low fidelity
𝗆𝗈𝗏𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘴
heartless.
"All eyes are on you, Yin."
Yin recalled the words of her twin sister with a rather uncomfortable lurch in her stomach. There was a vulnerability that came with fame, having to accept that your life would be there for all to see. There were times, foolish moments, where Yin would think she could keep some scrap of her privacy. She tried her best. Many fans, social media influencers, anybody who chatted and gossiped about the latest hero news would always remark 'You know how Achilles is. Mysterious, private, aloof. It's part of her appeal.' People always wanted to learn more when Yin felt as if she had no details left to hide.
Of course, this was not the case for every hero in Heartbeat City. Being number one had its blessings and its curses. In the cold air conditioning of her penthouse apartment, Yin sat on the plush black couch with the holo-screen of her home computer displaying a wide view of various different websites. The internet was a highway of information, over-stimulation flooding your senses if you weren't careful, but Yin had a particular focus that evening.
Something was... off. The hero couldn't figure it out just yet, but something felt wrong as of late. The internet's daily emotions about certain people and certain issues were always in flux, but it was as if the emphasis of negativity as of late was flooding fan sites and pages. Video clips of blunders during daily altercations and missions, an increase in discourse, not just of Achilles but of various heroes. Two scandals had come to her attention as of late. Some smaller names, ones with smaller but much more dedicated fan groups, had been dragged through the mud. Blunders on their part during missions, both times. Cancel culture was alive and well, apparently. It left a bad taste in her mouth. They had disappeared from Heartbeat in a jarring amount of time, forgotten about in mere days, but Yin was beginning to notice a pattern. Maybe she was being paranoid, but she was seeing the same thing happen again.
Call her old fashioned, but Yin still liked writing things down on pen and paper. Her thoughts felt more secure that way. In a small black notebook, she wrote down her thoughts in small, neat handwriting. The woman stood, flicking the screen off, and crossed the room in a few purposeful strides. Yin grabbed her leather jacket from where it hung near the front door, toed on her boots, and grabbed her motorcycle helmet from off the kitchen counter. The notebook was slipped into an inside pocket of the jacket, and only moments later, she locked her front door and headed down to the residential building's parking garage to retrieve her motorcycle.
She needed to clear her head, take a long ride and have some time to herself. But the worries lingered, making themselves known in her gut, despite Yin's best efforts. Something bad was going to happen tonight.
"This isn't really what I expected when you said to celebrate at a club, Noah."
The beat of the music could be felt in her chest, a heavy thrum that reached even the furthest corner of the club, where the party had seated themselves. At the front door, a sputtering neon green sign read The Answer, which only made Yin raise an eyebrow. The Answer to what, exactly? She was sure she'd never truly know. The day was dragging on much longer than it needed to, but she had reluctantly agreed to come out and celebrate at a club for the night with the rest of the heroes and new graduates. How could she not celebrate the accomplishment of Noah, her own protege? At everyone's insistence, Yin now sat at their booth, well into her first drink out of many for the night. This was meant to be a night of fun and celebration, but the woman found it hard to focus on the casual table conversation, instead watching the movement around their table, the mass of moving bodies on the dance floor, and how easily something could go wrong. She had been the last to sit as well, not wanting to leave herself trapped between others if she needed to get out of their booth.
Yin's remark rang true as her eyes gazed over the chaos of the club. The Answer really hadn't been what she had expected; the club was sleek, sure, with smooth shiny dark walls and flooring, stylish black tables, navy blue booth cushions, but it threw into sharp contrast the heavy use of neon lights around the bar and dance floor. With so many lights, so many neon colors, the feeling of walking inside was like being in an aphotic zone; you could fall into the deep end and never even realize. As far as Yin could tell, it was one large, long area, with the far side of the room topped floor to ceiling with backlit shelves of every kind of liquor under the sun. Over to the far right was the dance floor, lit up like a Christmas tree with its own in-floor lighting, many overhead lights, and a heavy neon glow from underneath it's very own stage, set up for the DJ to play at anytime. Sat behind the booth was a rather colorful woman with green-tipped liberty spikes, sporting a hefty pair of headphones as she nodded along to the music she played. Lined up next to the booth on both sides were stripper poles, and the DJ seemed to pay no mind to the various women dancing and twirling effortlessly, the floor underneath their poles decorated with dollar bills. The night was rapidly beginning to pick up. From behind her drink, her eyes trailed a person leave the bar and approach two bouncers apparently guarding the stairs to the upper level. A moment passed, and the patron was allowed entry, disappearing behind the curve of the staircase. Must be the V.I.P. area, Yin thought, Maybe we should've gotten seats up there instead.
