Who: Samus and Aria What: Samus visits the Afterlife When: recent Where: Afterlife Status: complete Rating: PG-13
Samus was a bamf Bounty Hunter, and what did they do? They went to strip clubs. She wasn’t the rowdy sort, though. She preferred a quiet corner and a quiet bar, but her dreams had gotten… crazier than usual and she wanted something a little different.
Tits and ass, she wanted tits and ass.
Samus slipped into the club, looking around and feeling more nervous than she really should.
Aria was in her office, getting an update from Miranda on her ETA back to work. She was definitely understanding of the situation. After all, being around Shepard tended to be dangerous in the dreams. Luckily, business hadn’t taken that much of a hit without Miranda present, but it would’ve been better if her star dancer was there.
After getting off the phone with an understandably irritated Miranda, Aria walked over to the window and looked down at the strip club. Not as many people in the club this evening, but it was still a decent number. She spotted a woman enter the club, and her eyes narrowed slightly with interest. New face, that was promising. After all, Aria knew when new people came into her club, she liked watching the comings and goings of people and keeping stock.
After some moments of watching from above, Aria decided to go say hello. She headed down from her office and slipped into the club. She was dressed relatively simply today. Black tank top, black pants with a few chains hanging across her hips. Her monotone clothing only showed off the multi-colored hair even more, though it was all fake, of course. Aria wasn’t human any longer. But her top did show off her cleavage rather well. She approached the new woman, sizing her up a bit.
“Hello there,” she greeted.
Samus walked with her hands in her pocket, all casual like. But she had the manner and bearing of a police officer or a soldier. She looked away from the stage, taking in the woman who’d greeted her. Definitely not one of the dancers, though she was in every way Samus’s type. She tore her eyes from Aria’s breasts.
Her voice was a little deeper than most women’s, though she spoke with that same faux casualness, “Hello.”
Aria had pegged her for being a police officer or former military. If she was here on business, then she wouldn’t find anything. Aria’s business was operating according to the law. Nothing illegal was happening here. Sure, her background wasn’t squeaky clean, and she still had contacts to people who operated outside of the law, but as far as everything in the club went, it was legal.
This woman was tall, but it didn’t frighten Aria off. Height and gender didn’t matter to her. Though it wasn’t everyone that towered over her, at least as far as humans went.
“I don’t recognize your face, is this your first time here?” It wasn’t a pick up line, Aria wasn’t the type to stoop to that kind of pick up line. She tended to be far more direct with her actions in that department.
“Yeah, first time here. I heard some good word about the place and wanted to check it out.” Samus gave her a small but genuine smile, not here to investigate or inspect the place unless something happened while she was there. Though she was usually always on, when it came to observation.
“I’m Samus.”
“Glad to hear that word of mouth is still going around. You heard correctly. Welcome to Afterlife, I do hope that it lives up to expectations.” Without Miranda being on stage, that might be a little more difficult to achieve, but Aria had faith in all of her dancers. She only hired the best, after all.
“Aria. It’s a pleasure, Samus. Would you like a drink?” She was intrigued as to what brought Samus here. Was it the dancers? Or something else? Everyone always wanted something when they came to these sorts of places. She enjoyed trying to figure out what it was they were searching for. Though Samus’ gaze at her breasts hadn’t gone unnoticed. Perhaps she already had an idea of what brought Samus here. Though given her attire, her muscled physique was also on display. Aria was in great shape, and she worked hard to keep herself in shape. Though her muscle wasn’t over the top, but it was obvious she worked out.
Distracting herself, mostly. Samus needed a distraction from both the dreams and her waking life, and watching a bunch of women dance around was always a good way to go about it. Also one of the safer ways, though Samus could easily handle herself.
And Aria was her type.
“I think I’d like a drink.”
Technically speaking, Aria didn’t quite have a type. She had standards, but her taste tended to vary depending on how she felt at that precise moment in time. The only thing more or less off limits was a relationship. Aria had sworn them off after the bad break up with an ex several years before.
