52 Making Friends Again 2 Electric Boogaloo

I've never been clubbing before.

The thought comes to me as I walk down the dark streets of New York, still filled with the same hustle and bustle despite the sun having set, though to be fair, it's not like it's at all dark, what with all the lights everywhere.

As I wonder around, looking for anywhere or thing interesting enough to catch my attention, I continue to mull over my thoughts.

In fact, I've never even actually been to a party before.

A proper party that is, not like, birthday parties that are just family. Though it's not like I've never been 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 to parties before, I've just never really felt like going.

Now that I think about it, I never really had any friends, just friendly acquaintances.

It's kind of weird how much more active I am now that I have powers, but I can't deny that I am certainly enjoying myself.

Speaking of enjoying myself.

A short distance ahead, I spot what is clearly a popular club, with the line for entry extending quite a bit.

Not really finding the idea of so many people in such a small place but still firmly of the 'in for a penny' mindset, I decide that this place seems good enough.

A quick glance down the line shows me nothing that I didn't expect coming here, namely the disparity in the woman to men ratio.

It's not really a surprise to me though, since I have always had an interest in how people behave, but it's still nice to see, as it will make me stand out less.

That is kinda important, since I am not planning on doing anything cape related today. This is a purely bucket list crossing off activity.

One good thing at least is that I appear to have been right in my decisions of what to wear today, going by the fact that most of the other women are in similar variations of dress.

That is to say, I am wearing a nice and loose sunny shoulder-less crop top, with a red and blue plaid skirt that stops a little above my knee, allowing a thin slip of my thighs skin to be seen from the gap between the skirt and my plain black stockings.

Naturally, the look is finished off by a short leather jacket that has more zips than it needs, as well as a pair of modest heels, enough that I stand taller than most of the other women, but not quite enough that I am eye to eye with most men.

All in all, I think I'm looking pretty sexy.

Not that I'm planning on getting laid or anything, sometimes it's just nice to dress up and really feel good about yourself.

Plus it only feels right, considering the location.

I pause a small distance before the line, hesitating slightly.

I think I should make a game.

It doesn't have to be anything over the top, but if I can approach this like it's part of a game, I will probably have more fun, the only question, is what should the challenge be?

Something fun.

Hmmm.

Eh, let's keep it simple, the aim of today is to pickpocket as many people as possible for as much money as possible.

Simple, fun 𝘢𝘯𝘥 if I get caught then it means I can maybe kill someone.

With that distinction made, I move forward again with a renewed smile on my face.

I take my place at the back of the line, ready to simply wait until it moves forward, however my chances of staring into space for however long are dashed when one of the women in front of me turns around, a loose smile on her face.

She's wearing a proper dress, also shoulder-less, like my top, coloured a dark blue that matches her eyes. Her head is a dull maroon that speaks of faded red hair and goes down to her shoulder blades.

"Heeey! You mind helpin' a girl out?" She slurs, clearly already intoxicated.

I have to restrain myself from sniffing disdainfully at the scent on her breath.

Not only is it simply an unpleasant smell for my enhanced nose, but I've also never really been a fan of the idea of getting intoxicated.

After all, drinking takes away your inhibitions and I am already sorely lacking in that regard 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 the addition of alcohol.

Still, I keep my face one of placid interest, a light smile playing on my lips, giving the image that I am simply happy to be out and interacting with people, as the woman continues talking, drawing the attention of her friends as she does so.

"Claire here", she wraps an arm around one of her supposed friends, similarly dressed only in green and much more noticeable high heels, "only came after we basically forced her to and is worried about being hit on, for 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 reason."

As she talks I look closer to Claire, my interest growing, if only slightly.

Only now that it has been pointed out do I actually take notice of the slight tenseness in her shoulders and rigid manner in which she is moving her head, making her blonde hair wave slightly every time.

"So seein' as you're alone?" I nod at the statement turned question, allowing her to continue, "maybe you could pretend to be her girlfriend or somethin'?"

Before I can even respond to that, I am cut off by a long drawn out groan from Claire that makes me think that this might not be an uncommon experience for her.

"My gooood Julia! will you stop asking random strangers, no offence-"

"None taken." I smile as she quickly goes back to complaining to Julia.

"-to pretend to date me? Do you have any idea how awkward it was the last time?" She finishes with a heavy breath, her chest rising and falling as if she just got back from a run, face flushed with heat.

It's cute really, getting so worked up like this.

"She's got a point Jules, we should at least know their name before handing Claire over to them, right?" Comes the last of this group of girls.

She has brown hair, cut short with most of it flowing over to the right side of her head, with her left side being slick to the skull instead.

It honestly looks pretty good.

Unlike her friends however, she isn't wearing a dress, being dressed more like myself instead, only instead of a crop top she has a typical white button up shirt that she has twisted in the middle to turn it into a makeshift crop top.

Below that she has a pair of tight, and I mean 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 jeans, with a hoodie wrapped around her waist.

All in all, she looks like some kind of boarding school delinquents' girlfriend.

"Too true, too true", I respond with a smirk, engaging myself into the group, "in that case, my name is Eve. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." I bow slightly, my smirk remaining firmly in place as I do so.

I'm really having fun with the whole coming up with fake names stuff, though if anyone figures out the common factor then I'll be pretty easy to catch, but that's just part of the game.

