Legend of Ransera

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.”
Admittedly, Astræa had to agree with her. This particular outfit was easily one of her favorites. An opalescent white corset gilded with gold hugged her torso perfectly, the shells positioned in all the right places. Strings of pearls were wrapped around her bare waist several times before they finally trailed down her legs. A matching fabric swathed her hips, covering just enough while also showing off her pale legs. She laughed. “You have a point.”

“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.
Once the music started, the waterfall around them stopped and revealed the six women who had all taken their positions. Astræa at the center with the others forming a circle around her. A thin layer of mist began forming across the floor. As Mæra’s voice and magic laced through the crowd, Astræa let everything else fade away. Unlike the others who were standing inside the water, the starborn had made the water solidify under her feet, making her walk on water. Each step sent ripples through the cerulean blue, every stroke across the water matching perfectly to the music. Astræa spun and thin strings of water floated out of the pool under her influence, twirling around her like ethereal serpents.

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.

"You cannot be serious," Athalia protested as she watched Hilana tighten the strings of her outfit. "Hilana, that's too much even for here. You look like a courtesan from Kalzasi. Maybe one of your halter-style shirts and the little tiered skirts you wear for swimming with the heels?" While dressing in very revealing outfits was normal for Solunarium... Athalia tended towards more modest, cooling attire personally, while sketching and drawing far more daring outfits for special events. She liked the way the choli could be customized between more or less skin when she had the scarves to drape over and add to the allure. But where Hilana was taking her tonight, they were not going to work. In Aqua Vitae, less was more.

"This is fine," Hilana smoothed the patterned black and silver fabric, that was essentially two longer strips that went from her shoulders to halfway between her knees and thighs, and laced together at the sides in a zig-zag fashion. Her long, toned legs were bared, and she had high heels on that gave her several more inches of height. Her long hair was piled up on her head and held in place with pins and a ribbon, a very carefully planned messy bun. Her usual mismatched earrings were replaced with little silver rings with silvery chains connecting them, and as usual, she wore her dragon pendant. Tiaz and Fiya were not coming tonight; the herbalist wanted to be able to enjoy the evening that Domina Astraea had invited her to. "What about this for you?" she pulled out one of her skirts that had slits to the thighs on both sides. "It's not so revealing that it's outlandish," she gestured to her own outfit. "But it will look nice on you. You can put a short shirt with it, I've used this one before..." she pulled out one of her fitted blouses pale that had sleeves that went over the bicep instead of the shoulders.

Lia sucked in a breath, studying the garment before taking it and holding it up to herself in the mirror. Hilana did have a few inches in height on her, so that gave her a little more length to the skirt... But the blouse... She didn't have time to put some extra colouring on it, and took the outfit off into her room to put it on and see how well it fit, armed with a pair of tall heels just like her sister's. Hilana paused pet Risdra while she waited, and when Lia emerged from her room, she had a hand on her hip. "Perfect," her younger sister beamed at her. "How do you like it?"

"I am going to need to get some different outfits for going to these places. But it will do for now," Lia shook her head. She was satisfied; it wasn't quite as mortifying as Hilana's, even if her shoulders and midriff were bare, and the hems of the skirt ended above her ankles. She might have worn something different in Tertium, but this wasn't Tertium, and she wasn't with their older sisters under their father's and aunt's watchful eyes. This was Solunarium, that much further away, and with the freedom to do whatever the hell they desired, so long as it was of course within the rule of law. She was able to sort through Hilana's jewelry and pick out some of her long chains to accessorize with, and a woven maille cuff-style bracelet, and after brushing her hair out to its usual mid-back length, and with the Traversion Ring, the two were off to the Umbrium's Noctis Aeternae district.

After a brief walk, they were outside the Aqua Vitae, and the outside offered plenty of hints as to what was contained within. They made their way in, and were shown to a booth. While their father's wealth might have merited one of the VIP spaces, and Hilana probably could have traded on Raithen's name as well, the two Equestrians were a bit further up. It was still an excellent viewing spot nonetheless. Drink orders were made, and with the attractive waitress hurrying off to get them, the pair of Vastian sisters looked around the cavernous room. The performers, the water, the magic... The music offered a unique sound pattern with the reverberations of stone and water, and the elements had their own song. Both of them were fascinated, as Lia sought to piece together how each effect was done, while Hilana's eyes roamed instead for Astraea. "There," she nodded at the Starborn dancer, drawing Athalia's attention to her as well.

While they took in the performance, the botanist was quite pleased to see how the priestess also wove and manipulated the elements around her. She was right - it wasn't precision work, but it was breathtaking all the same. She was stunning, and each step showcased her. Well worth it, she knew, to haul Lia out here so that they could enjoy some fun for once. All work and no play...