’s eyes widened, and he quickly made a shushing motion towards Anby, which he immediately regretted as her glare grew more venomous.

“See! I know Anby doesn’t go to Raves, but even she knows to bring some sort of ear protection-”

Belle stopped. Wise shut his eyes and faced the heavens, praying to God that Belle didn’t put two and two together. Praying that for once, his sister’s single brain cell didn’t return to her at his most inopportune moment.

He opened his eyes and looked back at his phone and knew immediately that he must have owed someone upstairs money.

Belle looked at him with a smug, smarmy expression that he only saw during Uno, or commissions, or whenever he spoke to anyone of the opposite sex for more than five minutes.

“Sooooo~, what’s Anby doing with you? Alone? In a dark room with low lighting~?”

Wise gestured to the phone. Anby’s venomous glare had lost its heat, and instead, she smirked, clearly thinking he had this coming. Wise sighed, knowing she would be of no help right now.

“She helped me off the dancefloor and helped me recover in the pool area. That’s all.”

“Oh? But I noticed my big brother was out of breath and a little red when he answered. I assumed I interrupted something private-”

“Belle.”

“-but to think that my big brother managed to score one with the cold beauty of the Cunning Hares,” Belle mock-gasped, “Wise, you better not be accepting alternative payments from the Cunning Hares, right!?”

Wise’s eye twitched, and he noticed Anby squirm slightly.

“Belle.”

“Relax, big bro, I know you aren’t the type to do something so scummy,” she hid her smug smirk behind her hand, “But really, I didn’t think you would actually score!”

Belle snickered, “I honestly thought you’d end up marrying the Astra Yao pillow in your closet-”

“Say one more thing, and as soon as I get home, I’m telling Fairy to leak your ‘homework’ folder to Harumasa.”

Belle stopped floundering immediately, “Regardless, dear brother, I wish you luck on this endeavor and will gladly leave you two well enough alone and find somewhere else to stay the night should the occasion arise-”

Belle’s poor attempt to salvage this already awful video call was interrupted by the crowd yelling over the music. Belle’s smile grew wide.

“HOLY SHIT, OFFICER MEW MEW JUST STARTED A FISTFIGHT WITH ZHU YUAN! I GOTTA GET THIS!”

The camera shook uncontrollably as Belle clearly pushed through the crowd.

“WORLDSTAR!”

Before Wise could say anything else, she hung up immediately, probably because the video call was using the camera that she desperately needed. The abrupt end left behind a painfully awkward atmosphere and psychic damage that Wise could never recover from. He was certain his face was an obvious red as he looked up at Anby.

“I had no idea Astra Yao sold body pillows.”

Maybe he could drown himself in the pool.

Anby snickered at what was probably a kind of betrayed and pitiful expression belonging to a scorned puppy rather than a human being.

“Relax, I find it more comedic than anything else.”

“In my defense,” Wise began, desperately trying to salvage his ‘cool, collected, proxy’ reputation in front of the most badass woman he had ever met, “Belle exaggerates.”

“So you don’t have a body pillow of one of the most beloved pop idols in New Eridu.”

“... It’s a very tasteful one.”

Anby snorted.

“She approved of it herself.”

Anby’s shoulders shook with barely restrained laughter, and Wise mentally fist pumped at what he considered to be a masterful recovery of a generational fumble. As Anby recovered from her fit of laughter, she let out a sigh, and Wise straightened up, ready to engage in whatever curveball she might throw after Belle embarrassed him.

“So I take it you have no interest in rejoining the party?”

A surprisingly mundane question, “As much as I would love to see Zhu Yuan and Officer Mew Mew have a drunken brawl in a dark room,” he said sarcastically, “I don’t think my ears could stand being in that place again.”

Anby hummed, nodding in understanding. She stared out towards the pool water. Wise followed her gaze. The water thrummed, slight waves and ripples creating a mesmerizing dance as light reflected against it. Tranquil and calm.

“So, are you taking up Belle on her offer then?”

Wise opened his mouth. Then his brow furrowed, trying to remember what Belle had offered him over the phone. Then his eyes widened as he turned to Anby, who was staring intensely at the water while fidgeting with her braid.

