Night has fallen by the time Jessica and Yan Sun depart the tower penthouse aboard a sleek white skycar. Darkness doesn't come with that night, though. The sky is a diffuse, hazy yellow, none of the celestial splendor that marks Aite's nights on display here. The streets below and the towers around them are alive now more than ever, though, the neon glow of the mishmash holography offering its own kind of splendor, crass as it may be. It all
#HourglassClub – July 26, 2026
reflects in the glimmering waters of the harbor as they skirt the edge of it towards the western parts of the island, where a cacophony of muffled music sounds, and milling crowds abound. The skycar, expertly piloted by a remote instance of Huan, descends and circles an odd-looking building that resembles some massive industrial silo, tall and cylindrical. An entrance at the base, where a long line of people in colorful, often glowing outfits
Yan Sun is, of course, wearing the same look that she showed off to Jessica earlier in the evening. She's in a good mood, a playful, anticipatory grin on her lips as she divides her attention between Jessica and the window behind Jessica, where their destination is now in view. She's been quite sparse on details about the place, refusing to elaborate beyond insisting that Jessica will enjoy it.
Jessica has been a little quieter than usual, but given the heaviness pressing down on her shoulders she's done a good job of keeping up appearances. Ignoring problems is something of a superpower for her at this point, after all. She's dressed in the outfit she purchased for this outting: Fresh black and white hightop sneakers, black sweatpants and a matching sleeveless hoodie over a baggy white tanktop layered over a black sports bra.
Black matte lipstick and black painted nails. Black on black on black. Seems to be the color of the night. But what her outfit lacks in flavor on first glance, it makes up for in obnoxiousness with its light-up features. Features that extend into the additional accessories she slipped into her order. It's probably too early for her to be replacing her piercings with these light-up ones she ordered, but that certainly hasn't
stopped her. It should be fine for one night. Nothing a bit of medi-gel can't fix. As for the light-up feature as a whole, she seems unconcerned about annoying Yan Sun with it as her outfit flashes on and off in the skycar while she pokes at her omni-tool in an attempt at finishing up her fine-tuning. Judging by the shade of blue she's decided on and the fact that she keeps glancing Yan Sun's way to scrutinize her, it's not hard
to discern that she's attempting to color match her lights to Yan Sun's. She seems to decide that it's good enough shortly into their trip, allowing both her omni-tool and the glow of her outfit to dissipate and turning her attention back to her partner and the lively world outside. A grin begins to cross her lips as she spots their presumed destination, causing her to tap a finger against the window and shooting a look Yan
The skycar sets down in the alley, hovering smoothly just above the asphalt as the doors slide open with a hiss, revealing what is, indeed, just a nondescript alley by all appearances, one rendered quite dark by the looming buildings that surround it, lit only by the spillover of out of view neon, and a harsh white lamp over a backdoor where a woman in an apron and a kitchen uniform is smoking. She casts a brief, curious glance at the sleek
Yan Sun hops out of the car, spinning around and taking a couple of steps backwards as she waits for Jessica to join her, eager grin on her face at the muted sound of music that seems to thrum through the ground itself. In the distance, people are chattering, voices loud but indistinct, lost in the crowd.
Jessica shoots a confused glance Yan Sun's way, curiosity beginning to color her expression as she finds herself in some back alley. But she doesn't hesitate to follow Yan Sun, the grin on her partner's face enough to let her know that they are, in fact, where they're supposed to be, and she's along for the ride.
Yan Sun leads the way through the largely empty alley, her holo-vest and cybernetic casting a dim blue glow around her. Behind them the skycar takes off. She waits until they're out of earshot of the smoking restaurant employee before explaining that "You might've noticed the line out front. The Hourglass is pretty popular. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like standing in line for half the night, sooo... we're taking the back way."
The last bit is accompanied by a wink before she speeds up her pace a bit, crossing an empty back street over to the side of the cylindrical Hourglass Club building. She comes to a stop near the bottom of a light metal staircase - a fire exit, most likely - and looks around, left eye a glowing blue pinprick.
Jessica already has a bit of a bounce in her step from the muted music spilling out. Yan Sun's words cause a snicker to slip out of her and she casts a conspiratorial glance back in the general direction of the smoking woman. "Mm." she hums softly in agreement, seemingly having no qualms about sneaking in.
Yan Sun grabs Jessica's hand with a giggle, and pulls her along as she leads the way up the stairs to a locked door - of the hinged variety. Above it is a security camera, but she seems entirely unconcerned by this as she comes to a stop in front of the door. "He-llo... let's see..." she mutters, gaze following something unseen in the wall near the door. The muffled music is louder here, the building alive with that thrum that's felt as much
Jessica allows herself to be tugged along, one hand gripping the railing as they hurry up the stairs. Once they reach the landing and upon spotting the security camera, she instinctively pulls up her hood, though Yan Sun's dismissive attitude towards it is enough to let her know that she's probably already dealt with it, causing a snort to slip out of her. She posts up near the railing behind Yan Sun, passing a few glances into the
alleyway below them as she waits and swaying lightly to the music contained behind the door impeding their entry. "You are slow." she taunts impatiently, scrunching up her nose as she negatively assesses Yan Sun's lack of haste.
Yan Sun lets out a snort. "I'd like to see you do this faster. Or at all," she fires back as her omni-tool flares to life and she starts typing. It's not long before a 'click' sounds from the door, and she dismisses the holographic interface, placing her hand on the door and staring intently at it for a moment as she double checks that the alarm's been dealt with too. Satisfied, she shoots another quick glance around and then tugs it open,
shooting Jessica a smug grin as she holds it for her, nodding her head to indicate that she should get in.
Jessica scoffs, furrowing her brow. "I would just-..." she lazily pushes one leg out without much effort behind it, "...kick the door." she insists, obviously just trying to further get under Yan Sun's skin given how poorly that would likely go. But when the door opens without much difficulty she gives a roll of her eyes, pushing herself up from the railing and curling her lip up in a little sneer that she levels at Yan Sun as she