Jia Li turned a little when she heard someone new announce their presence. It was Britta, a nymph she’d met once a little while ago at a protest. Alissa had introduced them, and it was pretty obvious to her that the two were involved with one another a little past friendship. The sexual tension between them could have been cut with a knife, and the dryad was pretty sure if she hadn’t been around, the two would have taken advantage of their mutual attraction.
“Hi.” She replied easily to Britta. The other girl was dressed a little less casually than Jia Li was, but she didn’t panic. Kay had also dressed in jeans, but the sequined dress on the nymph would surely take attention away from the dryad which was fine by her. The only times she ever really wanted attentions were during her dance routines.
Jia Li definitely got plenty of stardom as a dancer. Last year, she’d snagged one of the lead dance slots for a major routine. It wasn’t the lead, but for a freshman girl, any high position was pretty favorable. She intended to dance tonight, but nothing complex – just enough to have fun.
“No, we’ve met.” Jia Li smiled at Kay. It was a relief to at least be acquainted with a couple of people who would be at the party. She listened as Kay described how many people she had told. Ten didn’t seem like a bad number, but things spread like wildfire. The dryad who hadn’t even really hung out with anyone had heard about tons of parties last year.
Jia Li allowed Kay to tug her hand to move her farther into the siren’s dorm room. She watched as Britta immediately grabbed an alcoholic beverage. “I’m fine with just ginger ale.” She wasn’t much for soda, but it seemed like the lesser of many evils tonight. “How did you even get this stuff? I thought you were eighteen?” The dryad didn’t sound reproachful as much as curious. She would be twenty-one next year, but she probably wouldn’t buy alcohol then, either.
“Thanks.” The dryad responded to the compliment about her apparel. She’d thought it was cute without being overdone. Actually, she’d probably wear this any old time, but it seemed especially good for a casual party.
A few more people showed up, but Jia Li didn’t recognize them. They tossed idle greetings to Kay before falling upon the drinks and snacks that were up for grabs. Drinks in hand, several of them began swaying to the music, and she couldn’t resist doing the same. Her movements were graceful and skilled, but they were also relaxed. She wasn’t trying to show off her true abilities with a choreographed dance or anything, but she did find she didn’t care who danced with her as long as strangers didn’t try to grind against her. If it was Kay or Britta dancing with her, it wouldn’t matter as much because she was fine with them.