The club night was going well, and had been very much worth the effort required to get dressed up for it. Emma adjusted her collar slightly, the soft blue glow giving her light complexion an almost ethereal quality. Tonight had been about trying something a bit different, and the new Cyberpunk HoloHall in town had seemed ideal. Full five dimensional displays, DanceTech music, all very cutting edge. Still the drinks were cheap and the outfits were, well, amazing.
Taking another sip of her drink Emma looked around again, marvelling at the effort that had been put into some of the clothes. Her own was a fairly simple affair, silvery strips of steel gliding over supple black leather, hugging her figure but not strangling it. Blue lights were interspersed between the metal, subtle enough to accentuate her paleness without blinding anyone. Her stomach was exposed, pleasantly free so she could move more easily as she danced, and her boots, while high on her legs, were not the intimidating blocks that others were sporting. The theme of elegance prevailed, and she had been delighted when the last touches had been made to her eye shadow. Several men had already shown definite interest, as well as several women. It was one of these such ladies that had bought her the drink, and Emma turned back to her with a smile on her face.
Time passed on, the music almost alive in her senses, playing on her synapses, making her slowly writhe as she sat, swaying to the beat of the club. The lady had sadly turned out to be about as bright as a singularity, and with morals to match. Polite excuses had been made, and the woman had moved on to the nearby techhead before Emma had even finished. She decided to go outside for a breath of air, maybe it would help her cool off a bit as well.
The wintry air hit her as she stepped outside, and the sharp contrast brought a smile back to her face. She enjoyed winter, at least for short periods, and snow did have a sort of magical quality to it in its virgin state. She ran her fingers across the top of a wall, giggling internally at what such innocent snow might think about her stroking, and laughing at herself for thinking such silly thoughts. She was about to go back inside when something caught her ear. A sharply suppressed sound, one that chills in a way that mere cold never can. She sprinted in its direction.
Rounding the corner she instantly assessed the scene. A hooded figure was being pressed up against the wall, a couple of thugs with knives holding her tightly. Their clothes spoke of a couple of greasy rich-kids with so much money they could do anything. And often would. She leapt towards them, and the toe of her boot caught the nearest on the side of the knee, a quiet crunch informing everyone of the result. He went down with a cry, whimpering and clutching at his knee, landing heavily in the snow around. His friend turned, lunging with the blade, his pinprick pupils evidence of the drugs coursing through his system. There was a spark, and Emma felt the grinding impact as the edge deflected off one of the decorative steel strips in her top. His thrust not having connected, the man was off-balance, and Emma swung wildly, her life flashing before her as her fist connected through sheer force of desperation. He was throw off his feet, pole-axed by the unexpected force. As his head hit the street he was knocked out cold, his scalp split and bleeding onto the disturbed snow.
Breathing quickly and in shallow gasps Emma gradually came back to herself. As her eyes refocused she became aware of the woman's soft cries. She had sunk down the wall, weeping in fear and pain, covering her face as if she cold hide from what was happening. Emma knelt down in the cold, and spoke to her gently, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"
The woman nodded, and as she did her hood slipped down, revealing her long black hair that still didn't cover the pointed ears that told of her race. Suddenly, it all made much more sense. Elves were seen as being easy whores, promiscuous and defenceless, and so they were often preyed upon. And the tales of elven beauty were all true; not a blemish marked her perfect skin, and even the tears streaming down her face couldn't change that, each one a drop of diamond flowing from a hidden mountain spring.
The elf didn't respond, and by Emma knew that she must be getting colder by the moment. Looks aside, their race did not retain heat well, and winter was never kind to them. She managed to coax the shivering elf to her feet, guiding her slowly towards her car, delivering a snap kick to the groaning thug that blew the wind out of him completely. They made it to her vehicle, and she helped her companion into the passenger seat, buckling her in. She jogged around the car and hopped in, programming it to head for home. As they took off she caught one last glimpse of the two men in the alley, and grimaced. Their sort could pay their way out of anything, and she wasn't about to be arrested for messing up their hair.
By the time she had arrived home the elf seemed to be a little more aware, the heaters in the car doing their work well. As they landed she had looked around, confused, with flashes of recollection flitting across her face. As Emma helped her out of the car again, she had clasped her arms around her, crying again, the situation all too much.
"Thank you. I couldn't... I..."
"No need to thank me. Come on, you're frozen, and you need a hot bath to help you recover. My home's just here."
The elf nodded slightly, a tentative smile crossing her features. But her shaking hands and chattering teeth spoke the truth of Emma's suggestion, and she slowly followed her up the stairs to the front door. They entered, and Emma went to run the bath. With it filling she returned, helping her guest off with her coat to allow the heating to have better effect without having to fight a snow-cooled jacket. Emma couldn't help but admire the figure that was revealed. Her clothes almost flowed over her, every bit of it an example of perfection, of living poetry. Her hair lay over her shoulders, and even her recent shock hadn't disturbed a single hair. Emma blinked and mentally shook herself, hanging the coat up to dry. Turning back to her guest she saw the elf looking very small and afraid, and Emma moved to embrace her in comforting warmth.
