[Activity] Festival of the Atom

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

And, on the final beats of the music, Katarina pulled the Jezii in just that little extra bit, brushing her lips against the one across from her as she held them in for just that extra half-beat.

So, apparently she was fine with a little PDA, so long as there was literally a stage set up to draw people's attention away.

At the end of the song, the gaggle pulled themselves in to all three hug the Redhead, one on either side and one on the front, turning that little teasing peck into a full-blown kiss.

"You're a really good dancer. We should've done this ages ago."

[Katarina Karkov]

"Agreed.

We should go out tomorrow evening, too. Jacques is in town; he will fix my face tomorrow, and everything will be good."

[Victor Freud]

"That's the thing about stories, Vic.

When you got thousands of them, most end up as clifnotes to make space for the others.

And still more get lost completely."

"Well, you can tell me some of the ones that made the cut." Victor said before asking for a Pimm's Cup. "Whatcha want, Em?"

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"Agreed.

We should go out tomorrow evening, too. Jacques is in town; he will fix my face tomorrow, and everything will be good."

A couple of the Jez looked a little shocked by the revelation, the trio helping to shuffle the princess off of the dance floor.

"On the same day as your, um..."
'Procedure?'
"Is that safe?"

[Katarina Karkov]

"We can do it the next day, if you're worried," Katarina smiled. "But I trust Jacques. And while there may be some, erm, finishing touches to put together afterwards, I'll at least be able to be rid of this damn mask."

[Emilie]

"Beefeater's and OJ." She replied off the top of her head.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"We can do it the next day, if you're worried," Katarina smiled. "But I trust Jacques. And while there may be some, erm, finishing touches to put together afterwards, I'll at least be able to be rid of this damn mask."

"Well, if you're certain..." One Jez says cautiously.
'I suppose he has done things like this before, you told me about your leg after all.'
"But that doesn't mean I won't worry about you."

[Victor Freud]

"Beefeater's and OJ." She replied off the top of her head.

Victor passed the clerk two drink tickets and grabbed the glasses, before nodding toward a vacant table. "There looks fine to me."

[Katarina Karkov]

"We can do it the next day, if you're worried," Katarina smiled. "But I trust Jacques. And while there may be some, erm, finishing touches to put together afterwards, I'll at least be able to be rid of this damn mask."

"Well, if you're certain..." One Jez says cautiously.
'I suppose he has done things like this before, you told me about your leg after all.'
"But that doesn't mean I won't worry about you."

"Well, you can come by and see how it's going. If Jacques gives you any trouble, I give you royal permission to kick him in the shin."

[Emilie]

Victor passed the clerk two drink tickets and grabbed the glasses, before nodding toward a vacant table. "There looks fine to me."

Emilie sat where he'd pointed, and did a grabby for her glass.

This is where it always got weird between the pair. Emilie knew almost everything there was to know about Victor, so she always felt comfortable sitting and talking about nothing. Like an old married couple, being in his presence was enough for her. If she had a book, this is probably when she'd crack it open to read. If she read. Reading's for nerds.

In contrast he knew very little about her, so where to begin conversations was... awkward.

Still, she drank her drink and waited for him to be the one to start conversation as usual.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"Well, you can come by and see how it's going. If Jacques gives you any trouble, I give you royal permission to kick him in the shin."

"Oh, I love getting royal permission to do bad stuff." The two side copies gave the girl's arms a squeeze as they hugged them, the one in front getting in nice and close so they could speak softly.

"I might just do that, but if you don't want to spoil the grand reveal I'll understand too." She did a good job of hiding her nervousness, but sculpting metal was so different than surgery, the consequences of either method she didn't like to think about. And anything she thought to say to try and reassure her just felt like it'd be bringing up fears that they'd come her to try and get off of her mind. So instead she gently tugged on the hood of Katarina's sweatshirt to help cover both of their faces as she leaned in for a soft, drawn-out kiss.

[Victor Freud]

Emilie sat where he'd pointed, and did a grabby for her glass. [...]

Victor handed Emilie her drink before he sat down and sampled his own, where is eyebrows did a thing and he stared at the glass as though it might give him some verbal explanation for what had just happened in his mouth. Still, he took another sip before he spoke.

"Would you want to go check out that club?"

[Emilie]

"Sure if you want." She replied after taking a long swig of her drink.

"You ever been to this sorta place before?"

[Katarina Karkov]

"Oh, I love getting royal permission to do bad stuff." The two side copies gave the girl's arms a squeeze as they hugged them, the one in front getting in nice and close so they could speak softly.

"I might just do that, but if you don't want to spoil the grand reveal I'll understand too." She did a good job of hiding her nervousness, but sculpting metal was so different than surgery, the consequences of either method she didn't like to think about. And anything she thought to say to try and reassure her just felt like it'd be bringing up fears that they'd come her to try and get off of her mind. So instead she gently tugged on the hood of Katarina's sweatshirt to help cover both of their faces as she leaned in for a soft, drawn-out kiss.

