Stars Forever Falling

Chapter 16: Lightweight

The reverberating sound flooded into the master bedroom as the door opened again, and Ritz left. Velvet stood there, watching his footsteps closely as he walked away before looking back at her new follower. She expressed some frustration on her face as Ritz failed to formally introduce his cousin to her. Despite them having already known each other for so long, she still didn't know her name.
"What was your name again?" She asked as she checked her nails, looking down at her on occasion. Asking in such a way to make it seem like she had asked her before, so that she didn't seem like the rude one either.

"It's Orchid." She looked up at Velvet now that they were alone again. Rubbing her arm nervously. It seemed now that the misunderstanding had gotten out of the way. They were back to how they were before, except now they were both on the same page. No secrets identities. She smiled slightly as Velvet began to walk out of the room first, looking back at her, expecting her to follow behind as she spoke.

"Huh. Like the flower, right?" Velvet couldn't quite recall where she knew this information from. Orchids were a flower categorised under deep jungle flora, a plant that grew miles away from the harsh and high conditions of Mount Rageous. Therefore, unless you knew your foreign flora, it was not common rageon knowledge. Especially since there are few known rageon citizens that have dared travel down the mountain to explore the rest of the continent's various terrains.

"That's right!" Orchid perked up, and an excited sparkle started to glint in her eyes at the realisation that Velvet knew what an orchid was. She felt relieved, thinking that she must have received her letter in prison, as no offence to Velvet, but she didn't seem the type to care about nature otherwise. She kept her realisation to herself, however, not wanting to spoil the new connection between them both with the mention of her terrible time in prison for now.

"Hmph. Sweet." Velvet stopped at the entrance to the party's heart and clapped her hands together. Turning back down to her one last time, inspecting her form below her. "One last thing before I can properly forgive you." She started as she tilted her head back, fixing her tight bun back into shape instinctively.
"You owe me a new drink." She said as she nodded her head to the side as if to direct Orchid to go in ahead of her.

"Oh yes! Sorry! I'm on it." Orchid said, catching on, walking ahead of her to indeed fetch her acquaintance a new beverage. Velvet stood back and watched her walk off. She had to admit she found her outfit rather suave, and with or without the addition of her makeup, she was a pretty rageon.

Velvet shook her head to stop her from staring for too long. 'What? Can't a girl appreciate another girl's looks?' She thought trying to reason with whatever feelings were conflicting in her mind. She originally had every intention to leave Orchid's company after she fixed her makeup, but after seeing how much grief she caused, and seeing Ritz's overprotective reaction, she saw her company as a fun challenge. Not to mention, as Velvet looked on throughout the sea of dancing teens and young adults, she came to another realisation. Besides Veneer, who had abandoned her elsewhere, she had no one she actually knew. She was alone at her own party. Orchid seemed to willingly want to stay around her, and their brief encounters before tonight felt like a justified excuse to get to know the busking beauty.
Orchid quickly returned with a cup in hand, waddling over awkwardly as she tried her best to avoid being tripped again as she cut through the dance floor. She had a mini crisis once she got to the bar, realising that she had failed to ask what her counterpart wanted.

"Why do you only have one cup?" Velvet asked as she took the pitiful plastic cup from her hands. Cocking a confused eyebrow as she looked down into the liquid and then to Orchid's now empty hands.

"Did- you want another one?" She asked with a similar display of confusion on her face.

"Pff. No dumby, I mean, where is yours? You don't seriously expect me to drink alone do you?" She rolled her eyes and took her hand once more, cutting through the crowd like a knife as the surrounding rageons moved out of her way themselves. She took her back to the bar and ordered her a drink without letting her get a word in otherwise.