The appointment comes to an end, and she searches for Paul

Glimmer storms out of the VIP Room-- Pleasure Cube-- whatever, and marches down the other now occupied rooms, where other girls are doing their deeds for whatever client number they are on. Despite storming out, Glimmer desperately hoped she wasn’t due for another visit from the contractor. She had felt good when having sex with him but now found herself figuring no better than the other she’d dealt with previously.

She **** her way through the double doors, which muffled the club’s typical music: thumping, and crowd cheering. Glimmer's thoughts were now muted by the chaotic bliss of the club’s occupants… The guards that were stationed out here when she arrived are now gone. Apparently, they were only concerned about Sevens, but they were there for nothing due to his hacking of the room’s security protocols.

Glimmer goes to the bar, still fearful of the presence of Sevens. In the back of her mind, she worried he was going to tell management about her feelings for a past client, how damning that would be for her. Listening to the crowd and music prevented her from thinking clearly, but she knew the person she needed to be looking for was Paul. Despite wanting a drink, she pushes away from the bar and through the throng of dancers, drunks, and partiers as the room bounces with intense music.

The journey is hot, and she already feels the need for another shower by the time she makes it to the staff room. So much sweat, booze, and whatever else rubbed off on her while going through the crowd. With her shift technically over, she grabbed her things like everything was normal. She notices a group of girls comforting someone’s crying while on the other side of the room; there’s another girl taking pills. As concerning as this was… Glimmer didn’t have the time to check on everyone and everything; she had to find Paul…

She searched several spots of the club, overlooks, and bars and skimmed over the entrances of the security hubs but didn’t see him. Glimmer was nearing her patience when she saw him escorting a young man with unkempt hair and a messy suit. Thankfully, it was right near the entrance.

“Paul!” She shouted over the crowd, even though it was more subdued near the exit.

Paul turned, his expression annoyed as he waved at the young man to leave. It softened then when his eyes landed on her. “Glim! You’re done?”

“Yes,” she said, making it clear with her voice that he didn’t want to chat about the new JOHN DOE. She was interested in David Warner. “You said you had information? What is it?”

Paul smiled. “David isn’t a local to Neon Shroud! He’s from the way north.”

This wasn’t good news, but the way Paul grinned made it seem like he thought it was. She shook her head. “S- so where is here? How can I see him again?”

Paul blinks as if he wasn’t considering this a bad thing. “He’s from the north. They’re much cleaner people in the North.”

Glimmer licked her lips, her patience breaking. “How the fuck am I ever going to see David again if he lives all the way in the northern district, Paul! Did you find anything else? Please tell me that wasn’t the only thing you had for me.”

Paul looked offended… Her outburst at him hurt him. “I- I haven’t found anything else about David, but I thought you’d like to know where he is, at least.”

“I just found out David is someone I need to forget about because I’m never going to see him again. How is that supposed to make me feel better, Paul? Tell me how that’s supposed to make me feel!”

Paul grabs her wrist. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel worse--”

“That’s…” She sighs. “No, Paul, it’s okay. I can’t do this right now, alright? I- I got too much stuff to think about. Are you in tomorrow?”

Seeing him so dejected made her feel even worse. Paul was her only friend in this place, and she’d snap at him for helping her with something that endangered his position at Pink Heat. “I’m sorry, Paul. I am.”

He tried for a smile and shook his head. “No, it’s okay. You have a lot on your plate right now. I’m still working on the other details submitted to the club."

However, as she recalled, David’s friends made the appointment, and there was no telling how little they supplied in terms of helpful detail.

Sevens’ offer came back to Glimmer as she spoke to Paul. She hugged Paul and apologized one more time and then returned home to the silence of her apartment. She sat on her leather couch, memories bouncing so intensely in her head she tried to clear everything out to focus on the points she wanted to linger on…Sevens… that bastard was complicated.

The silence of her apartment was palpable. And she felt terrible. Nothing was good today; she leaned back and closed my eyes, too tired to cry and too exhausted to even do the most miniature amount of research. “How am I ever going to get the Northern region?”