“What would you like?” She asked as she headed towards the bar to get Samus a drink.
“Whiskey, neat,” Samus replied, following Aria to the bar. She leaned on it, eyes following the woman. No nonsense, Samus liked that. Aria seemed to be exactly who she was, or she was very good at hiding it.
Nodding, Aria ordered a whiskey neat from the bartender before she turned back to Samus. Luckily for Samus, Aria was exactly who she seemed to be. Oh, she had her secrets, of course, but she was straightforward with who and what she was.
“I take it you are new to the area?” She asked.
“Not really. Just never came in here before. Need a break from work stress.” It wasn’t a lie, and yet it wasn’t telling the whole truth, or revealing the whole truth.
“It’s good to see a new face in here. Hopefully you find something that will bring you back again.” Whether that was the dancers, the alcohol or something else completely, Aria would leave that up to Samus to decide. “Everyone needs a break now and then. Places like these are ideal for it.”
“View is nice,” Samus admitted. She’d had some pushback, before she’d come to the OC, when it came to her gender and sexuality, so she was sometimes still a little reluctant about her bisexuality. Perhaps reluctant wasn’t the best word, but she’d still hesitated.
Obviously this woman worked here, though Samus couldn’t tell if she was just a bartender or what. She moved a little like she’d danced at some point.
“I’m very glad that you think so.” Aria silently wished Miranda was back at work, then Samus would have something even better to look at. Though none of her dancers were slouches, there was just something special about Miranda. Must be those perfect genetics of hers.
“Do you just tend the bar, or do you have other jobs here?” Samus asked, in a tone that wasn’t implying she thought Aria danced, though she did look at her appreciatively as though she thought she would be an amazing dancer.
That question tickled Aria. She smirked, her blue eyes gleaming a bit. “I’m the owner, actually. Though I used to be a dancer.” Being a dancer would explain her physique. Though unlike some dancers, Aria could boast that her breasts were all natural.
Both of her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline, and Samus laughed, “I feel so special that you greeted me, Aria. But I think could tell you danced. You’ve got the body for it.”
There were times that Aria enjoyed having the element of surprise in what her role was. This was one of them, so she relished that look on Samus’ face. “I do make a habit of greeting people in person when they catch my attention. Though thank you for your compliment. I do work too keep in shape.” Samus certainly had Aria’s attention now. However, if things were going to turn physical, she most definitely needed to ensure that Samus was one of the Dreamers first given that Aria wasn’t actually human. “You are no slouch yourself,” she commented.
“I’m glad to catch your attention,” Samus replied, oh so subtly letting her arms flex as she leaned on the bar. “I try to keep in shape, though I’ve found that easier of late.”
Though how you told someone your dreams improved your physique without sounding insane?
Aria caught sight of the flexing Samus did. And, well, she could read between the lines. She eyed her curiously. “Have you? And how might that be? You wouldn’t perhaps know of a site called Valarnet, would you?” That would at least clear things up one way or the other.
“I’m a member,” Samus said, leaning back and tilting her head. That was an interesting question to ask, and she didn’t ask to clarify. If Aria knew about it, she was on it. “You’re on it.”
“I am. That will make certain conversations quite a bit easier to have.” Aria definitely was careful with who she got close to. If someone wasn’t a Dreamer, she couldn’t risk being found out to be an alien. But to other Dreamers? That was definitely something she could reveal. So long as they’d already accepted that the dreams were real.
Samus relaxed, just a little, nodding her head as if accepting that as true. “So if I told you I dreamed I was a bounty hunter enhanced by alien DNA you probably wouldn’t bat an eye.”
She figured she’d get more people having a problem with her gender identity than the dream thing, anyway, and had to stop herself from joking about it.
But it was tempting.