"If you'll excuse me a moment, I'm getting another drink." Yin told the table, slipping out of her seat and striding towards the bar. Might as well enjoy this one night out while it lasts.
More and more people trickled in from the front door; it seemed they had arrived right before the night truly began. Closer to the dance floor now, the music was almost deafening, but she could admit that the DJ knew what she was doing. If her mood was right, maybe after a couple more drinks the gal would consider going out on the floor to dance. For now, Yin shouldered her way through the growing crowd and situated herself at the bar.
"Dry martini, please." Yin practically shouted over the music, "And please, send a round of beers to the table right over there." She pointed to her table, and slid the bartender a hefty tip. New drink in hand, the woman leaned her back against the bar, taking in the sights as she slowly sipped at it. It was an effort and a half to try and relax for even a moment, but the alcohol was beginning to help. Even at first glance, it was easy to tell that Yin was very much out of her element. The minute she turned eighteen, she was dedicated deeply to her work, and didn't participate much in the heavy party scene that permeated the westside of Heartbeat City. Shit, the gal didn't even know what people actually wore to clubs. In her naivety, Yin had worn slacks and a half-opened dress shirt, trying to skirt the line of classy but stylish. Now, she saw on full display the short skirts, ripped jeans, low-cut dresses, and mile-high heels that were apparently in fashion. It was a bit of a wake up call. Maybe this means I should get out more.
The other source of her worry so far was that Yin was highly recognizable. Whether this was a good or a bad thing depended on the time of day, and where she was in the city. Most days, folks would stop her in the streets, ask for photos and autographs. Even when she wasn't in her hero uniform, using the name Achilles, Yin was the top hero and her face couldn't be avoided no matter where you were in Heartbeat City. If she wasn't on the news, fanpages online chattered on about her latest successes, videos of her fighting circulated, and even a couple of magazine spreads here or there would have their own photo spread of the woman. And Yin was certain that with every fan, there were at least two enemies of hers at any given time. She was hoping for at least one night of fun. No fights, no dramatics, just some alcohol and nice music and the companionship of her fellow heroes.
Yin couldn't get everything that she wished for, though.
Yin recalled the words of her twin sister with a rather uncomfortable lurch in her stomach. There was a vulnerability that came with fame, having to accept that your life would be there for all to see. There were times, foolish moments, where Yin would think she could keep some scrap of her privacy. She tried her best. Many fans, social media influencers, anybody who chatted and gossiped about the latest hero news would always remark 'You know how Achilles is. Mysterious, private, aloof. It's part of her appeal.' People always wanted to learn more when Yin felt as if she had no details left to hide.
Of course, this was not the case for every hero in Heartbeat City. Being number one had its blessings and its curses. In the cold air conditioning of her penthouse apartment, Yin sat on the plush black couch with the holo-screen of her home computer displaying a wide view of various different websites. The internet was a highway of information, over-stimulation flooding your senses if you weren't careful, but Yin had a particular focus that evening.
Something was... off. The hero couldn't figure it out just yet, but something felt wrong as of late. The internet's daily emotions about certain people and certain issues were always in flux, but it was as if the emphasis of negativity as of late was flooding fan sites and pages. Video clips of blunders during daily altercations and missions, an increase in discourse, not just of Achilles but of various heroes. Two scandals had come to her attention as of late. Some smaller names, ones with smaller but much more dedicated fan groups, had been dragged through the mud. Blunders on their part during missions, both times. Cancel culture was alive and well, apparently. It left a bad taste in her mouth. They had disappeared from Heartbeat in a jarring amount of time, forgotten about in mere days, but Yin was beginning to notice a pattern. Maybe she was being paranoid, but she was seeing the same thing happen again.
Call her old fashioned, but Yin still liked writing things down on pen and paper. Her thoughts felt more secure that way. In a small black notebook, she wrote down her thoughts in small, neat handwriting. The woman stood, flicking the screen off, and crossed the room in a few purposeful strides. Yin grabbed her leather jacket from where it hung near the front door, toed on her boots, and grabbed her motorcycle helmet from off the kitchen counter. The notebook was slipped into an inside pocket of the jacket, and only moments later, she locked her front door and headed down to the residential building's parking garage to retrieve her motorcycle.
She needed to clear her head, take a long ride and have some time to herself. But the worries lingered, making themselves known in her gut, despite Yin's best efforts. Something bad was going to happen tonight.
"This isn't really what I expected when you said to celebrate at a club, Noah."
