It was a strange sensation, moving without moving, so Jessica deliriously thought up an escape. "Beam me up, Scotty!" she grumbled.

"We're going to get you home." The voice belonged to her friend. At least, she thought he was her friend. Her inebriated mind tried to formulate questions but was barely capable. Everything was dark if not hazy, and the movement coddled her sickness. A fear of stumbling suddenly crashed her imagination.

"Hey!" exclaimed a poetic and angry voice

Shannon watched the head turn and peer over Jessica's elbow. Without a doubt, it was the same student from the club, Jessica's asshole companion.

"It's the poet!" he said condescendingly. "Nice job up there."

She scowled at Jessica and the stiff arm over his neck. The empty side alleys of Nocturnal Maryment offered plenty of room to move, as well as its share of obscurity. It was too shady for Shannon's liking, but it was here the quiet, nightly chill could carry every word without interruption. "I know what you did!" she said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Dumb's not a good look!"

"Hmph." The tall student gently unhinged Jessica and set her down against the alley wall. A wolf's grin sharpened his cheekbones as he set one step forward. "Listen," he started, "I do not know your issue or what it is you're accusing me of,"—another foot forward—"but just look at her." He motioned to pale Jessica asleep, black hair draped like a doll. "So, I just need to take her home, if that's okay with you."

"Why don't you wake her up then?" interrogated Shannon. "Make life easier."

"You should keep your voice down. She obviously needs her sleep, overachiever that she is."

"You won't mind if I check, just to make sure. I prefer to keep Nocturnal's reputation intact." Shannon advanced and reached over, but the stranger caught her by the wrist.

"I do mind," he said.

"You should let go of me."

He shoved her back. "And you should worry about yourself."

"Or what?"

Brow cocked, lip bit, the student pressed his hand on Shannon's chest. She stumbled back a few steps, keeping her balance and darting a defiant scowl. He advanced again.

Personal space invaded, Shannon quickly jolted along the jerk's arm, stepping behind his foot, grabbing his bleach mane and pulling until he squealed like a Chinchilla. Then, she punched his throat.

The student hit the ground, where he choked and throttled his jacket collar. Shannon stretched her neck in the meantime, leering in disgust.

Eventually, he clumsily scrounged to his feet. "I'm gonna knock you silly," he cackled with a fist, but he felt the sneaker sole smack his cheek so that he once again hit the ground.

She had spun three-sixty degrees to round-house kick him in the face, certain the blow would knock him unconscious, but then he moaned bitterly. She glared, baffled by his stupid resolve. "Damn, muthafucka, you're stubborn!"

Standing again, his expression was a patch of highlights frazzled over forehead creases.

"Third time's the charm," Shannon mocked, then took a wide stance and instigated him forward with a flap of the hand.

He charged without warning.

Too fast, however, Shannon kicked his leg into the pavement. After the stubborn boy fell, she loomed over him. "Get up!"

Panicked, he looked over to his left leg. It was limp

"You got another leg, right?" said Shannon. "Let's do something about that."

Fraught, the student hastily crawled away on the asphalt. He fled as fast as he could whimper, which was rather slow, but his scared look was hard to pursue. And with the deviant out of her way, Shannon was free to investigate the alley.

She found Jessica's goofy expression safely nestled against the wall, at which point she heard unconscious rambling. "'It's another Death Star!' Someone would notice, J.J."

Shannon's excitement faded away, replaced by confusion and relief. "Man," she sighed. "You got roofied, bitch!"

"Hwt4-afo4-qe3f-rgyi. A digest utilizing any sequences that are finite is crackable."

"Let's get you the hell out of here before you start talking about whatever the hell you're talking about."

Shannon crouched to check the girl's pockets and found nothing but an e-card and a miniature R2-D2. "Star Wars, huh?" She touched Jessica's finger to the card and scanned the info. "You ain't exactly close by. Fortunately for you,"—she wrapped Jessica's arm around her neck—"Ned's a cool guy. He'll give you a ride home if it's me asking."

They ambled out of the dark and toward the marble steps of Nocturnal Maryment. All the while, Jessica irked Shannon with her moaning random numbers and jargon, until she mumbled something else.

"Diving underneath / Fallen for and by dear friend / Calling Rome's Writer..."

"Well, damn," Shannon remarked. "You can be on the mic next time."

"Shannon 'Xiao Long' Wolf. I wanna be a cool cat, too."

"Girl, you already are."

***

Shannon 'Xiao Long' Wolf.

"Gotcha, muthafuckas!"

Shannon fell off her friends so they could watch her laugh.

"Ay," started Valerie, pointing at Yaoi Yuri Joy Joy. "Are you serious right now?"

"Naw. I just wanted to fuck with you! We're going somewhere else."

"That's cool," said Jess. "I'm sure it won't take long to get these images out of my head."

"Just keep reciting pi like you normally do." A mob of Tokyo Town denizens suddenly passed through, and Shannon stared down the road. "So, what? You girls down for sushi?"

"I don't know," said Valerie.

Jessica stared her down. "Say yes, dammit."

"Alright, dang! Yes!"

"Cool," said Shannon. "Let's get it."

As Shannon then Valerie dissolved into the crowd, Jessica paused and mumbled, "3.141592653..."

Shannon led the way as all three ladies casually waded through the bodies. Her pace allowed them to bask in the Tokyo Town air, whose fragrant and musty odor was like an artificial blossom. Everything new seemed to impress and grab her gaze, which, upon looking back, carried a sisterly warmth.

"Tell me what you guys been up to," she began excitedly.

Valerie relayed nothing she didn't already tell Jessica. Jessica, on the other hand, had an inner debate about where to start but eventually let loose and stopped after the subject of her job.

"So..." Shannon rejoined. "How's Miss Sanders?"

"She's cool," said Jess. "Pretty much the way you remember."

"I forgot to ask about hip grandma," said Valerie.

"Yep, I saw her yesterday. Although, she seemed slightly different in a way, a little more docile than normal."

Shannon stopped. "How old is she now?"

"Sixty-seven."

"My grandma got the same with age. It just happens." Shannon resumed their course through Seventh Street. "But, you see her every day, so you can tell better than we can. I'm always down to pay her a visit, next time."

"Noted. Saved. Awesome!" Jessica smiled. In truth, the very thought of Beth's mortality was depressing. The weight of it made her slouch.

"And what have you been up to, Shannon?" Valerie asked.

"Psh! I can't stay put, to start! Playing the aid for professors at NSA, it's actually pretty chill. But then I keep returning to my cousin's club whenever he's understaffed. He pays, so it's practically a side job. Which is why I'll tell you: you wanna do social work and go to school, go for it! Only you know your limits. Even now, I'm finding gigs as a ghostwriter. So long as my stylus is working, I'm happy with it."

Valerie gasped. "Dang! I gotta get my shit together."

"Psh! Relax, girl! It's not like you're delivering pizza and tacos all day." Shannon winked at Jess.

"Hey!" she stammered. "It is a public service. Everyone likes tacos and pizza, at least if you're human. I meet all kinds of people and learn new things every damn day. It's a way to get out of my head."

"Never gonna understand why you didn't just take that scholarship, any of them."

"Not about that life, brah."

Valerie glowered. "You really just say that?"

Shannon laughed. "You still listenin' to Androgynous Vision?"

"Is Jessica a nerd?"

"Is 'yes' not in your vocabulary?" said Jess.

"Only when you offer to spot a girl!" Valerie reached over to squeeze Jessica's cheeks, forcing her to brush her arm aside.

"Don't make me go back there!" Shannon warned.

"You know you're welcome to a piece!"

"I'll take the whole thing."