Arandori Dewfeather

Celebrations Come in Many Forms

The whole evening had been a good one; Kae had finally promoted her.  Neither the title nor added responsibility excited her nearly as much as the extra money each week. But she’d take it and do it well.  She’d seen all of her favorite people, which was a very rare experience. Then, someone asked for advice on something completely unrelated to sex. Sure she had her own style, but she would never have expected someone to ask her for advice; help figuring out their own style.

She had spent the evening between the Moon and the Tavern. The lightweight never had more than three drinks. Not tonight. She had imbibed and then when Xylaes offered a bit of thistle, she eagerly took a few hits. Had he offered? No, she had asked for it. It was her way of celebrating, after all.

These thoughts were a jumble of thistle and booze, pre-occupying her as her fingers stumbled through a text to Stellan.  She knew she was too far drunk and high to take a beach trip. Not tonight.

“I know you’re on an all-nighter but mind if I crash? I need a place to crash.”

“Sure.”

“K Thanks. :X”

She’d been surprised when he even answered her.

For the second time since joining the Moon she just didn’t want to be there. Since that little birthday celebration years ago, her celebrations were her own. On her own terms at least. Even when they came as a surprise.

Dori managed to find her way to Stellan’s after making a deal on the Row for another blunt. She tipped the poor bloke far more than she should have.  Once inside his apartment, she paused against the door with a sigh.  She felt bad that she had to rummage through his things a bit to find a lighter, intentionally leaving the drawer open so he would know. With lighter in hand, she poured herself another drink; whatever she thought was the cheapest of his supply, and sat down, throwing her feet up on the table.

As she lit the blunt, she closed her eyes. Her thoughts were fuzzy, but already she had calculated her additional profits. Whenever she had extra, she always tried to send her sister a regular payment. Now, she might be able to send more than a pittance. Perhaps that would make everyone happy. She puffed a laugh, the smoke rolling from her mouth. “Bullshit…she’ll take it. She’ll use it, for sure. But damn where it came from.”

Slowly, she opened her eyes and stared through the smoke at the walls of Stellan’s apartment. Walls that, every so often, became less sparse and more decorated. She smiled as her thoughts drifted over the night. The first surprise of many was indeed the most jarring. Long gone were the doubts of Kae’s trust or value in her. For a woman like Kae, her money and her business spoke volumes. And with both, she’d let Dori know that without a doubt, she was an asset and trusted.

That was the real reason for celebration tonight. Her mind drifted back to when she first started working for the Moon and a between herself and Kae. The topic had been Stellan and Dori’s own choices regarding how she spent her personal time. She had proven, no they both had proven to Kae they could keep work separate. She never was sure Kae recognized that until tonight.

As sleep began to find her, she found his bed and curled up, tugging his pillow to her.  She inhaled deeply, his scent, all that was Stellan clinging to it. Smiling, she nuzzled against the pillow and murmured, “Mmm…goodnight.”