“I certainly would not. I also hope that you would not bat an eyelash if I told you that I’m actually an alien. A humanoid alien, at least, but very different from one.” Aria would leave that there for the moment. And as far as Samus’ gender identity, Aria wouldn’t have a problem with it. After all, she was an Asari, a monogendered species. Gender had no meaning to her people, and Aria had come to take that line of thought and belief from her dream self.
Though she’d never really cared about gender identity. She put more emphasis on the individual, not their gender anyways.
“No eyelash batting here,” Samus assured her. Her dreams had plenty of aliens, though many of them weren’t humanoid. Many more were.
“Somehow I’m not all that surprised that someone might be an alien. Not after what I’ve dreamed. At least you’re not a sentient dragon.”
“Who says I don’t have a dragon head?” Aria countered with some amusement. After all, she was disguised. And her skin was somewhat scaley. “So we both dream about aliens. Intriguing.” Aria wouldn’t call herself an alien. To her, humans were aliens, along with all the other races. But that was neither here nor there.
Well, they did make sex toys like dragons, but Samus kept that to herself. It didn’t seem an appropriate joke for a first conversation. Or a fifth, for that matter. “Or we dream we’re the aliens. Or the humans are the aliens, I suppose. Even if I’m only part alien.”
“Or both. In my case, I am an alien from what I was born as in this life, and humans are one of the alien races in my dreams. In your dreams, is your travel restricted to one galaxy or do you travel around the universe?” Color Aria curious on that. She certainly hoped that Samus didn’t dream about anything like the Reapers.
“Just the one galaxy, as far as I know. There’s a galactic federation and a lot of wild space controlled by pirates. Which is what I primarily do. Hunt down the pirates and kill them.” There was a sudden, brief hardness in Samus’s eyes. She held an absolute, utter hatred of those pirates.
“Bounty hunter?” Aria asked. And it wasn’t lost on her that Samus might not exactly like her considering Aria ruled Omega, a haven for gangs and outlaws and everything else that fell under that umbrella. Aria herself had worn many hats in her life, had many names. She also didn’t necessarily like playing by rules that weren’t her own.
“Though interesting. My dreams also stay in one galaxy. This one, the Milky Way, in fact.” Aria had once been curious how no one had developed technology to travel between galaxies, but the Reapers had something to do with that. Seemingly always coming back before anyone could get that far advanced. Though she had heard of an organization that had been planning to travel to Andromeda. Perhaps they would succeed in reaching their goal, assuming that they managed to leave before the Reapers returned.
“Yes, basically. Mostly of that one brand of space pirates. Kind of a personal thing,” Samus explained. She didn’t want to go into detail right now, but that was enough detail to hopefully satisfy most people.
“Everyone has something that drives them.” It was a statement of fact. Everyone wanted something, and that something tended to push people through life. Sometimes it was as simple as having money or food for themselves and their family. Other times it was more complex. She also wasn’t going to prod for details. Not at this point, at any rate.
Drive was probably not a strong enough word for the emotions that Samus felt when it came to the pirates. They’d wiped out her colony, killed her parents right in front of her, and dogged her steps her whole life. Samus hated them in that way that one hated those personally responsible for a loss.
So she just nodded, and dropped the subject. “Has your place been open long?”
Drive wasn’t always the right word, but it was the one that made the most sense when Aria didn’t know details. And she didn’t need to know them so she didn’t ask. She was happy for the change of subject. Aria wasn’t exactly one for personal details of a sensitive nature anyway.
“A little over a year. Business has been good. I also have a club in L.A., then decided to make a move out here. It was a good move.”
“Guess you get a lot of business.” Samus glanced towards the stage and grinned, “Not that that’s surprising. Sin is in no matter where you are.”
Aria smirked a bit. “Indeed it is. My club in L.A. is only a dance club. This was actually a little experiment for me, to see if a dance club and a strip club in one complex would work well here. It has. Though sadly, I’m currently down my star dancer. Let us simply say her dreams left her with several injuries, but she will make a full recovery.”