It wouldn't be any fun if there was no risk.

"Wait, so does this mean you're cool with being Claires excuse to turn people down?" Julia's widened eyes clearly show that she wasn't expecting this to be so easy, but her smile betrays that she is happy with the development regardless.

"What!"

Claires shout goes ignored as I respond honestly to Julia.

"Well I don't see why not. I was supposed to be coming here with a couple of friends but they all backed out last minute. I however, am determined to have a good night out today anyway, so here I am. As such, I wouldn't say no to some good company."

By honestly, I naturally mean I didn't speak a word of truth.

"Huh, well damn then. That was easy." Julia opens and closes her mouth a couple of times, clearly not sure of what to say next.

Thankfully, before the silence can start to get awkward, the woman who's name I haven't got yet perks up.

"Hey, why do you speak like that anyway? All fancy-like I mean. Like, who even says 'acquaintance' anymore? I couldn't even begin to guess how that's spelt."

I don't speak fancy-like, I just use proper words most of the time.

Then again, she doesn't seem the brightest.

Either way, I simply give her a wry smile as I answer, raising my arms in a half shrug.

"Eh, I grew up reading a lot. I know a lot of fancy words, it would be remis of me to not make use of them no?"

It's mostly true, but also that I just like using long words sometimes. Long words can be cool, like peripetia.

After that, we have some more casual conversation, during which I find out that the third girls name is Jasmine, and I integrate myself into the group pretty easily.

Eventually, we make it to the front of the line and from that to the inside of the club.

The fist thing that comes to mind as I step through the door is.

𝘓𝘰𝘶𝘥.

Then we move closer to the bar and I notice how 𝘩𝘰𝘵 it is. Thankfully at least, my power seems to come with some kind of basic resistance to temperature, so the heat doesn't really bother me.

When we make it to the bar, I realise a slight flaw in my plan, in that I don't think they will be serving coffee, which means I'm going to have to figure out some way of pretending to drink.

Fun.

"-and what about you Eve? Whaddaya want?" Jasmine waves her hand ambiguously as the three of them turn to me.

"Rum and coke please." I smile.

It's mostly out of nostalgia really, since while I rarely ever drank, I did on a couple of occasions and rum and coke was my favourite.

We sit around at the bar for a bit, just talking as we work through our drinks until Julia eventually runs out of patience and orders a round of shots.

"Alright ladies! To the dancefloor!" She exclaims, lifting her shot glass in cheer with the res of us matching her.

Only Claire seems to have any struggle downing the shot and in no time at all we are squeezing our way into the mass of bouncing and bobbing bodies, taking effort to avoid being completely separated.

I keep with Claire, taking her hand and jumping around with her, not really knowing how to dance, but having fun all the same.

It's hot, and while that itself doesn't bother me, but it's also stuffy and humid.

People are everywhere, bumping into and around me.

The loud music leaves a deep rumbling across the dance floor, matching with the sounds of dozens of feet stomping and jumping about.

It's stifling, and being surrounded by so many people like this without the option of using my power, for the sake of my own game, brings back memories I would rather forget.

Thankfully, I am able to snap myself out of it by remembering my game and with that I start bumping into more people, snatching wallets and bare cash left and right, stuffing the unexpectedly deep pockets of my jacket full.

With that task to focus on, I actually find myself enjoying myself a little, my smile smile growing just that little bit more genuine.

I don't know how long we were on the dancefloor, though I don't think it was too long, before Claire pulled me close in order to shout in my ear so that I can actually hear her.

"I'mma go sit down!! Wanna come!?" Her face betrays how she is rapidly growing more and more uncomfortable with where she is, and my pockets are getting full, so I nod and start leading us to the edge of the room, where the booths are.

We get to a booth and Claire quickly lets go of my hand so that she can collapse into one of the cushioned seats.

As I move to join her, I suddenly freeze but quickly smother that reaction and take a seat without her noticing anything odd.

"Someone's eager~ not a dancer?" I ask, but my focus is firmly elsewhere.

Just before sitting down, I smelt something. Something 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨.

Casting my eyes wide, I take notice of an Asian woman partying hard and definitely high an probably too many drugs, yet I notice the way that she never truly loses her balance.

I watch her tip like she's going to fall, only to catch herself perfectly at the last second. Every. Time.

I turn away, looking back to Claire, even if I continue to ignore her as my focus remains on the woman, catching her putting another tab of something in her mouth from the corner of my eye.

A small, playful smile rises on my lips, something that Claire apparently mistakes as a response to whatever she said.

But I don't care about her anymore.

After all, the smell of a 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 is far, 𝘧𝘢𝘳 more interesting.

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A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

If anyone can guess who the mysterious cape is from the extremely limited amount of information available, I will be very impressed.

Fyi, she is a canon cape, but I think she only shows up in Ward, Worm's sequel, and I haven't actually read Ward, so she's probably going to end up pretty OC anyway.

Also, Inkstone, the writing site connected to webnovel, just updated the way it's inbox system works and it is so retarded. the only positive is that I can actually see the gifs and images you guys send now, but other than that they just made everything worse

(5+)Advanced chapters with the links below!

pat/reon.com/user?u=41732867 (get rid of the first slash)

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https://ko-fi.com/bored_works

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