Lined in Velvet, Scents like Lavender [Sunny]

Closing time was a welcomed change of pace from the night's usual rush of activity. The bar's last call had come and gone, and with it most of the customers saw themselves out after clearing their tabs. Some had to be gently helped towards the door so they didn't walk into anything, but the bar staff looked upbeat for the most part. It was almost time for them to go home as well, after all.

Once the last of the customers had been ushered out the workers congratulated each other with high fives and cheers for a job well done. Now it was their time to relax a little as they cleaned up, and some of them eased up on uniform rules. They all wore the same thing for the most part. A white long-sleeve button up shirt, black slacks or skirts, black ties with neatly folded knots, and a deep red velvet vest. Buttons were being undone, sleeves were rolled up, ties were loosened, and vests were unzipped to help culture the growing atmosphere of comfort.

While Sunny did roll up her sleeves she left the rest of her uniform as is. Long legs cloaked in black stockings and heels busied their way around the bar as she left the counter to help collect stray glasses and bottles left strewn about. The clamor of glass clinking upon glass echoed for a while as the staff placed things where they needed to be. In the wash sinks, in recycling bins, or the trash. 

As they moved about Sunny did spend some time chatting with her peers, and they all shared stories of amusing happenings. The banter helped keep their mood up long enough till it was time for even them to go home. However, Sunny volunteered to close the building for the morning, and encouraged her friends to go home and rest while she got a game of pool in. 

She kept the soft music playing in the background, and even turned off most of the lights in the main room, seeing no need for them. With a contented sigh she racked the pool table, an island of smooth green felt lit from above in the darkness of the room. After she chalked a cue stick she took her time lining up her first shot, leaning over the table comfortably. The sound of the balls hitting each other and bouncing around the table offered a brief contrast to the relaxing music in the background.

The human hummed softly to herself as she slowly stalked around the table next, debating her next shot. When she found an angle she liked, she stopped and chuckled.

"I see you," she spoke in a teasing voice before leaning over the table again, lining her cue stick up.

The sudden pressure on her ankles startled the woman, making her flinch involuntarily. She remained still after, still leaning over the pool table unsure of what to think. Her coworkers had left, and she was sure they had seen the last of the customers out long before that, even. Even then.. it felt like hands were grabbing her! Then the sensations of being brushed up against rose up her legs.

Dropping her pool cue she straightened up and tried to knock away whatever was climbing up her body with a frightened expression. Black shapes were undeterred, and as more hands grabbed a hold of her Sunny yelped as she was forced back down over the pool table. Seeing inky black hands weave their fingers between her own to pin her down her mind raced for an explanation.

Ghosts?!

'W-Well, there's Aurelia, but she's still a digimon? Are human ghosts a thing too?!' she thought to herself hurriedly as the dull throbbing of her own quickening pulse pounded against her ears. The idea of screaming for help had crossed her mind, but that immediately evaporated as a snout with many, many teeth rested on her shoulder. Along with the sight of terror came an inexplicable pressure of some kind. An unearthly effect that rocked and overwhelmed the human to her core. It was a primal feeling of being so insignificant next to this entity that she tried desperately to squirm away.

...and then it talked.

Fleshling? Shade? What was it talking about?! Flinching at the distinct clacking of teeth Sunny then froze once more as she made eye contact with the being. Still breathing in quick, short breaths as she tried to calm down Sunny held its gaze with an incredulous stare. Data signal? Did he mean her digivice and Aurelia? Panic was beginning to set in again. She had never encountered a hostile digimon before. He said he wasn't going to hurt her, but he certainly wasn't being very friendly, either!

"I-If you're not going to hurt me, then let go of me," she whimpered "Please.. ..you're scaring me..." Her body was indeed shaking a little, like a rabbit caught in a wolf's jaws. "What do you mean by data signal? Who.. Who are the others you're talking about?"

His amused chuckle made her pursed lips frown. Still, she nodded in acknowledgement of his promise to pursue her. Or, nodded as much as she could at least, what with her being pressed down against the pool table. After the digimon got off of her Sunny slowly stood up and backed a step away, eyeing Shade cautiously. Now that she could get a good look at him she felt that his chosen name was quite fitting.

Shade mentioned that her digital signal was weak. The comment made her stare silently at the ground in thought. From what little she understood of digimon evolutionary lines, he was right she supposed. Aurelia was only in her rookie form, so it made sense that their signal would be minimal at best. Still feeling the pressure of Shade's own digital signal she looked back up to him, wondering what level he was at himself.

Her mysterious guest picked up her pool cue, and she noted the lengthening ability of his limb. Sunny reached out to take it from him, but ultimately froze in place when he said that her world was tasty. She thought back to mere moments ago when he had her pinned atop the table, and how he had those horrible teeth next to her face. Horror and disbelief flashed across her face as she registered the meaning behind his words. Momentarily she broke eye contact to take the cue stick, but within the next second her indignant expression although laced with fear, hinted at the very real possibility that she might hit him with the item.