“I…”, Wise sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, “I mean, I don’t mind going home with you… But uh,” He cleared his throat, feeling his neck burn, “Anby, I like you a lot, but I think it’s too soon to do anything so…intense?”

Wise risked a glance at Anby; her shoulders dropped slightly, and her fidgeting ceased. She let out a sigh.

“That’s good,” she said, turning to him, a light pink dusting her pale cheeks, “I don’t think I was ready for anything like that either.”

Wise let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, “I’m sorry if Belle gave you that impression.”

Anby shrugged, “It’s fine, I know how she is. She didn’t mean anything by it. I just didn’t know if you were expecting something.”

Wise sat up slightly, wincing a little as his head swam a bit, “You know, we could go to Random Play. I can set up the backroom. I found a tape that looked pretty interesting. Something up both our alleys.”

Anby turned to him, not quite making eye contact, a small, familiar smile playing on her lips.

“I’d like that.”

Anby stood up, and Wise followed in suit. They stood for a moment, neither quite making a move. Wise’s phone vibrated. Quickly reaching for something that might break the ice, he read over the message Belle sent.

Btw, take the van home

Afterparty soon

I got a ride ;P

Also, Zhu Yuan won

Wise texted back a quick thank-you, both for the van and for satiating his curiosity. He turned to Anby, flashing her his phone screen.

“Belle handed over the van, so we can drive back.”

Anby nodded curtly, “I’ll follow your lead then.”

Wise nodded, heading towards the door. He paused for a moment, and before Anby could ask, he reached behind him to reach for her hand. He felt her fingers wrap around his before he could even find her hand. Wise held back a stupid grin before leading Anby and himself out of the building and towards the van.

“What tape were you thinking of, Proxy?”

“It’s a retro film from before the Fall. I think it was called Return to Gaillo City, or something like that.”

“Sounds interesting.”

Belle shoved the door to Random Play open, causing the Bangboo at the register to jump up and fall off his perch in fright. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon as she shambled into the abandoned video store. Her head swam from the impending hangover.

She groaned slightly as she stumbled forward, reaching for the counter for support before knocking harshly on the metal door. By now, knowing her brother and his strict curfews. Wise was probably at the HDD doing some early commissions before opening the Video Store for the day.

“Broooooooo…” She groaned, banging against the metal door, wincing as Bangboo 6 slid open the peephole, the sound making her eardrums burn, “That couch better be ready, ’cause I’m ready to pass out.”

The door creaked open, and she leaned against the metal door. “Dude, that afterparty was crazy, you shoulda seen it. Lycaon got so drunk he did the splits over Rina while Burnice helped her chug another barrel of Nitro fuel. That woman terrifies me, she didn’t even get tipsy-”

Belle stopped in her tracks, sobering up immediately.

A few tapes were stacked high on the coffee table next to the couch, something uncharacteristic of her neat older brother. The TV was currently blue-screened, likely due to the lack of any new tapes inserted. The VCR had a tape dangling precariously over its lip, but what shocked her to her core was the couch. Specifically, what lay on the couch.

Anby and Wise slept soundly, surrounded by fast food bags, still dressed in their party clothes. Anby was draped over Wise’s body, snoring slightly as she seemed to detect Belle’s presence. Unlike her normal naps, instead of shooting awake immediately, she groaned at the disturbance and snuggled deeper into the crook of Wise’s neck.

Wise, on the other hand, slept like a log, not even shifting slightly at the sound of the bustling bangboo around them. His arms were wrapped around Anby’s waist and back, loose around her body, but clearly, when he was conscious, those arms had been pulling Anby closer.

Belle pursed her lips, slowly but carefully fishing out her phone, before quickly taking photos from multiple angles and slowly leaving the room, closing the door behind her. Then, when she was certain the lock had latched, she did a silent, giddy dance before looking through her phone and readily opening up the group chat she had with the cunning hares.

She paused, staring directly at Nicole’s icon, remembering the large amount of debt Nicole the Cunning Hares had accumulated. 

Remembering the dozens of schemes she’d come up with to convince Wise to reduce or forgive her debt.

Remembering how quickly Wise had folded when Anby had flashed him her puppy dog eyes to mooch a free burger off of him.

“Nicole can never know about this,” she muttered gravely to herself, shoving her phone back into her pocket, “Never.”