The laws of nature were not to be ignored, nor could they be controlled. That was perhaps the greatest, and worst, lesson anyone has ever had to learn. Sitting on the promenade, the highest floor of the tallest building in Voxsturm, that lesson couldn't be made any clearer.
Theo Serrano liked to come here whenever he needed somewhere to think. The top floor of the promenade was open to the public, but few ventured here, even for the open restaurant serving coffee and biscuits. While the restaurant and scenery were open to the public, most the customers worked on the lower floors. There were so many people wearing tailored suits, or sleek gowns, that any student would've felt out of place. Luckily, few paid him any attention, other than the servers of course.
The interior itself was fairly large, but there was a small corner tucked away that few people knew about; a cramped space with only a single leather chair, and accompanying side table. The walls were thick plated glass, allowing everyone a clear view of the world beyond. Seated in his hidden corner, Theo not only had a good view, but could enjoy it.
While only barely gracing the lip of the canyon walls, the promenade was high enough to glimpse the surreal umbilical cord of a tornado gracefully descending from the bloody red skies above. Like a red smear, the clouds took on a corrosive texture, reminding Theo of swirling ink, rather than traditional clouds. In some aspects, the skies almost looked like liquid fire, the entire atmosphere bleeding with it.
On days like this, when pollution wasn't so strong, one could gaze at the turbulent atmosphere in all its glory, and terror. He watched as the vortex scratched the granite and dirt covered flatlands, daring to arch closer to the protective wards of the city, only to be pressured back. The churning earth dirtied the air around it, sucking in new browns toward the wretched skies.
Theo watched the weather along the edges of the canyon, occasionally reading his course text book in between the descending columns of wind.
'The greatest discovery mankind ever made was the simple comprehension that there were fundamental natural laws governing this world, and the surrounding physical universe. These laws were not decided, or created by man, for they had existing long before us, and thus could only be discovered. We often resist these discoveries, rebel against natural law, only to our detriment.'
Mystical arts textbooks always had a section dedicated to this kind of analysis. It seemed eerily apropos, given the scenery before him. Many believed this worlds current state was the result of mans desire to control natural law, resulting in the chaotic destruction of the old world.
'To ignore natural law was to seek peril, to wage war against them was to contemplate suicide, but there was no greater sin than to believe one could control natural law. Even magic was an extension of these laws, similar to technology, and thus useful tools rather than a means to subvert.'
'Thus was discovered the law of chaos. That being, the more one tries to control natural law, even through subtle manipulation, the more one was to illicit chaotic outcomes.'
In other words, Theo thought to himself, the harder one tried to control nature, the more likely they were going to lose control of it.
The descent of swirling vortexes arching from above, like thin crooked fingers, echoed these thoughts. He wasn't sure why he read the synopsis for the law of chaos, he already knew it by heart. Perhaps, he wanted to be reminded as to why things were so forgone, or perhaps its only seemed appropriate. Regardless, he skimmed ahead to the desired pages, and started reading about the great cities of ancient Mercia, when suddenly, the glass cracked.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lorelei hated wearing bra's, bikini's, or brassiers. They were uncomfortable, always rubbing against her sensitive skin. If it was ever hot enough to make her sweat, which was often (given the humid climate), the garment would glob onto her breasts like suction cups, making it even more uncomfortable when having to peel it off. Campus uniforms didn't splurge on expensive materials either, so the unmentionables she had to wear were not pleasant.
Thus, when Lorelei put on the low trimmed tub top, made from some kind of silk and spandex material, it was a relief. It didn't come with a bra, and it didn't latch onto her chest. She wished she could wear it in the comfort of her own dorm, rather than out in the open…like this.
Freed from the unwieldy restraints, her bosom's were able to breath. Under normal circumstances it would've been a massive improvement, but with all the bumps and swerves causing them to jiggle, it only made things fairly uncomfortable. It was still and improvement, barely.
Lorelei stood toward the side of the compartment, her hand grasping tight to the handlebar overhead. The pose was quite alluring to the small compact crowd. The party bus had its interior walls replaced with plastic, allowing the party goers to see the streets outside. It also acted as an advertisement to everyone else, as to what they were missing.
Parties were exclusive to small groups, and were incredibly expensive. The bus would drive the party goers from one end of the canyon city, all the way to the other, allowing them to stop at bars and restaurants along the way. While being driven around, the bus would feature music, wine, and all sorts of narcotics, all served by beautiful young women for the customers pleasure.
Lorelei could still remember, with perfect clarity, how Marci convinced her to do this. "Two words, party bus!" Marci was ecstatic to introduce the idea back in their dorm.
"No," a pit dropped in Lorelei's stomach.
"But it's three thousand clits a night! Just to work as serving girls!"
That was easily twice as much that Marci had made wrestling around. It was enough to give Lorelei pause. "Three thousand just to what?"
Marci rolled her eyes, not really concerned with the semantics. "Play music, and provide party services."
"What kind of services?" Lorelei tried to pin her down on the specifics.
"Nothing serious, just smile, be nice, serve drinks, stuff like that…," Marci was giving her doe eyes.
"Is that even allowed?"
"Yes! But only for a single night, they rotate the girls they hire every day. So I doubt we could get the gig again for a while."
That was news to Lorelei. How could a business operate that way? "Why would they do that."
"Who knows, but still it should be fun!"
And that's how it started, and now she was wearing this ridiculous attire, while trying to present her best smile. There was some good news though, most of the people on the party bus were women, and all of them were in their mid twenties. They were recent university grads celebrating their first month of employment, and hoping to blow off some steam. Only three men were in attendance, and they seemed to have their own girlfriends. That didn't stop them from noticing Lorelei, or Marci, in their skimpy uniforms.
She supposed serving drinks, changing music, and giving one of the guys a random hand job under the table, wasn't the worst thing in the world. But when one of the customers started feeling up her breasts, Lorelei resisted the urge to poke him with her tail.
"Don't do anything to piss off the customers," Marci had told her, and Lorelei did her best to ignore the urge to lash back.
The drinks were fine, except for the thick white creamy cocktails enjoyed by all the girls on the bus. It was obviously designed to look like something far more…disgusting, but in truth it was a mix of vanilla cream, and watered down milk, mixed with vodka.
The servers were allowed to drink as well, but only one drink per hour, and everyone kept wanting her to drink that creamy substance, for some reason. Lorelei accommodated them, but only after receiving a rather stout tip.
Once they made their fourth stop that evening, Lorelei had a brief moment to catch her breath, so she sat down on the chair behind the DJ table, and slumped her head in her arms.
"Just another few stops, and then ka-ching!" Marci slithered next to her with a smile.
Lorelei hated this kind of job, it was so boring half the time, and the other half felt fake. Putting on a false smile, offering a simple giggle when people touched her, and rushing back and forth with fresh drinks, was agonizing.
It'll all be worth it. Just think of the three thousand clits, Lorelei reminded herself. "I still can't believe you made me do this," she groaned.
"I think you look really hot in that outfit," Marci teased. "I'm sure Theo would love it."
Lorelei groaned again at that, her tail standing straight for a split second.
It would be another hour before their guests returned, and Lorelei decided to spend it trying to take a nap, while Marci tried to clean up the place. Before the hour was over, a slight bump annoyed Lorelei enough to perk up.
"Has it been an hour already?" She reached out to grab a bottle of water, noticing she should go to the bathroom before resuming her duties.
"No…," Marci looked up, noticing strange clouds broaching overhead. The plastic walls gave them a welcome view of their surroundings, and the scenery had started turning a remarkable shade of red. "Is it just me…or is it getting a bit windy outside?"