Michael And Jade Pt 01

Energy - it's a curious thing. Beyond the veils of matter and sense, it weaves through our lives - like lace.

So delicately, it dances to the push and pull of destiny while we remain ignorant of its effect on, well, everything.

So many things exist just beyond the periphery of human perception. Still, we dabble in the dark. It starts with a spark of recognition. Awareness grows.

While entities of ageless existence are drawn to such beacons with wonder, delight, or nefarious intent. The human mind demands quantification. Measured and weighed. Subdued and dismayed, these inconceivable things are restrained by time and space.

Ignorant to the creatures of multiple dimensions taking part in the fantasy. Consequence. Balance demanding recompense. A crack in the mirror makes some things clearer. Depending on what side you are on.

"When you stare into the abyss the abyss stares back at you."

― Friedrich Nietzsche

So it was true for Michael and Jade. Unbeknownst to them, a fated moment and their deepest desires entwined to bring two incorporeal entities across the veil. Whose subtle manipulations took place in the realm of dreams and subconscious revelry, inconspicuous enough to hide in plain sight until one very violent night, after which amnesia of the event left Michael and Jade with an apprehensive longing of which neither could identify the cause.

Jade chewed her lip nervously.

It wasn't her hesitation when asked to visit that was different, nor the synchronistic consistency of coincidence that led to her phone ringing with Michael on the other end of the line, but how her body reacted. The blood-rushing, heart-thumping response was one she could not control.

That he would have access to all of her. There would be no hiding, no evasion from his eyes, no reprieve from the intensity of his energy, and that was where the timidity lived.

The two had developed a symbiosis, which fueled their personal projects. Jade's reluctance to spend too much time with Michael (despite her desire to do just that) had restricted their manifestations. But Michael's tolerance for her resistance had reached its limit. The seduction started with a compliment, his latest arrangement, which she likened to a well-known musician. Then, his racy response left her at a loss for words. An expression of sexual excitement lasting a long time, the inference of which unnerved her.

Sometimes Michael's mannerisms took on an intimate implication. Even so, he would laugh it off and return to more reserved ruminations but in this moment he let the silence hang heavy.

"Just..."

A pause. Then, with grumbling impatience, Michael said, "Get over here."

Jade had boasted that she would always find a way to circumvent their coupling outside the confines of her control. His indulgence had faded, and no excuse would keep the occasion at bay.

"I know you want to. You know you want to," Michael urged suggestively. His persuasion pushed into her mind, coaxing out the covetous inclination to submit within her.

"You should get ready..." he stated before abruptly ending the call.

The strangest thing occurred when that hint of irritation in Michael's voice replaced playful banter with demand. While Jade fully expected the thunder in her chest to plunge down to her core, she had not anticipated the following calm. Instead, those four words were magic, transforming her temperament from apprehension to acquiescence.

Through this bidding, Jade could find the cipher to understand. Her dilemma had always been how to balance investigating the intricacies of his work while dodging different situations that would lead to the same solicitation without the option of refusal.

"I can't." Jade would decline, though she imagined permitting more than their occasional meeting before her aloof armor reasserted itself when dealing with Michael. Still, when the mask slipped, the effect of exposure was electrifying.

And terrifying.

It mystified her that Michael claimed to be unfamiliar with things that came across with such compositional clarity. Though later, while taking part in the fantasy of her mind's eye, Jade was just as unaware of the attention their connection had garnered from things unseen.

The air shimmered with the exultance of such an entity, which had always existed at the edges of subsistence, who now stepped forward to partake in the delightful waves of emotion that rippled and shifted, coloring her aura with white-hot excitement, blues of anxiousness, and pink torrents of passion.

Being in her vicinity allowed it to feast on these projections of desire, deliciously mixed with fear, the repast permitted because precautions of protection she typically took became ineffectual by Michael's startling summons.

The double-tap vibration of an incoming message interrupted Jade's thoughts.

Texted ellipses danced on the screen.

"I've ordered you a car."

A pause. Another wave of dot-dot-dot before:

"But this is the last time I'll ask."

Jade's pulse pounded harder.

"Do you still trust me?"

The question was met with thoughts of their last rendezvous flashing fuzzy and out of focus.

"I know you're overthinking this."

Blood blushed her cheeks, and Jade laughed despite herself.