"If everything goes well, there shouldn't be a grand reveal. I'm not asking for a third eye or some 'sick gang tats' or something. I'll just look normal again," Katarina had begun, before being cut off by Jez.

She didn't seem to mind being interrupted.

[Victor Freud]

"Sure if you want." She replied after taking a long swig of her drink.

"You ever been to this sorta place before?"

"Nope." Victor popped the "p" in the word as he spoke it. "And I never really wanted to go to one before. But I thought maybe I might just have the wrong idea about them, which is why I was curious how much you enjoyed your time time spent in one."

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"If everything goes well, there shouldn't be a grand reveal. I'm not asking for a third eye or some 'sick gang tats' or something. I'll just look normal again," Katarina had begun, before being cut off by Jez.

She didn't seem to mind being interrupted.

Jez took her time in this semi-hidden display of public affection, only pulling back far enough to break the kiss but keeping her face hidden by the hoodie as well. It was like their own tiny private sanctum, allowing the girl to whisper over the thudding of the nearby music.

"Every time I see you, it's a grand reveal. You're like a sunset. Subtly different every time, and just as captivating the one-millionth time as you were the first."

[Katarina Karkov]

"Every time I see you, it's a grand reveal. You're like a sunset. Subtly different every time, and just as captivating the one-millionth time as you were the first."

"You are going to inflate my ego, guska," Katarina smiled. "I wasn't sure that was possible for someone with a sculptor on payroll."

[Emilie]

"Sure if you want." She replied after taking a long swig of her drink.

"You ever been to this sorta place before?"

"Nope." Victor popped the "p" in the word as he spoke it. "And I never really wanted to go to one before. But I thought maybe I might just have the wrong idea about them, which is why I was curious how much you enjoyed your time time spent in one."

"It depends on what your ideas were.

If your idea of the strip club was that it was a dirty, dingy place full of perverts looking to exploit women, then that's not entirely true. The place is meant to be Disneyland for bodies, and the club operators who take their jobs seriously know that for many, park upkeep helps maintain the fantasy. Many of them are incredibly well managed and cleaner than one would expect because of this.

On the topic of the workers, like any workplace, how harmful the clientele are to the dancers frequently correlates to the management and how seriously they take the safety of their staff.

If your idea of the strip club is that even the most gilded rose of a fantasy can still be a lonely place to exist, you'd be closer to the mark. Just like a hospital exists for the sick, a strip club exists to serve a purpose: to fill the void of lacking companionship. Of course, the clientele would never admit to it. The most bravado of them will tell you they 'just want to see some tiddies'. But I would argue they dont understand enough about the psychology of the human need for social interaction. I would also so those are the sort of skeevy fucks that need to be kicked out."

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"You are going to inflate my ego, guska," Katarina smiled. "I wasn't sure that was possible for someone with a sculptor on payroll."

"Your handmaidens have taught me well." Jez teased. Even though they'd gone out to try and help Katarina be comfortable around others again, the girl was very much enjoying this moment of just the two of them.

[Victor Freud]

"It depends on what your ideas were.

If your idea of the strip club was that it was a dirty, dingy place full of perverts looking to exploit women, then that's not entirely true. The place is meant to be Disneyland for bodies, and the club operators who take their jobs seriously know that for many, park upkeep helps maintain the fantasy. Many of them are incredibly well managed and cleaner than one would expect because of this.

On the topic of the workers, like any workplace, how harmful the clientele are to the dancers frequently correlates to the management and how seriously they take the safety of their staff.

If your idea of the strip club is that even the most gilded rose of a fantasy can still be a lonely place to exist, you'd be closer to the mark. Just like a hospital exists for the sick, a strip club exists to serve a purpose: to fill the void of lacking companionship. Of course, the clientele would never admit to it. The most bravado of them will tell you they 'just want to see some tiddies'. But I would argue they dont understand enough about the psychology of the human need for social interaction. I would also so those are the sort of skeevy fucks that need to be kicked out."

"Mmm, I think I probably thought something somewhere in between." Victor mused before he took another sip. "I guess I just don't see the appeal of it if there's no personal connection, or no chance of you gettin' any. But then again I smoke fake cigarettes so I'm one to talk."

[Katarina Karkov]

"Your handmaidens have taught me well." Jez teased. Even though they'd gone out to try and help Katarina be comfortable around others again, the girl was very much enjoying this moment of just the two of them.

"Well, they have never compared to me the sun before," Katarina said, with mock seriousness. "That leads me to believe that whatever it is you think you are seeing is simply your own reflection, caught when the light hits me when I have been properly polished. And I am more than happy to reflect your sweetness back at you."

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"Did you... did you just hit me with a reverso card?"

[Katarina Karkov]

Katarina just smiled. "You leave yourself open for them, and I am going to hit you with them."