Sick Beats[Open, Multi]

"You've got to be shitting me," "Let's try this one first, we'll see how good it is. If I love it, I'll slap your ass and give you everything in my wallet."

Cabel laughed and winked. "How about you save the money if it's good and buy me a drink sometime instead?"

His flirtation was mostly innocent, not like the scene involving the host, the short kid, and the really tall girl that seemed to have disappeared. At this rate, Cabel realized he was going to have to post-pone talking to Sid until after the party. No biggie.

"This entire rave is a bad idea. What's another bad idea thrown into the mix?" She tugged on his sleeve lightly. "Come on. I'll help. Let's do it, doll. It'll turn this entire party a hundred times more interesting."


She tugged on his sleeve and Cabel couldn't help but laugh. She was persuasive. Maybe he should hire her to sell some of his product.

"Alright," Cabel said, picking up another brownie--a small bitesized one this time-- and cramming it in his mouth. He made it look like he was scoping out the punch, trying to decide between that and the bottle of...jeeze what was that? rumchata?

He dropped the sheets in the punch quickly. They dissolved and sparked and for a second, the punch seemed to glow, but he was lucky--the strobe lights flashed and hid the action. He stirred it just to be safe, and then pulled out a stack of his business cards--plain cards with a falcon on them and a number for a pizzeria--and dropped them next to the punch.

He returned to Thorn, grinning triumphantly. "I've been working on this batch for a while. It's my best to date. I want to have it beat by summer, though. I'm talking firework-level-highs. "

He stood next to her again, watching the punch like a hawk, waiting for someone to take the first drink. He knew there was a lot of things witchcraft could do that he just simply couldn't, but Cabel wasn't interested in that. He didn't want something elaborate and expensive; he wanted something he could make a buck or two selling to bored magical school folk.

"So how did you end up here? You know the host?" he nodded to sid.

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"Drink it is." She laughed, bumping his arm a bit, and cleared her throat.

And then Cabel agreed to spike the punch.

Yes. She stood next to him, distracting whoever paid attention to them with an eyebrow waggle that made most people look away. The deed was over quickly and Thorn felt adrenaline rush, she wanted to jump and scream yes! or kiss Cabel on the mouth, but she kept her cool and she looked perfectly normal on the surface. She waved at a few girls she knew in art class. "Sounds like a blast."

At the topic of the party, Thorn nodded. "Yeah. I gave him that tattoo."

She pointed to where Sid was dancing and, just in time, he flipped to their direction and the glowing Cheshire cat made its appearance with its wide, bright white grin on Sid's dark skin. "Not as impressive as drugs that make you fly, but I'm the best damn tattoo artist on the island.

"I also..." She paused. Should she tell him? Ah, what the hell. She already had numerous wires and holes with metal rings on her hands, shoulders and, if she were wearing a skirt, knees, plus a bunch of crazy wiring and tubes around her entire body. There were two tubes attached on her neck that was connected to her back, disappearing into her shirt. She raised her hand and tapped the hole on her palm. "See this? Don't wanna elaborate on why I look like the back of a CPU, but I make smoke that alters the senses and creates illusions. Thought that might be of interest. I did Mary Jane before and this shit is way better."



[ Lei Feng ]

Lei allowed himself to melt into the kiss, finding the drow's arm around his waist helpful for balance. Lei hasn't had much experience with kissing, but he was a fast learner and an enthusiastic student, and it was great that he decided to take the lead — plus, his cold piercings felt amazing when he pressed against them, a metallic taste on his tongue. He responded almost feverishly, hands running around his strong arms, shoulders, face and hair.

His head was starting to swim, a ball of warmth building . He wasn't sure if it was because of the music or the LSD, but he was so sensitive, and he was very aware of everything Sid was doing in his mouth. When their tongues met, it was electricity.

He... had to pull away after a while, before he got too... invested in public, so to speak. He looked at Sid with large, dilated pupils and a blush coloring his cheeks. "Well, that was, uh... That was definitely a good time," he said, clearing his throat. He could still taste Sid inside his mouth.

Lei smiled from ear to ear. He couldn't remember smiling this much before, but it was starting to hurt and that was annoying. He was trying to catch his breath and stared at Sid's lip piercings meanwhile, the way he licked his lips.

He reached up and gave the drow's lips a small peck.

"Maybe," he said, but what he really meant was oh god yes. He pulled away. "I've... had a long night, though. But I'd be up for it some other time?"

Thorn agreed to get a drink with him if she liked the trip, but Cabel didn't expect to see her again. Not because he thought the trip wouldn't work, but because he didn't put much stock into deals made at parties.

She knew the host though, pointing out his chesire cat tattoo.

"Not as impressive as drugs that make you fly, but I'm the best damn tattoo artist on the island.

"No shit," Cabel said. "Where do you work? I'll need to send a few people to you if you're still taking clients. That thing is vibrant. did you do yours, too?"

She made a motion to her hand and Cabel looked with interest.

"I also.."See this? Don't wanna elaborate on why I look like the back of a CPU, but I make smoke that alters the senses and creates illusions. Thought that might be of interest. I did Mary Jane before and this shit is way better."