"Don't."

The last message came through, leaving her no room to argue.

"Go."

Tobias, the Russian Blue tomcat, had been watching his human with the impartial cognizance of a feline who couldn't see the bottom of his kibble bowl and had fresh water and a clean litter box. Moving from his sphinx pose, he rose, stretched, and decided to police the perimeter.

Autonomy had taken over as memories came flooding into Jade's mind. Michael had caught her attention, as she'd inserted herself into the chaos of that night, and something about him seemed familiar. Some details had faded into the background of a time of excess. But as she closed her eyes, lucidity took over in the warm humidity of her shower, and her sentience slipped back to the beginning.

A well-known theater in a city characterized by its musical inclination. A compilation of local talent gathered regularly, unaware that they were experiencing the death throes of the scene.

The art moderne architecture and streamlined functionality of the venue allowed for quite the confluence of fans to congregate without feeling claustrophobic. Instead, the mid-floor served as a space for socialization with a raised platform in the center and tables lined up against the brass railings overlooking a pool of pugilists. One level up was the main floor, check-in, swag tables, and soundboard. Stage right led to the bathrooms, stage left to one of the busiest sets of taps in the house, and left of center was a small corridor that led to VIP seating on the next level.

Jade had paired an Asian-inspired top with flared black split hem slacks that were precariously held together with red ribbons. Her long hair was twisted into a pair of pens, and she'd matched the red accents of her top to the color of her lips with artful expertise. Her hands were full of show flyers and a camera settled between her breasts.

Promotion seemed a logical step to follow Jade's uncanny ability to connect dots and inspire and motivate her more creative compatriots.

And she had been doing just that when laughter demanded her attention.

"Must be a frontman." She thought to herself.

Compelled to discover if she were correct, Jade scanned the dimly lit tiers of gathering spaces until Michael laughed again.

With her alibi aligned, Jade walked up, draped her arm on his shoulder, and leaned in with disinterest and familiarity. He spoke to the fans surrounding him and, with barely a cursory glance, put his arm around her waist mid-sentence.

Intrigued by the electrical effect of Michael's skin against hers, Jade noted the superconscious signal and waited for a pause in which he would stop and acknowledge her properly.

As he turned his head to say hello, she straightened from her stance, feeling his hand move to the small of her back. Michael's seizure then slipped to Jade's hip, pulling her out of his peripheral. His smile hesitated as if debating conversation as he unabashedly looked her over. Color blushed her cheeks and sparked a flash-like flint in his eyes, searing past Jade's facade and making her feel naked beyond her clothes.

Aware of the energy at play, Jade realized she needed space to take inventory of the effect of Michael's attention which wrought such an enticing duality of uncertainty and security. After handing out flyers to the quickly dispersing group, Jade disentangled her hips from his grip, twisting in time with the music still playing. Her eyes lingered on his lips as they twitched and finally broke into a smile before she turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Confident in the photos she'd collected, Jade buzzed from the assault on her eardrums so close to the stage. Knowing it would hold better stock for hydration rather than inebriation, she sought the top-level bar and headed up the first set of stairs.

Picking up her complimentary water and having a quick chat with Max, the bartender, Jade smirked at the quips and mic check before turning to see it was Michael working over the crowd.

Through Jade's eyes, there was electricity that magnetized the pit. A pensive percussion set the tempo for the fans, already teeming with energy. When she let her gaze slip out of focus, leaning against the rails, the crowd swirled like storm clouds. The rhythm guitar had brought on a false sense of calm. Then, with a nod and smile confirming his attention, Michael set forth a most unsettling snarl. The storm clouds exploded, transforming the dance floor into a sea of moshing madness.

As the echo faded, she tried to decipher his visceral vocabulary. In spite of her efforts, the turbulence and tempo left her puzzled and intrigued.

Michael appeared lost in his symbiotic exchange with the crowd, feeding off their excitement before giving it back, multiplying wave after wave of energy. The entire hall seemed canopied in spider webs of spiritedness.

Jade considered leaving, happy to chalk up the moment as nothing more than a chance introduction, but she felt captivated, present, and in thrall, unable to pull away. Michael mouthed the word 'Stay' before the roar of the applause followed him off the stage. And so she had a decision to make.

— Part 2 A: If she stays

— Part 2 B: If she leaves