LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 32.2
Later that night, Kara, Kori and Danette stepped out of the taxi and in front of the Tin Roof Club.
“Thanks for inviting me.” Danette said, adjusting her own blue tinted round glasses. “I have been meaning to leave my brother's house for a while now, but I… didn’t really know where to go. Everything’s so strange now.”
Kara snorted in amusement and led them towards the club while Kori nodded. “Indeed. Getting accustomed to Earth’s culture is very taxing. Humans wear so many layers of clothes, it is most disconcerting.”
Danette gave Kori an odd look, then remembered who she was talking with. “Right, you would relate.” Turning to stare at the line in front of the club, filled with people wearing the skimpiest versions of 70s costumes they could find, Danette shook her head. “I think I have the opposite problem.”
Approaching the Club, Kara saw the security at the door staring at her group for some time. Just as she was about to wait in line, the man motioned for them to approach. “Miss Kara, please enter through here.”
Kara lifted an eyebrow. “I guess Selina put me on the list then?”
“Yes, the owner wants to make sure you never have to wait in line.” The mountain of a man said and disconnected a red chain, allowing them to enter the club without going through the line. “Enjoy the night; the first drink is on the house.”
Kara thanked him and entered the club. The Tin Roof Club was fully decorated in 70s disco style, with flowers everywhere and an actual LED dance floor, Bee Gees blasting through the room just loud enough that, if she made an effort, it completely blocked the sounds from outside in the city.
At her side, Danette seemed a little intimidated by the scene. But she made the mistake of letting Kori notice it. Trading a glance with Kara and getting a nod in return, Kori dragged the android onto the dance floor, drawing a lot of attention.
Kara wanted to immediately start relaxing, letting the music take her worries away, but she just couldn’t do something like that, not yet.
Stepping to the side, she released a small cloud of drones from her pockets. The little devices scanned the room and quickly camouflaged themselves before floating up and spreading around the club.
Soon, Kara saw the footage of the entire place being shown at the bottom of her own glasses, small enough that a normal human wouldn’t be able to read it, it would be able to scan anyone for weapons, and warn her if there was any trouble about to happen. Only then did she let herself enjoy the place.
Focusing entirely on the music, she let the noise from outside fade and joined her friends on the dance floor.
Kara enjoyed the dancing, and the free drinks, they couldn’t affect her, and she wasn’t really interested in any of the buyers. But, it was nice to see them try; she even danced with one or two who seemed like nice guys.
Seeing one of the asshole ones try to sneak something into another woman’s drink almost ruined her night but, after Kara had crushed every bone in his hand and handed him over to one of the security guards, Kori had pulled her back to the dance floor, and the three of them had enjoyed dancing together.
Danette herself had relaxed and turned out to be a fun girl to party with. Her programming didn’t allow her to get drunk, but it could simulate a buzz and she had relaxed as the night went.
Still, after a few hours, both Kara and Danette had almost reached their quotas for social interaction and stepped away, finding a booth to sit while Kori continued to dance. Somehow, her afro had collapsed and her hair had settled back into a straight mane, only curling slightly at the end.
Kara briefly wondered if Kori could actually control her hair and made a note to ask her later, before settling on the booth with a smiling Danette.
“Thanks, I really needed that.” The android said as she flicked the little umbrella out of the way and took another sip of her drink.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.” Kara drained her own whiskey and asked for another. “Have you made up your mind yet?”
“No… I-I think I’ll accept your offer, but I still need some time.” Danette played with the little umbrella for a second, swirling the ice cubes inside and further mixing the drink. “Brother seems happy to be a doctor and I… Was I a hero because it was what I wanted, or just because it was what Father programmed me to be?”
Letting the slower music fill her hearing, Kara focused her eye entirely on Danette and thought about the question. “Well, you did take a bullet for Flash, that’s pretty heroic if you ask me, and probably not a part of your programming. Prof. Morrow wouldn’t recognize self sacrifice if it hit him in the face, much less be able to program it.”
Danette’s hand unconsciously massaged at her chest, messing up her clothes as she touched the place where Dragon King had shot her.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been more than sixty years.” The young woman looked around and had to stop herself from shaking her head. “You know, I used to be the bold one, wearing pants and provocative shirts everywhere.”
“Really, bolder than Wonder Woman?” Kara lifted an eyebrow, causing Danette to blush.
“No, Diana always had me beat there, with her completely exposed legs and arms.” The former heroine lay back against the seat and snickered. “You know, she once told me she only dressed like that to fluster the men who complained. Seeing as she wears far more clothes now than back then, I believe her.”
“You know, you don’t have to be a hero constantly. Pretty much all of the senior members of the Justice League have college degrees, some even have several.” Thanking the waiter for the new drink, Kara briefly checked if it wasn’t spiked before taking another sip. “I can pay for your classes if you want to study anything. It’s the least I can do since I got so much from studying your father’s laboratory and tech.”
“I think I’ll take you up on that.” The blond finally finished her drink and stared at the cup for a little bit. “It’s so strange, knowing that drinking that did nothing for me, I don’t really need to eat or drink after all.”
