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chapter four

The Blue Squirrel was one teetering step up from the Five Moons Eve had a cautious affection for it There were times she even enjoyed the noise, the press of bodies, and the ever-changing costue show

The featured singer was one of the rare people Eve considered a genuine friend The friendship ht have had its roots in Eve’s arrest of Mavis Freestone several years earlier, but it had flowered, nonetheless Mavis o ordinary

Tonight, the sliainst the scream of trumpets, the brass waved by a three-piece female band on the holoscreen backdrop That, and the quality of the single wine Eve had risked were enough to make her eyes water

For tonight’s show, Mavis’s hair was a stunning ereen Eve knew Mavis preferred jewel colors She continued the the sapphire enerous breast and her crotch Her other breast was decorated with shiically placed silver star over the nipple

One misplaced stud or swatch, and the Blue Squirrel could be fined for exceeding its license The proprietors weren’t willing to pay the hefty fee for nude class

When Mavis whirled, Eve saw that the singer’s heart-shaped butt was similarly decorated on each slim cheek Just, she mused, within the limits of the law

The crowd loved her When she stepped froe after her set, it was to thunderous applause and drunken cheers

Patrons in the private s booths thumped fists enthusiastically on their tiny tables

“How do you sit down in that?” Eve asked when Mavis arrived at her booth

“Slowly, carefully, and with great discoh “What’d you think of the last number?”

“A real crowd pleaser”

“I wrote it”

“No shit?” Eve hadn’t understood a single word, but pride swelled, nonetheless “That’s great, Mavis I’m awed”

“I litter on her face, Mavis’s cheeks flushed “And I got a raise”