Onyx Bar. 10:30 PM

As the two girls leaned against the railing, they absorbed in their surroundings as a gentle breeze blew tepid wind through their hair. From high above on the patio, they could spot an array of dazzling lights that strung across the pier where an iconic glowing Ferris wheel towered over the waterfront. And even in the thick of night, the two could faintly see a handful of beach goers and their pets playing on the sandy shores for a little late night frisbee before bed. To Chelsea, the serene environment put her mind at ease and helped bring about a calmness that she hadn't felt in a long time. Being bombarded with practice and competitions while also keeping her grades up kept her on edge. But tonight felt different, perhaps it was the calm before the storm...

Chelsea gently put her arms around her roommate’s shoulder and then turned her head back towards the patio. She could see a series of brightly lit up foliage that glowed neon purple from the base of their trunks up to each individual limb. She lowered her gaze and led her friend towards an empty couch that was nestled between two brightly ferns. And as they took their seats, the Australian man from earlier came back with their drinks.

As he handed Chelsea her drink, she couldn’t help but notice something odd about the fellow. She didn't find fault with his graciousness or candor, rather it was something about his attire. When she first saw him, his outfit looked pristine and tailored to perfectly fit his stature, however, from up close she noticed his blue blazer looked less like conventional materials (velvet or denim) and more transparent like satin or sheer fabric.

When the gentleman took his seat next to Chloe, he was immediately interrupted by a muscular “fitness bro” that towered over the two ladies. The gentleman rolled his eyes and got up to attend to the matter off to the side. Chloe snickered to herself as she took a sip of her drink and got herself comfy on the couch.

“This is the life~” she mused to herself, “definitely a change in scenery after last weekend...”

“I heard you were a lightweight,” Chelsea teased. Chloe mocked being taken aback and just continued sipping on her drink while feeling the warm buzz from the tequila. Meanwhile, Chelsea started to hear some commotion coming from the other end of the floor where the two men went to discuss business. Curiously enough, even though they were far away she swore that she could make out their every word.

“You had one job! How did you blow that?” The man with the Australian accent complained.

“Oh yeah? Well, I’m sick and tired of ya yapping!” The gruff man retorted and began to pull up his sleeves.

Chelsea turned herself around and saw the two men preparing to engage in a brawl. Well, actually the fitness bro was more than ready for a tussle but the other gentleman was slowly backing away towards where the girls sat. 

As they emerged from the sidelines, Chloe noticed their altercation and haphazardly called out at the fitness bro. “Yo dude, leave us alone. The guy just got us drinks.” 

The fitness bro turned his attention towards Chloe and started to approach until Chelsea impulsively stepped in front of her roommate and stared him down. The macho man lunged towards the couches as the two ladies dived out of the way and tried to regain their composure from the attack. But then he started to throw a slew of loose objects towards Chelsea but she quickly avoided his projectiles. Oddly enough, she felt as if the world around her slowed down as she dodged and weaved her way through each piece of patio furniture or culinary utensils that was hurled in her direction. While she was used to precision timing in her extracurricular activities she was genuinely surprised how light and nimble she still was; especially in heels. She could feel her heart beat in her ears while her blood stream became heavily saturated with adrenaline. Meanwhile, the guests inside the lounge started to notice the tussle on the patio and turned to focus in on the action outside.

But despite her fancy footwork, she really didn’t want to get involved in some random person’s problems and wanted this entire fight to end as soon as possible. And as if it read her mind, a string of webbing shot out from her waist band and wrapped itself around the man’s legs which caused him to loose his balance and collapse face first onto the dark marble floor below. Chelsea froze as she saw her attacker completely neutralized in a matter of seconds right in front of her eyes. She then looked around to see where the other gentleman went off to, but he was nowhere to be seen. She turned towards her roommate and quickly fled the bar before they could encounter hotel security or the police.

As they drove away, the two ladies were in a state of shock and still reeling from the events that just transpired. As Chelsea tried to focus on driving back to the dorms, she heard her heart beat ring louder in her ears. In her mind, it all happened so quickly that she didn’t even have the chance to process why she threw herself at her roommate; she just did out of instinct. Upon reaching a stoplight, she looked over to her roommate and tried to break the silence in the cabin.

“So... that just happened,” Chelsea spoke up.

Her roommate turned to her with her eyes wide open, “I know you do gymnastics, but god damn you looked like a superhero back there!”

Chelsea’s face quickly turned red as she felt her friend’s words sink into her psyche while feeling the onset of the drink’s buzz. Even though she started the evening looking like a boss, she ended up being a boss in front of her roommate. But to the symbiote, the night was still young and it felt that its host would appreciate some help to maybe release some built up stress and clear her mind once again before the next day.

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