“Well, in a few months, I technically won’t need them either, but I really don’t think I’ll be stopping.” Kara revealed. With her cells recovering, she’d soon be able to sustain herself with only sunlight.
“It is nice, even more so after your upgrades.” Danette turned away from her cup and looked at Kori, now dancing between an older couple. “Say, can you come with me? I have been meaning to go see Flash, but I think I’ll just talk myself out of it if I go alone.”
“I’d be happy to. Want me to call him tomorrow?” Danette released a long, deep sigh and nodded.
Suddenly, Selina came barreling through the crowd and threw herself on the seat beside Kara, her movements a little sluggish. “And here’s just wh-who I was looking fhor! I have to talk with yo-you lather.”
“Selina. You’re completely drunk.” Kara said, pushing the woman slightly away from her, she didn’t want to get thrown up on.
“And whose fault is that!” The older woman pointed a finger at Kara’s face, or well, tried to; she missed it by a few centimeters to the left.
“Definitely not mine, I haven’t spoken with you since our deal was done.” Kara answered, taking the newest drink away from Catwoman’s hand and lowering her unsteady finger.
Kara traded a glance with Danette, but the android just gave her an amused smile and pushed herself up. “I think I’ll dance some more, let you have some privacy with your friend.”
‘Traitor’ Kara mouthed at the android, but just helped Selina get into a more comfortable position.
“It’s that bitch! She’s back in the city and probably living with him!” Selina cursed a little, then laid her forehead against the table and sighed, tapping a finger against the table. Kara saw she was wearing her Catwoman’s gloves as she scratched at the wood. “I thought she was gone after he rejected her that last time! Ugh, I just bet they’re both laying together in that damn Batcave of his!”
“… I stand corrected.”
“What?” Selina turned her head aside and squinted her eyes at Kara.
“Nothing.” The Kryptonian avoided her gaze, then had to push her own drink away from Selina’s grasp. ”I think you’ve had enough for the night, don’t you?”
“No, it’s my club! If I can’t scratch Talia’s eyes out, I can at least drink myself to sleep in my own club.” Selina cursed some more, trying and failing to snatch the drink from Kara’s hand. Finally, she gave up and dropped her arm heavily on the table. “And we were doing so well, even had a date a few days ago.”
“Was it really a date, or was he just trying to stop one of your jobs?”
“Same thing!”
Kara shook her head and helped Selina get more comfortable, pulling off her gloves and hiding them out of view. Kara had been using her tech to disrupt the sound of their conversation, but she hadn’t done anything about the image so it was better to not take any chances.
Nearly an hour later, both Kori and Danette arrived at the booth. Danette sat down on the table waking Selina up and causing Kara to lift her eyes from her phone where she had been writing some more code.
Standing in front of her, Kori gave her a frown, but Kara shrugged. “What? There’s only so much interaction I can take ‘fore it starts getting annoying.”
Kara frowned. Was that a little slur she had detected in her own words? Looking at her cup, she tried to remember how many she had drunk and couldn’t. She had lost count at twelve. Still, she was far from drunk, she didn’t think she could even get drunk with normal alcohol, but it seems like it was finally having an effect on her.
“I am glad you enjoyed yourself, Friend Kara.” Kori smiled brightly.
The night was about to end, and the music had been slowing down for about an hour now, leaving only a few pairs dancing slowly on top of the LED floor. Pulling her by the arm, Kori dragged Kara away from the booth and to her feet.
Almost on instinct, Kara’s arms wrapped around Kori’s waist. Holding the Tamaranean princess close against her chest while Kori’s arms enveloped her neck, the both of them started dancing slowly, enjoying the slow songs.
Eventually, the song ended and there was a slight pause in the dancing. Kara adjusted her position, interlocking their fingers as new music started.
It was a slow song by Elvis. Kara didn’t know the name, but it resonated with the both of them, singing about a friend that would always be there, that would dry their tears and support them when the times were rough.
Kara led Kori through the steps, forgetting about everyone around them, enjoying the music filling her ears. Somehow, during the dance, Kori’s disguise had deactivated, revealing her shining green eyes and Kara lost herself in them.
From the corner of her eye, Kara saw a glint of violet enveloping Kori’s hologram bracelet, then she remembered that the girl didn’t actually mind if she didn’t have a secret identity, and the club’s lights were low anyway, so she dismissed any concerns.
Leaning down, Kara felt the soft tickle of Kori’s breath on her nose. They stepped over by a pink lamp on the dance floor, illuminating their bodies against each other. Kara felt warmth blossom inside her chest as their lips met.
Soft and silky, the kiss was completely unlike the first they had shared, both in purpose and in feeling. After what felt like an eternity, Kori’s lips parted slightly and their kiss deepened. Kara lost herself in the sensation as, in the moment, sparks of violet light mixed with the pink from the lamp.
Completely unwilling, Kara leaned back. She struggled to get her powers under control, the violet light influencing her mind. Kori wasn’t helping by squeezing her hand with a blush on her face. A few seconds later, the light finally vanished.
Looking around herself, Kara noticed the dancers around her giving them a wide berth and were avoiding looking at them, but nobody else seemed to have noticed. With Kori still held in her arms, Kara couldn’t really say she even cared.