"We.. We are," she stammered out, clearly upset by his words. "Humans. We are people, not food!" She could only imagine how many others he had eaten. What their faces might have looked like with Shade pinning them down and leering at them with those sharp teeth of his. What their last thoughts were as they were killed and devoured. Her knuckles tightened around her cue stick, but her gaze dropped to the ground after her little outburst. 

"We are people. We have names like you, Shade. My name is Sunny." With a degree of carefulness she looked back up to those many eyes. "I.. I'm a spirit user, but I'm new to it. So that's probably why my signal is, um.. weak. I can show you how to get home, but you have to do something for me, too. No more.. eating.. people, I mean.. Th-that's fair, right?"

The way Shade’s eyes blinked independently from each other was distracting. They were all staring at her, studying her, judging her. It was futile to meet all of their gazes, but Sunny’s own stare couldn’t help but wander when another crimson eye opened to focus on her. Somehow, it made her feel smaller. As if there were more than just the two of them in this room. Maybe it was her naivete, but she didn’t want to believe Shade when he said that everyone was food. It was just too barbaric a thought.

Something peculiar happened next. One after another, Shade’s many eyes began to close, and stay closed. All except for the two on his head. Sunny raised a foot to step back as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, but as she held the digimon’s gaze her foot returned to its original position. She heard his words, but her consciousness was a haze. Had he always been standing so close? When had he put his hands on her cheeks? Her awareness of these questions began to fade, even as she opened her mouth only to say nothing.

‘Good.. food?’ she thought to herself drunkenly, dimly aware of the situation as she exhaled while he inhaled. She saw the smoke leaving her body. Was she burning? No, not while she felt the cool touch of Shade’s hands. It was almost soothing in a way. For what felt like an eternity he gently squeezed this smoke from her. Once his hands left her however her awareness reawakened. It was a little too late, however; as she blinked in confusion her legs were giving out beneath her, and the woman fell backwards with a soft gasp.

Her mind still felt a little hazy, but things were starting to clear up as she massaged her temples and slowly shook her head. Glancing up at Shade she watched as he made quick work of his food. Her negative emotions, he had called it. Oddly enough, she didn’t feel afraid anymore. It was a confusing moment to be sure, even as she held a fascinated interest in his feeding habits.

“...food?” she said softly as she blinked again. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt better. Better than better! Sunny was in a good mood even with Shade’s harrowing entrance. Realization dawned upon her expression at the hasty error she had made minutes before, and the woman quickly stood up in a huff.

“Oh-my-god! I’m so sorry for being rude!” apologized the human as she bowed as if she had offended a VIP guest, her lips pursing together nervously as she stared at Shade’s feet. “First impressions have already been set, but.. can we introduce ourselves again? I don’t want to start things off on the wrong foot. Although.. could you not put your teeth so close to my face this time, please?” She straightened up clapping her hands together in an imploring gesture, giving the digimon a hopeful smile.

“Shade the hunter,” she repeated softly as she gave the digimon an appraising look up and down. The title made sense to her now that she thought back to his dramatic entrance. She had probably made herself look like easy prey, standing alone in the bar next to a well lit table. That only made her wonder how long Shade had been in the building to begin with, though; had he ‘fed’ upon anyone else? Unlikely, she decided. She knew she herself would have screamed, and loudly, if there were other people still here.

“That’s fitting! You are a good hunter, catching me from under the pool table like you did.” There was a brief pause to pick up her pool stick before she walked beside Shade to lean back against the table. With him having drained the fear from her she felt strangely safe in his presence. As if she were conversing with another customer here in Velvet. “I’m Sunny! Sunny is.. well, Sunny?” The woman gestured to herself with a sweeping hand gesture and chuckled. “Bartender, drink server, and food giver now too, I guess?” The last of these false titles brought an amused smile to her face as she looked up at Shade with a raised brow.

“A lot of people come into this place, y’know? You probably saw for yourself, since I doubt you just walked in right now, right? You little sneak.” She stuck her tongue out playfully at the digimon before laughing softly and waving a hand dismissively. “It’s fine, though. People wander in here looking for different things. Alcohol. Company. Sometimes, even directions like yourself. I try to help everyone out as best I can. I can show you how to get back to the digital world if you want? ‘cause right now, you’re in the human world.”

Using her cue stick like a pointer she gestured in another sweeping motion, this time to the rest of the bar. Maybe their surroundings wouldn’t look too different to a digimon, though? Aurelia had told her that there were bars in the digital world, too. Still, as a proud employee Sunny felt like showing off her own hunting grounds.

“How’d you even get to my world, anyways?” she asked as she looked back to Shade.