Stars Forever Falling

Chapter 14: Debauchery and 2 Prawns

The sun had started to set, giving the decorated mountain range a colourful window chime rainbow effect, glistening against the cold surface of the natural rock. The city's unnatural lights battled the sun's rays, and as the sky got darker, the neon got brighter.

Velvet was being escorted to the lift that led directly up to the top floor of the Rage Dome to Kid Ritz's penthouse. She gulped in suspense as the building's security guided her through. She had been directed to a back entrance by her escort, he had driven Ritz place to place for years and had instructed ahead of time for the security of the Rage Dome not to freak out upon Velvet's arrival.

She hesitantly stepped into the elevator, and the ride up felt so long she was on the brink of passing out in the cramped space. In retrospect, the space was rather roomy, but to Velvet, it was just another cage. She had a constant nagging voice in her ear, telling her that she wasn't meant to be there, that this is the first time she's actually successfully been inside the Rage Dome and it wasn't to recieve the Lifer Award. Still, people were coming to see her. The attraction to the party was well deserved in her opinion.

"Why in the unholy fuck have you not returned ANY of my calls you little shit?" Velvet yelled as she was directed through the main entrance to the luxurious apartment. She had to stop and observe her surroundings, the space was much finer in size and furnished than her old home at the Blue Crystal. Every place she looked, her magpie complex fluttered, when her eyes met shiny expensive thing after shiny, expensive thing. Art pieces adorned the glittery walls and heavy faceted furniture was placed along the checkered marble floor like chess pieces. Several staff members however, were hard at work decorating the vast space with glitzy gold banners. Velvet's nostrils were filled with the sweet sensations of gourmet treats wafting their way into the main living space from the prep kitchen down one of the many halls.

When she snapped back to reality, she realised that Veneer and Ritz were nowhere in sight. Instead, they were in earshot. Giggling away to themselves like a couple of high-school kids, laughing at dirty jokes. She walked, but a few steps forwards to see them both sat opposite each other at a home installed cocktail bar. Their faces were flushed, and their movements were more wobbly than usual. Both of them surrounded by empty glasses, with the residue of several mixes of sparkly liquid. The bartender had been dismissed hours earlier by Ritz so that they could be left to their own devices and make monstrosities they called cocktails with whatever bottles they decided would go together.

"Aaaah! Velvet! So nice of you to join usss!" Ritz noticed her first as Veneer was too busy slamming his fist on the bar top, tears in his eyes as he choked on his own giggles from a long, winded joke Ritz had just told him.

"Oh my God, you're both hammered -" Velvet's face grew from angry to concerned as she approached them both. Veneer's neck craned up to see his sister standing there. He smiled and mimed a hammer with his fist and pretended to nail Ritz's shoulder.

"Hahaaa not yet your royal shrillness~" He smirked and slipped forwards on his seat to give her a sarcastically charged bow. Ritz immediately elbowed his side.

"Dude, not in front of her!" He snickered too, and Veneer quickly shot back up to cover his mouth. Velvet just stood there and rolled her eyes at the messes before her.

"Well. That explains why you haven't been answering your phone for hours." She states as she folds her arms, tapping her fingers along one. Trying to ignore the fact they seem to have inside jokes about her that they are now failing to hide.

"Oh! Is that what that was? I thought a bee had like- gotten trapped in my pocket or somethinG- Lemme just- ah-" Veneer proceeded to awkwardly scoot in his seat, trying to reach into his back trouser pocket from over his shoulder. Which eventually he did successfully, as his arm stretched down to grab it, but resulting in him falling forwards off of the bar stool. Ritz failed to catch his fall, but the two of them just laughed at each other as he fell on his butt. Ven looked up at his blurry twin sisters.
"Hey Velsss, do you wanna hear a joke about 2 prawns? Ritzbitz tells her! Tells her!" Before she could answer, the two tipsy teens burst out into another fit of laughter just thinking about it.