"No shit," Cabel said, taking her hand in his own and studying it intently. He was starting to geek out a little, chewing on the inside of his cheek, but he finally came back to reality and looked up at her and grinned.

"Can you show me how it works?"

Of course, Cabel didn't specify that he didn't mean on himself.

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"I work part-time at a tattoo shop downtown called "Own Me", but I've been thinking of setting up a shop of my own." The problem was that the revenue she was getting from that good business, no matter how significant, was getting thrown into the fire because of cigarettes, drugs and alcohol. But she wasn't going to get into that right now. "Anyway, definitely tell your friends. My tattoos do not disappoint."

She nodded. "Anything for you, sweetheart. Cover your nose if you don't want to smell because I'm going to turn this Ballroom into a beautiful meadow."

Thorn closed her eyes for a moment and imagined the scenery in vivid detail: Wide, open space, the big blue sky overhead pierced by the sun, and soft, green grass with flowers. When she was able to imagine it clearly, she began pumping smoke from her holes and spreading it to the entire ballroom.

The entire room stopped dancing.

There were resounding complaints, people screaming about the peaceful meadow and a bunch that were asking on how to get back. Thorn herself was affected too, and she enjoyed the silence for a moment before stopping the smoke. After a few seconds, everybody was back at the rave. There were a few moments where everyone had to regain themselves before they resumed dancing.

She smiled and looked at Cabel. "It's a pretty sweet power."



[ Lei Feng ]

Lei took the napkin with a bright red face and a tentative hand.

He — got a hot boy's number.

He got a hot boy's number!!

Sid, it said. So that was his name. All right. He was going to remember that. His heart felt like it was doing somersaults in his chest, as if the dread and fear he felt earlier did a complete 180 for the better and that never happens to him. It was ridiculous. He was being ridiculous.

He was going to call him. Maybe tomorrow?

He realized he had a huge happy face on, like an American child on those movies he watched with the Christmas present thing, and he immediately linefaced when he realized. He tucked it in securely in his shirt's breast pocket.

It was getting later than he'd like and he should really go back to the High School dormitories before people noticed he wasn't in his room.

"All right. I'll maybe call you tomorrow. Good night." He winked at him, and then turned to walk towards the exit. He took out the napkin to look at it again, noting the handwriting and the way the marker bled through the thin material.

That was sweet! That was so sweet. And he made such a great exit, Sid was definitely going to return the call because the exit was so sw —

He didn't notice the pole next to the exit, and he managed to hit it so hard it threw his head back. His brain rattled for a moment before he walked faster, blushing because of how embarrassing that was.

"I work part-time at a tattoo shop downtown called "Own Me", but I've been thinking of setting up a shop of my own." "Anyway, definitely tell your friends. My tattoos do not disappoint."


"Interesting," Cabel said. "I do know a few people I'll have to send over."

He was thinking about several friends who wanted touch ups....and several clients who owed him a huge favor.

"Anything for you, sweetheart. Cover your nose if you don't want to smell because I'm going to turn this Ballroom into a beautiful meadow."

Cabel grinned and clapped his hands like an enthusiastic child, taking a big breath of air and holding it. He watched her close her eyes, the smoke come from the holes in her body, and dissipate throughout the room. Everyone stopped dancing, even though the music hadn't stopped, and, as far as Cabel could tell, they were still here.

But they apparently didn't think so. He heard complains, some confusion....and then they were back. He took it that meant it was safe to breath again, and he looked up at Thorn just as she said, "It's a pretty sweet power."

"Well, damn," Cabel said. Some guy had gone back for another cup of punch and was proceeding to stroke the walls of the room, whispering to them that he understood them now and that everything would be okay.

Cabel was thinking about that smoke. He was chewing on the inside of his cheek, lost in thought. He asked, "Can you make it unpleasant, too?"

He laughed and realized he should clarify. "Not right now, I mean. But how much influence can you have over it?"

Cabel was so glad he decided to have another brownie, and looked up just in time to see Sid making his way over to them. He put up a hand in greeting.

Thorn nodded. She remembered her lover falling dead on the pavement. She had to think quick, and the attackers were suddenly haunted by an illusion of getting eaten by a giant bear. There was no physical damage, but they felt everything, from getting clawed to being chewed into little pieces. They were so traumatized they decided not to pursue her anymore.

"Unpleasant, yes. Complete control, yes. I almost got shot once, but I messed with the attackers' heads so badly they thought they were dead. I can do it right now but I have a feeling kitty cat's not going to forgive me for turning his rave into a horror house."

Sid was walking to their direction. "Speak of the devil."

Cabel waved at him, and Thorn give a small smile. "Heeey, kitty cat. I saw you get your mack on back there. Good job."

She had a feeling her companion would want Sid all to his own, so she gave Cabel a small pat on the shoulder. "I'll leave you boys alone. Cabel, it was nice meeting you. Hopefully, I'll see you again soon."

If she meant for beer or for drugs, she didn't say. She poured herself some of the spiked punch, pocketed one of Cabel's cards and disappeared into the dance floor. She was definitely going to contact him again. It had been so long since she got a nice fix.