“I’m glad she’s okay,” Samus said, genuinely. She’d gained a few scars but nothing that level of serious, thankfully. At least the woman had a boss who’d understand that sort of thing.
‘The dreams tried to kill me’ wouldn’t fly over well with Samus’s boss.
“So am I for mostly selfish reasons.” Aria had more understanding where Miranda was concerned given they shared the same dream world. Aria knew how dangerous things got where the Reapers were concerned. “You should come back once she’s back.”
Or Samus could come back for other reasons, as well.
“Maybe I could come back for other reasons,” Samus replied. She wasn’t a mind reader, obviously, but she could get the gist of it. Though seeing this mysterious woman was appealing enough.
Though she wondered what Aria looked like dancing. Or as an alien. Or as a dancing alien.
“There are certainly more than one reason to come back,” Aria noted with a slight nod. Which brought another question to mind. “So, has anything caught your attention so far?” She didn’t necessarily mean herself, but it was curious to see what may have caught Samus’ eye in the time she’d been here already.
“Besides the lovely owner?” Samus eyed a tall, lanky woman on one of the smaller stages. “I like her. She seems like she’s having fun.”
“Why thank you, you’re easy on the eyes yourself.” Aria could bluntly flirt with people when she wanted to. And now was one of those times. She then followed Samus’ gaze. “She always has fun. She can be a spitfire.”
“Spitfires are my type.” At least for flings. Samus preferred more serious people for relationships, though she could count the latter on one finger. WIth her job and general attitude towards life, flings were just easier.
“Good to know. And where do you fall on the spectrum? Are you a spitfire, or something else?” Aria was curious. Her tastes tended to cover the spectrum, more or less. Though she tended to be the most attracted to good people who adhered to a code of honor. Kind of the opposite of herself, though she had her own code of honor. Aria just wasn’t quite a good person.
“Depends on the time of day. I can be a spitfire when I need to be. But I think most of the time I prefer to be a little low key outside the job.” At least in the waking world. Samus knew her dream self was just a little on the extra side.
“Nothing wrong with being a little low key. Everyone could use being a little low key now and then.” So said the woman who never ever let her guard down. Except possibly during sex, but that was debatable sometimes.
“Why do I think that you’re not one to be low key,” Samus said, picking her drink up and eyeing Aria, despite the very naked view just behind Aria.
“You are perceptive because I certainly am not a low key person. It is rare for me to be low key.” Which was probably to be expected from a club owner. She had to be prepared for anything to happen at any time.
“I think it might be …” Samus gestured at Aria as if to say ‘all of you.’ “Running a place like this is something that I doubt anyone who’s a wallflower could ever handle.”
“Running a business of any sort requires one to not be a wallflower, but especially this kind of business. I keep my employees safe. At all costs.” As was evident by quite a few bouncers located around the area. There were less than there had been of late given Miranda wasn’t currently here. But Aria took security extremely seriously.
Samus nodded. She respected a higher level of security; this place was probably one of the few places she’d be willing to let her guard down enough to actually enjoy herself. Samus didn’t relax too often, at least the Detective. The Bounty Hunter had her own ways of relaxing.
As far as Aria was concerned, she could lock this place up as tight as Fort Knox. Whether that was due to her wish to protect what was hers or due to the fact that invasions happened on a regular basis in Orange County and she didn’t want to have to constantly invest in rebuilding her business was up for debate. Though in reality, it was probably a bit of both.
“Would you care for a tour of the place?”
“I think I’d like that,” Samus replied, and she kind of hoped the tour would be the more personal kind. Aria was attractive, and Samus did miss intimacy. Besides, it was hard to ignore the alien thing.
“Follow me,” Aria responded smoothly. It would start as a normal tour, but Aria wasn’t opposed to getting more personal and intimate. She’d just need to ensure that absolutely no one came into her office until she came out given the whole alien thing.