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Eheeya groaned from his couch while nursing a drink. Day and night were abstract concepts in Solution Nine and even the space outside of The Dome. The city skyline was always illuminated with electrope while outside was always darkened by the pulsing levin clouds; but the Shetona sure as hell felt like he had partied all night. He had made his window panes opaque and dimmed the apartment lights to try and get some sleep, but his entire body was jittery with uncertainty.
His career at the Arcadion was officially over. In a way he was grateful for the out provided by Yaana, his fighter's persona as the ring's Party Animal was particularly demanding and had turned his love of dancing into a means to do battle which really sucked the fun out of it all. However, he felt like he owed his fans one last hurrah, a thank-you for all their support as he made a name for himself as Dancing Green in the Cruiserweight Division. He booked one of his favorite clubs for the event and it had gone at a breakneck speed, song after song, dance after dance, but it was a chance encounter amidst all of that which was the most memorable for him.
He couldn't help but spot the pair of red and blue leporine ears amongst the crowd, both of them dressed quite differently from all the Alexandrians and lacking any form of regulator. The taller, blue-haired one had pulled his partner out onto the dance floor and, after some timid first steps, found their own groove with each other. He had spoken with the cute pair while taking a breather, never catching their names but hopefully his words of encouragement to "make their move" would lead to fun and exciting new opportunities! The red-haired Shetona had said something oddly profound to him in return about being able to find his own path and the long years ahead of him.
In the quiet of his room, Eheeya realized for the first time in awhile that he had an opportunity to pause. There wasn't another engagement looming on the horizon to attend, no new choreography to plan to keep his routine in the ring fresh and dazzling, he could just be himself for a bit.
And it felt amazing.
He'd eventually have to figure out what he wanted to do next with his life. He was no stranger to hard work, toiling long hours with his mother in the Yyasulani debris fields, but for now he just wanted to relax in the moment. He hoped his decision to retire wouldn't make him a complete stranger to the rest of the Arcadion. He'd miss his chats with the "old man" and all the other colorful personalities of the arena roster…even if one or two of them were a bit freaky.
He took a long drink of his tonic, tongue sticking out at the tart taste which turned his own thoughts sour. He'd tried to focus on his retirement party, but the revelation of psychonekrosis and the danger it posed to everyone was not going to go away. He had made his choice to stop fighting, sure, but what about everyone else? He wanted to help, but he wasn't exactly champion material and even an unenhanced upstart and his entourage had been enough to beat him. If he was going to forgo the use of feral souls entirely from this point forward, would he have enough power to make a difference?
There it was again; the racing of his heart, his breathing getting tight, his mind thrumming with thoughts like an electrope generator. He took off his shades, kicked off his shoes, did a full body stretch with his lanky legs dangling off the furniture, and just let it go. This was the change of the track, the rest between dances, he didn't need to have all the answers right away.