The receptionist looked up. "Destination?" she asked as she saw the sextet of them heading for the exit to the lab.
"Oh, we just wanted to see the city...if that's alright of course." Flora shifted her feet.
The receptionist looked at her bathrobe, which wasn't doing that great with all the wear and tear. "I hope you head to one of the clothing stores first," she commented, printing out 5 day passes in the form of little wristlets, like the ones in hospitals. "Keep the bracelet visible at all times; and if anyone asks you're legally required to inform them of your position at Sartonic Labs."
"Position? What's mine?" asked Flora.
"Test subject."
Flora nodded in understanding, and then left the lab to return to the city she'd only seen during the day. Despite this, she couldn't have been prepared for the flurry of lights and activity. Flora gasped at the thriving Indian nightlife outside the facility. There seemed to be more people on the streets now than during the day. The weather was chilled but the smell of food carts, the heat lamps in bazaars, and the bright sparks of glowsticks punctuating the gloomy streetlamp-lit streets turned the city into a haven of warmth and light among the endless expanse of desert.
Flora excitedly ran to the nearest bazaar to see what they were selling. She saw rows and rows of scarves; fine silky garments studded with gems and brooches. "Are these real diamonds?" she asked excitedly.
"They are 24-carat," the shopkeeper nodded. "Five dollars each."
"Five dollars for scarves with real diamonds?" gasped Flora. "That's insane! Ooh if only I had the money!"
The next shop has shish kebabs grilling behind a clear plastic screen. Flora's stomach rumbled, and she asked against hope if there were free samples. The kebab guy laughed and said no, so she moved on.
Her first actual purchase came when she bought a pair of shorts from a street vendor. "I'm feeling a little exposed out here in just a robe..." she admitted to her friends as she slipped them on in an alleyway.
Sounds further down the alleyway intrigued her, and she left the beaten path to find children playing Kick the Can in a more residential district. "Can I play?" she asked excitedly, but kids merely took their game elsewhere, giving her weird looks. They did forget a glowstick, so Flora claimed it and returned to the main streets looking slightly less out of place with her new acquisitions.
"Oooh let's get some fireworks!" she exclaimed excitedly when she saw some men holding out rows of them on a stand. "This is so cool, its like nothing is illegal! Can we get weed out here?"
While they watched, one customer who was smoking a cigarette picked up a firework and examined it. The shopkeepers urgently demanded he put it down, but the cigarette got too close and as he dropped it in fright, it ignited, causing the entire stand to go up in smoke. Flora and the onlookers cheered at the brilliant display of color and streaks of light that lit up the sky as the owners and customer ran for their lives, cursing loudly.
"Does this happen every night?" Flora wondered in amazement as she continued drinking in the activity and excitement around here. "It's like a completely different city at night. This is so incredible...."
They were almost back at the lab. She gave Yurei a crooked smile. "Well, I've pretty much led the whole night, like you were hoping. Was there anything you'd wanted to see before we head back?"