The beat of the music could be felt in her chest, a heavy thrum that reached even the furthest corner of the club, where the party had seated themselves. At the front door, a sputtering neon green sign read The Answer, which only made Yin raise an eyebrow. The Answer to what, exactly? She was sure she'd never truly know. The day was dragging on much longer than it needed to, but she had reluctantly agreed to come out and celebrate at a club for the night with the rest of the heroes and new graduates. How could she not celebrate the accomplishment of Noah, her own protege? At everyone's insistence, Yin now sat at their booth, well into her first drink out of many for the night. This was meant to be a night of fun and celebration, but the woman found it hard to focus on the casual table conversation, instead watching the movement around their table, the mass of moving bodies on the dance floor, and how easily something could go wrong. She had been the last to sit as well, not wanting to leave herself trapped between others if she needed to get out of their booth.
Yin's remark rang true as her eyes gazed over the chaos of the club. The Answer really hadn't been what she had expected; the club was sleek, sure, with smooth shiny dark walls and flooring, stylish black tables, navy blue booth cushions, but it threw into sharp contrast the heavy use of neon lights around the bar and dance floor. With so many lights, so many neon colors, the feeling of walking inside was like being in an aphotic zone; you could fall into the deep end and never even realize. As far as Yin could tell, it was one large, long area, with the far side of the room topped floor to ceiling with backlit shelves of every kind of liquor under the sun. Over to the far right was the dance floor, lit up like a Christmas tree with its own in-floor lighting, many overhead lights, and a heavy neon glow from underneath it's very own stage, set up for the DJ to play at anytime. Sat behind the booth was a rather colorful woman with green-tipped liberty spikes, sporting a hefty pair of headphones as she nodded along to the music she played. Lined up next to the booth on both sides were stripper poles, and the DJ seemed to pay no mind to the various women dancing and twirling effortlessly, the floor underneath their poles decorated with dollar bills. The night was rapidly beginning to pick up. From behind her drink, her eyes trailed a person leave the bar and approach two bouncers apparently guarding the stairs to the upper level. A moment passed, and the patron was allowed entry, disappearing behind the curve of the staircase. Must be the V.I.P. area, Yin thought, Maybe we should've gotten seats up there instead.
"If you'll excuse me a moment, I'm getting another drink." Yin told the table, slipping out of her seat and striding towards the bar. Might as well enjoy this one night out while it lasts.
More and more people trickled in from the front door; it seemed they had arrived right before the night truly began. Closer to the dance floor now, the music was almost deafening, but she could admit that the DJ knew what she was doing. If her mood was right, maybe after a couple more drinks the gal would consider going out on the floor to dance. For now, Yin shouldered her way through the growing crowd and situated herself at the bar.
"Dry martini, please." Yin practically shouted over the music, "And please, send a round of beers to the table right over there." She pointed to her table, and slid the bartender a hefty tip. New drink in hand, the woman leaned her back against the bar, taking in the sights as she slowly sipped at it. It was an effort and a half to try and relax for even a moment, but the alcohol was beginning to help. Even at first glance, it was easy to tell that Yin was very much out of her element. The minute she turned eighteen, she was dedicated deeply to her work, and didn't participate much in the heavy party scene that permeated the westside of Heartbeat City. Shit, the gal didn't even know what people actually wore to clubs. In her naivety, Yin had worn slacks and a half-opened dress shirt, trying to skirt the line of classy but stylish. Now, she saw on full display the short skirts, ripped jeans, low-cut dresses, and mile-high heels that were apparently in fashion. It was a bit of a wake up call. Maybe this means I should get out more.
The other source of her worry so far was that Yin was highly recognizable. Whether this was a good or a bad thing depended on the time of day, and where she was in the city. Most days, folks would stop her in the streets, ask for photos and autographs. Even when she wasn't in her hero uniform, using the name Achilles, Yin was the top hero and her face couldn't be avoided no matter where you were in Heartbeat City. If she wasn't on the news, fanpages online chattered on about her latest successes, videos of her fighting circulated, and even a couple of magazine spreads here or there would have their own photo spread of the woman. And Yin was certain that with every fan, there were at least two enemies of hers at any given time. She was hoping for at least one night of fun. No fights, no dramatics, just some alcohol and nice music and the companionship of her fellow heroes.
Yin couldn't get everything that she wished for, though.
mood; a bit on edge. | location; the answer nightclub. | outfit; a slick suit with the shirt's buttons opened. | interactions: her fellow heroes. | tags: none yet. | song: come closer - boy harsher.
code by low fidelity.
