Page 12 of Stars in Nova

The establishment buzzed with quiet energy.

Patrons lounged on plush seats that hugged the lake’s edge, their conversations a muted hum beneath the gentle lap of water against the stone.

A bar carved from translucent crystal curved along one side of the interior, its facade embedded with shifting lights that pulsed like the heartbeat of the place.

Kisan found his preferred table in a shadowed corner with a clear view of the stage.

A server, a young man in a smart uniform with a broad smile, appeared.

‘The usual, sir?’ he asked.

Kisan nodded, leaning back in his seat.

He favored CyVoda over the teeming, vibrant entertainment spots on the surface.

The eponymous establishment retained human servers, had an old-world feel, and excellent diversions.

It was also where he could brood in the safety of relative anonymity.

Where he escaped his well-meaning, found family and their endless questions about his state of heart, soul, and mind.

Here, he encountered space and rare peace.

Despite his stoicism, Kisan was often hyper-alert, his senses tuned to the slightest disturbances. His military background and meta-kinetic abilities had forged him into a calibrated weapon, but they had also made relaxation an elusive dream.

He moved through the world like a predator, always watching, always prepared.

Only when he was at CyVoda or in the confines of his home could he relax.

It helped that the venue’s water show was otherworldly andfokkin’ soothing.

His drink arrived moments later—a deep amber liquid that glowed, its surface swirling like molten fire.

He sipped it, savoring the burn as it traced a path down his throat. For the first time that day, the tension in his muscles began to ease.

The lights dimmed, and the hum of conversation stilled.

A single spotlight illuminated the stage, followed by a cascade of mist that shimmered like starlight.

Kisan leaned forward, expecting the familiar silhouette of his favorite aerialist.

He took an inhale, for the woman who emerged was not her.

Instead, a female he didn’t recognize appeared, stepping onto the dais as if floating on air.

His eyes narrowed on her, sucking his teeth in annoyance.

She was lithe, her figure wrapped in a bodysuit of flowing, silvery fabric that appeared to ripple like liquid mercury. A long diaphanous skirt of the same fabric fell from her waist.

Her hair, a waterfall of midnight black with blue highlights running through it, tumbled over her shoulders down to her shapely ass.

The strands caught the glow of the lake and reflected it in cerulean accents.

Her face was sculpted and elegant, and her eyes were a striking shade of silver, emerald, and gold that seemed to pierce through the dim light.

Kisan frowned, his lips pressing into a thin line. He gestured to the server as the woman began to ascend a set of silken ropes that unfurled from the ceiling.

‘Where’s the usual dancer?’ he asked, his rasp hoarse, insistent.

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