Pleasure and Pain Part 2

Ricochet POV

In this century filled with superpowers and superhumans, crime has gone from an organization to an art, especially in Krimo. And just like any art, there were many ways of expressing it, especially in the lower levels.

Hell, you could even say that we have our original traditions, with one of my favorites getting its second wind during this autumn equinox. Call it the moon or just pent-up pheromones, but whenever that time of year hits the red light district, let's just say there is a reason why we call this night Scarlett.

It didn't take that long for us to feel the effects already. Normally the urban lower levels were all dark at this time of night, a husk of the former city it used to be long ago. But now, dark red lights started to dance across the city streets like fireworks, breathing new life into the once dead area. Any minimal order we had in here vanished like a magic trick as the outfits got gaudier by the second the more we went deeper in the area.

No matter how hard Frag tried to look away with his phone, the transition from Hawaiian shirts and funny t's turned to cut-up booty shorts, exposed cleavage, and shirts that hide nothing at all. Days like these made me appreciate my sexuality because my eyes were feasting on every person we bypassed as they collected into partying masses.

I wanted to join in the fun, but at Frag's request, I decided to keep myself clothed with a biker vest, white wife-beater, and jeans, with Frag adopting a gray hoodie with sweatpants. Both of us had our ski mask on, a status quo carried amongst those who participate, everyone wants to join in, but no one wants to get connected to what happens tonight.

Once we were in the epicenter of the district, we carved out a little space for ourselves along the crowd, ready to take the night by storm amongst the dozens of potential places. I've never been to Scarlett with a friend before, so curiosity got the better of me.

"Where do you want to go Frag, I'm brought my cred card so we can hit up any place you want."

However, as expected, Frag remained silent instead wordlessly scanning the area so fast that his eyes looked like ping pong balls. Noticing his now quivering body was tapping his phone as his life depended on it, I decided to take the initiative for a bit and make sure this didn't get off the rails.

"Ooh, I know just the place to go, it's a little far, but we can make it. We haven't had a good meal for a while."

Frag POV

Before joining the Cons, the outside world was the equivalent of those travel brochures that are too expensive to pay for. When it came to the interaction, I mainly relied on the holographic simulations and the virtual reality provided by my teachers. However, all the holograms in the world couldn't prepare for this.

This was more people than I've seen in my entire life, with outfits so loud that I covered my ears. The music was so blaring I thought that I was in the middle of one of my explosions, and worst of all, the people crowded around like we were some sort of magnets.

By the time we had reached the epicenter, I was already exhausted mentally, which is why I was very much relieved when Ricochet took us for some well-deserved nourishment. But I realized soon enough that I would have rather stayed inside.

Once again, we entered a brand new world as Ricochet situated us at a place that from the outside that looked like a rundown bar. However, the shabby exterior did not match the comparatively lurid interior. The wooden floor was expertly cut mahogany, the chandeliers looked brand new, not even a couple of weeks old, giving the establishment the dreadful Scarlett aesthetic.

But I think that the thing that really sold me was the staff. Heteromorphic superhumans weren't the most common occurrence, but this is the first time I've seen this many grouped together. From plus-sized women with tentacles for arms to four armed men with exposed forearms, the entire staff consisted of such oddities. Instead of the usual waiter wear, these people wore black tight crop top shirts with red "s" as their insignia with ripped-up jean shorts that hugged every curve.

But the thing that truly made me break out in a cold sweat was their eyes and suggestive body language as if I was the sheep amongst a pack of hungry wolves. By the time Ricochet and I found a table, my legs were shaking with the anticipation to run.

"I know this is place is exciting right?," Ricochet said in enjoyment, "Rumor has it that this strip club in the upper levels "Mutant Monarchy" has trouble keeping up with the fat cats and competition in the upper levels. So to make some ends meet during the fall and spring by bringing some of their "talent" to us with some equal compensation of course. So overall, it's a win-win, and everyone makes money. Beautiful, huh?"

At that moment, I was too shocked and overwhelmed to answer back, instead remaining speechless when our three-eyed waitress arrived with the default glass of water. She couldn't help but ask the all-encompassing question.

"Is there something you need sir, your friend looked stressed," she said in a sly yet empathetic tone?

Noticing the opportunity, Ricochet decided to "cheer" me up.

"Yeah, he's just a little wound up, but I'm sure after our little meal, you can help him relax," he said flirtatiously.

The waitress instantly picked up his signal, quickly leaning in with all three eyes focused on me while she quickly took the initiative, cupping her hands over my face with a cute expression.

"I hope I can help, mister. After all, your friend's so cute, I can just eat him up," she said through sharpened shark-like teeth.

Fear took over my entire body as I decided to make a break for it.