Neo's... badly confused. She usually amuses herself while she's waiting for jobs by picking out things she likes and doesn't about the people around her — this one's shirt clashes with his tie, that one's dress is all wrong for her, that necklace is gorgeous, cute laugh, and so on. It's petty, but it passes the time, and it keeps her aesthetic senses sharp.

But this entire time she's been waiting at the bar, it's gotten harder and harder to pick out anything about anyone, good or bad. It's like everything is just... there. 

She sips her mojito, and she can't even tell whether it's good.

Everything's just happening. And it's getting harder to have an opinion about that even.

That kind of scares her. Least as much as that's still a judgment she can make.

Fuck.

And then one of the escorts stumbles into her.

She has an opinion about that. Yes she approves of this collision this feels great what the heck.

Would she normally like collisions? She remembers disliking collisions.

But this feels amazing.

She looks up at her and smiles.

She grasps the stranger reflexively. That feels really nice yes at last a good sensation —

"You're beautiful," she tells the stranger. "And you feel... really nice..."

With something to steady her she's able to search a little more for an explanation. Something is wrong here. There's a reason for this, this isn't normal — 

"... Wait a second, are you... an esper?" 

That's...

Neo tilts her head.

She wasn't yesterday. 

She's confused.

She has no idea. A little of the confusion is easing, and she can maybe see some resemblance between this good feeling and what people say about compatibility?

But the judgment call is just beyond her right now.

It feels really great though. She'll smile up at the pretty girl, shrug, and hug her close, pressing as tightly against her as possible.

This feels nice.

Ishaza pulls the stranger close and lets out a heavy sigh. It helps. 

She needs to talk to her manager (ugh) and she needs to get off shift (ugh) and she needs to get back to her apartment (ugh) and — 

She closes her eyes and tries to settle her stomach. 

Her manager is definitely not going to believe she's awakening. (The man is a dumbass.) She'll probably lose her agency job. (It was never any good for her.)

She needs more skin contact but she can't do it in the host club, they'll lose their licence (god she hates this planet) and she can't use the back rooms unless she's charging (because all these people are halfwit morons) and she doesn't think she's going to be able to eat (she winces away from the thought of food) —

One thing at a time. More of that good sensation. One of the only good things in the whole world. 

"— I can't work like this —"

She takes the stranger by the hand. "Come with me, I need to get out of this place, someplace safe —" 

Her manager is coming over — she bumps into him as she tugs Neo towards the door, and startles away, full of revulsion. 

"I feel badly nauseous," she says to him shortly. "I need to leave shift, in a hurry. I'm in no condition to work." Her voice is stone cold, her tones dripping with ice. This man is a bug and just getting in her way. 

Her manager flinches before her gaze, despite the fact that he's ostensibly in charge. "Go," he says in a sharp whisper. "If you're going to be ill don't do it on my lounge floor."

She starts off, trying to tug the stranger along behind her.

Wow, okay, Neo doesn't think going somewhere with a hot stranger was her plan, but judgments are hard and touching the hot stranger feels amazing?

She remembers being more... careful or judging or something, before.

Right now, though, the only thing that meaningfully seems better or worse than the background radiation is touching the hot stranger. So she's inclined to follow.

Onto her shoulder goes her purse, out the door goes the thief after the escort. Yes fucking please.

Out of the host lounge they go and onto the riverfront. They call it the water trade for a reason. God the smell of the river is awful. There's a beer bottle in the gutter too. Someone's spending their life away on alcohol. Makes her sick how many people are eaten by it. 

It's late evening. Best not to be out long. Ishaza's keys find their way into her other hand as she strides along beneath the streetlights and the festival lanterns. If any asshole crosses her she will kick and spit and fight if she has to.

It's getting dark. It helps. Means she has to see less. She's got to get somewhere safe where she can fall apart and she needs to keep this other woman safe. She doesn't know what's going on with her but clearly she's backlashed hard if she can't even talk. 

"Sorry," she says shortly to the most beautiful woman in the world. "I need to get you to a safe place. My apartment is fine I think but it's three blocks east. Come with me for now and we'll sort it out there."

She keeps her pace. Standing around in the dark is stupid with the drunks who are sometimes out at night in this part of town. She's got to keep moving. And not throw up from the smell of the river. 

A safe place... She remembers safety being a good thing, so that's good? She remembers that you're supposed to agree when people offer you good things, right? So she nods.

She doesn't really notice the smell of the river. It smells like river. It exists. 

She keeps following, not letting go of the lavender-haired stranger. Pretty stranger who feels great to touch.

The nod is good. The beautiful esper woman likes her. At least enough to understand her. She thinks. 

She moves, as fast as she can without drawing undue attention: a brisk walk, nothing to see here. She hates these heels she's wearing but they're mandatory at the escort lounge. Click click click click, keys at the ready, the stranger's hand held white-knuckled in hers. 

Huh, pretty lavender girl has her keys out? Should she be... doing something?

Well, she can keep up easily enough. Brisk walk it is.

And on they go together. The night gets darker as they go, and as they get closer to Ishaza's apartment block there are more alleys and turnings. 

When a man turns out onto the street with a knife in his hand that gleams in the streetlight, all Ishaza has manage is a flat "Shit." 

"Well, look what we have here," says the man. "Two ladies out alone after dark, in this part of town?" 

He advances on them.

Ishaza just looks at him, her utter contempt for this slimeball oozing from every pore. If she's going to die she's not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her beg. 

That's a curse. That means bad things. Pretty girl is upset about something. It's hard to put everything together. Her brain is fighting her, failing to connect meanings together, but the pretty girl is upset, so she has to. She has to think through it all manually, but she manages to do that quickly at least.

Newest thing in their environment is the man with the knife. Probably she's reacting to the man with the knife. 

Knives are dangerous?

Lavender hottie is upset about dangerous thing?

Oh. He's a threat. To the pretty girl that feels so good and is being so nice to her.

She goes from very still to very fast suddenly. This is something she has done before. Countless times.

With the ease and speed of long practice, she feints right before twisting left into a high snap-kick at his hand, her stylish but rugged boot knocking his knife into the air. Her right hand snaps out to snag it as she completes the turn, closing the distance. Her left elbow drives behind her into his solar plexus. Her turn completes and she puts the knife in his left thigh.

And then she kicks into a backward hop, landing between the nice, pretty, lavender girl and the man that upset her.

What the fuck — 

Looks like Mr. Human Trash here got what he deserves —

Oh god what is she thinking he's going to bleed out and fucking die —