Sea of Sirens
19th of Glade, Year 124 of the Age of Steel
19th of Glade, Year 124 of the Age of Steel
It was a particularly busy night. Astræa had heard from one of the harp players that all the booths and seats were either filled or reserved. The Aqua Vitæ was one of the newer establishments in Noctis Æternæ and they have been shooting through the ranks of popularity recently.
Every night was busier than the previous. There would constantly be a line in front of the club. They had even extended their opening hours due to popular demand. More people had been hired, performers and mages and servers. Marcellus, the man in charge of all of the performances, had been pestering her to work more nights - which she had to politely decline. She was nowhere near being their best dancer, but Astræa had an inkling that they wanted to sell her platinum features. While Astræa appreciated the gold, more shifts would interfere with her work at the temple.
Astræa couldn’t help but sneak a peek into the main cavædium as she waited until it was time for her performance. Since she was already dressed, she had to be discreet to avoid being seen by the patrons.
The men and women working in Aqua Vitæ - fondly dubbed as nereides - were all clad in iridescent fabrics that gave off the illusion that they were almost see-through. Most of them had also been bathed in magic, amplifying their already attractive features. Before the shift had started, the Masqueraders had made sure everyone was decorated with shimmering scales on the most flattering parts of their body. The eyes of servers were glamoured to be alluring blues and greens, glowing softly in the dim lighting.
In the center, the main pool was barely visible with the wall of water surrounding it, pouring down from an invisible source high in the ceilings. As she had heard earlier, all the seats and booths were occupied by elves and humans alike. Some were busy laughing and chatting with their companions, while others were captivated by their surroundings and bodies passing them by.
“Ephyra.”
Astræa’s head turned at the sound of the stage name she had taken in the club. All the performers had taken some sort of fake name to address each other on the floor. Due to the nature of their work, unwanted attention was unavoidable and it was better to be safe than sorry.
Mæra, a stunning moonborn woman whose real name was Bellona, was already standing behind her. Her long jet-black hair was decorated with pearls and glittery shells. She was wearing an exquisite dress that looked like it had been sewn with scales that matched her violet eyes. “You look like you’re about to pass out,” she teased. Mæra would be the voice and music Astræa would be dancing to tonight, but unlike her, the other woman seemed completely at ease.
“I feel like passing out,” Astræa replied, sneaking one last glance at the crowd. She had done this dozens of times before, yet every night the nervous feeling deep in her chest refused to fade away. The starborn had originally decided to apply to the club under the assumption that since they were new, there would hardly be anyone watching her dance. Despite all the training she had, before Aqua Vitæ, Astræa had never really performed in a public setting. She figured it would be best to start slow. The first few weeks the club was certainly quiet, but as word went around everyone wanted to experience the paradise the establishment offered. “I think this is the most people we’ve ever had.”
The moonborn offered her a reassuring smile and a gentle squeeze on her arm. “I’ve watched you practice so many times. You’ve always done all the routines perfectly.”
“Doesn’t mean I can’t make a mistake tonight,” the starborn pointed out, still unable to shake off the jittery energy building up inside her.
Mæra waved away her concern. “I know you won’t. But let’s say you do, everyone watching will be too distracted by how you look tonight to notice.”
► Show Spoiler
“Ephyra! You’re up!”
Astræa straightened and took a deep breath as she watched five other dancers gathered near her. The girls would be accompanying her for the performance, all dressed to match her but not to outshine her. The starborn was to be the main attraction.
Mæra gave one last squeeze on her shoulder before going out to take her place with the other musicians. All the dancers huddled together while a Masquarader enveloped them in an illusion, to hide them from plain sight as they made their to the pool. When they were close enough, Astræa reached out with her æther and asked the curtain of water to part and they all slipped into the pool.
► Show Spoiler
Dancing had first started as a chore for her, another lesson her mother had her into in an effort to make her the perfect daughter. She couldn’t even pinpoint the time she had first fallen in love with it. When the music played, nothing else mattered. Her mind lulled into rest as her body took over. Astræa dipped low, her hair cascading like liquid silver under in the darkness. Her arms flowed with the haunting tune, while her feet leaped and turned.
As her hands glided upward, the mist followed, climbing up until it touched the ceiling. It wasn’t thick enough to impede any vision, but just right for a mystifying atmosphere. The girls climbed out of the pool with ease and began weaving their way through the crowd. Whichever direction they went, Astræa urged the mist to part, making sure that all eyes stayed on them. By this point, her moves became simpler, a necessary design since she had to focus on her magic. It had been tricky at first, but by now mixing the magic with her movements had become almost second nature. On the last note, Astræa bowed just as the pillars of water shot up into the sky and burst into a gentle drizzle that covered the entire room.
Of course, every individual stepping into Aqua Vitæ should expect to get a little wet, but each of the booths had also been outfitted with a button that would activate a ward to shield them from the water should they prefer to keep dry. Whoever designed the club had certainly thought of everything to keep their customers pleased.
The music started again, this time something more sensual and reverberating. More dancers - male and female - came out from the periphery to give the customers a more immersive show. Their bodies would brush against patrons and other performers, hands flowing across shoulders and gaze locked directly on the lucky ones.
Their interactions might seem random to the unaware, but a few minutes before the performance all of them had been briefed on which tables had spent the most or where the higher-ranking patrons were sitting. It was encouraged for the dancers to at least linger by the valuable customers. Most of them didn’t mind since these sorts of patrons tend to be more generous.
Astræa felt the tightness in her chest loosen as the attention finally wandered to the dancers. She lingered in the center of the pool, swaying slightly to the music as her eyes sought anything that could entertain her for the rest of the night.
