Part 9 Ever since stepping out of the shop, into the ever darkening night it had surprised Brianna just how busy the city was even now. Despite the darkness and the cold the town seemed to have come alive, the roads heavy with traffic, even if the pedestrians had mostly vanished, and storefronts blazing with lights. Combined with the passing headlights of other cars and the ubiquitous blinking lights of holiday decorations it felt like passing through a hive of activity, so different than the fierce storm that she had trudged through just a day earlier. Even so, as the car sped on down the streets on their long journey back out into the suburbs Brianna was only vaguely aware of it all, her thoughts drifting in all directions. Honestly it was hard to focus on anything. She felt strangely energized, barely able to contain herself and completely unable to sit still, fidgeting in her seat or bouncing her leg to some non-existent beat. At some point Claudia had turned the radio on in an attempt to fill the silence, neither of them much in the mood to talk it seemed, but even that seemed faint and unimportant, mere background noise to her spinning thoughts. In all honesty Brianna could not say why she felt so energized, almost manic in fact, but the feeling persisted. Perhaps it was the lingering endorphins of her recent brush with the tattoo needle, perhaps it was eagerness to show off her new tattoo to her mistresses, or maybe it was just the same sort of keen anticipation that often filled her when dreaming of games soon to be played. Perhaps it was some heady mix of all three lifting her up into a bundle of twitching energy just waiting to be unleashed. That thought made her smile just a little bit, almost in awe of how much her life had changed in such a short time.
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