English right before the door closed.
I shook my head and headed upstairs. “Just a local vampire,” I whispered through Captain’s carrier screen. “Nothing to worry about, but nice catch,” I said, and tossed him a cat treat from the stash in my pocket.
Still, the incident forced me to take stock of the station. In the young crowd, a mix of club kids and exhausted university students, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Taking advantage of my adrenaline shot, I darted up the steps through the crowd of Harujuku girls showing off their outfits, then took a left. I kept track of everyone I passed; Ochiro had warned me to be careful, and coming from someone who worked for a dragon, that scared me. Three blocks down, past the noodle and clothing shops, I reached the blue neon signs above the flight of stairs for Nadya’s club, Space Station Deluxe. I took in the neon lights that decorated the building like psychedelic sci-fi Christmas decorations. In spite of everything, I was looking forward to catching up with Nadya, something I hadn’t had a chance to do in months.
I climbed a flight of steps to where two large Japanese doormen stood manning a black door. I didn’t recognize either of them, and from the glares they shot me, there wasn’t much hope they were going to let me in. I wasn’t in the mood to argue, so I pulled out my cell phone. Nadya could deal with it; she practically ran the place anyways.
Come get me outside. I need to change.
Nadya knew me well enough to get the picture. In fact, I could imagine her cursing in Russian as she read the text.
The two doormen crossed their arms, continuing to glare at me. I waved and smiled. “Hi,” I said as cheerfully as I could muster.
The doormen exchanged a glance. The larger one took a step towards me and nodded down the steps—told you I can’t pull off charming. I shoved my hands in my pocket, retreated three steps down, and watched the passersby. There was nothing out of the ordinary; still, I couldn’t shake that raised-hair feeling on the back of my neck that says someone—or something—is watching you. With vampires, dragons, and who knows what the hell Oricho and Lady Siyu were, who could blame me?
Nadya’s head poked around the door. She was sporting a neon red bob, which looked fantastic on her. Nadya had always been a headturner; she was from Moscow and had the height and looks of a brunette Russian bombshell, though she rarely wore her natural hair color and was a fan of colored contacts. Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of me and took in my appearance.
“Hi!” I said, adding a cheerful wave.
Nadya frowned even more and pursed her lacquered lips. “Would it kill you to dress appropriately? Once?” she said, her Russian accent light.
I gave her a big smile and held up my backpack. “Halfway there. Give me five minutes and I’ll fit right in.”
Nadya tsked. “Get in and get changed fast. I’m trying to run a business. Broke university students are bad for business.” She waved me past the two doormen and into Space Station Deluxe.
I gave a low whistle. “I knew you were redecorating, but damn,” I said, taking in the new blue track lights. They were set into the ceiling, walls, and floors, creating swirled patterns. It reminded me of being underwater, like walking through a glass tunnel at an aquarium. The blue tinge gave the place an almost daylight feel.
The dance floor was hidden between the far wall and a sheet of blurred glass that hid the band as well, out of view of the door. It was set up that way because the local laws prohibited dancing past eleven. Though the law is rarely enacted, you can never be too careful. Space Station Deluxe wasn’t packed yet, but give it a few hours and it would be. Out of all the renovations, the new bar was what really got me. Before, it had had a 1990s Star Trek vibe, with embedded lights and that halogen feel. In fact, the whole place had reminded me of a cross between the bar
I shook my head and headed upstairs. “Just a local vampire,” I whispered through Captain’s carrier screen. “Nothing to worry about, but nice catch,” I said, and tossed him a cat treat from the stash in my pocket.
Still, the incident forced me to take stock of the station. In the young crowd, a mix of club kids and exhausted university students, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Taking advantage of my adrenaline shot, I darted up the steps through the crowd of Harujuku girls showing off their outfits, then took a left. I kept track of everyone I passed; Ochiro had warned me to be careful, and coming from someone who worked for a dragon, that scared me. Three blocks down, past the noodle and clothing shops, I reached the blue neon signs above the flight of stairs for Nadya’s club, Space Station Deluxe. I took in the neon lights that decorated the building like psychedelic sci-fi Christmas decorations. In spite of everything, I was looking forward to catching up with Nadya, something I hadn’t had a chance to do in months.
I climbed a flight of steps to where two large Japanese doormen stood manning a black door. I didn’t recognize either of them, and from the glares they shot me, there wasn’t much hope they were going to let me in. I wasn’t in the mood to argue, so I pulled out my cell phone. Nadya could deal with it; she practically ran the place anyways.
Come get me outside. I need to change.
Nadya knew me well enough to get the picture. In fact, I could imagine her cursing in Russian as she read the text.
The two doormen crossed their arms, continuing to glare at me. I waved and smiled. “Hi,” I said as cheerfully as I could muster.
The doormen exchanged a glance. The larger one took a step towards me and nodded down the steps—told you I can’t pull off charming. I shoved my hands in my pocket, retreated three steps down, and watched the passersby. There was nothing out of the ordinary; still, I couldn’t shake that raised-hair feeling on the back of my neck that says someone—or something—is watching you. With vampires, dragons, and who knows what the hell Oricho and Lady Siyu were, who could blame me?
Nadya’s head poked around the door. She was sporting a neon red bob, which looked fantastic on her. Nadya had always been a headturner; she was from Moscow and had the height and looks of a brunette Russian bombshell, though she rarely wore her natural hair color and was a fan of colored contacts. Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of me and took in my appearance.
“Hi!” I said, adding a cheerful wave.
Nadya frowned even more and pursed her lacquered lips. “Would it kill you to dress appropriately? Once?” she said, her Russian accent light.
I gave her a big smile and held up my backpack. “Halfway there. Give me five minutes and I’ll fit right in.”
Nadya tsked. “Get in and get changed fast. I’m trying to run a business. Broke university students are bad for business.” She waved me past the two doormen and into Space Station Deluxe.
I gave a low whistle. “I knew you were redecorating, but damn,” I said, taking in the new blue track lights. They were set into the ceiling, walls, and floors, creating swirled patterns. It reminded me of being underwater, like walking through a glass tunnel at an aquarium. The blue tinge gave the place an almost daylight feel.
The dance floor was hidden between the far wall and a sheet of blurred glass that hid the band as well, out of view of the door. It was set up that way because the local laws prohibited dancing past eleven. Though the law is rarely enacted, you can never be too careful. Space Station Deluxe wasn’t packed yet, but give it a few hours and it would be. Out of all the renovations, the new bar was what really got me. Before, it had had a 1990s Star Trek vibe, with embedded lights and that halogen feel. In fact, the whole place had reminded me of a cross between the bar
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