On The Dance Floor [Raphael]

[Sparrow Akiyama]

Get up and dance
Everybody listenin' I wanna see you dance
I don't think you heard me, I wanna see you dance
Get up and dance, get up and dance!

It had been some time since Sparrow had let herself have fun. Somehow, it felt a little unnatural. She had always been the one to hit up clubs with her sister and best friend, and just relax and have fun. Even her sudden status as an international star after the success of her movie Ascension had not changed that. Her father had written and directed it, and it had been the first realistic portrayal of superhumans - Specials - in mainstream media. Despite Sparrow and Andrew, her father, not being Specials - that had been the source of a bit of distaste in the Special community - the movie had done well, and won numerous awards as well, a few of which had gone to her as its star, and to Alice Taylor as a supporting actress, not to mention her parents as writers and Andrew as its director.

But since then, her best friend, Esperanza Velásquez, had done the grown-up thing and gotten a job. She was in the entertainment industry still, but her new career kept her from traveling as much and spending time out too. And Sparrow's sister - really her stepsister, but she never thought of Sydney that way - had gone missing. That had been a major point of concern for Sparrow, and part of the reason she had kept herself closed in for so long. It didn't feel right to go out and have fun like nothing was wrong when her sister was nowhere to be found.

But she had to get out sometime, and going to Frank Rook for help did not count. So she got dressed up a little and headed out to see what was happening in New York. The chilly air was refreshing in a way, and it was nice to stretch her legs and be around people. And she let herself smile. Sydney would probably kick her ass for moping around while she was gone, once Sparrow and Frank found her.

One of her favorite clubs had a good amount of people, not empty but not so full that you could barely walk. She ducked inside, the bouncer letting her have instant access due to her being so frequent a patron, and so big a star too. Fame had its perks. She had been a stuntwoman for a time, often for her father's films, which her birthmother had disapproved of, but the thrill of getting to do cracy stuff like flip around on wires and drive cars up ramps, through fires, was just the sort of feeling Sparrow liked. She got to do much of the same as a live-action model for video games, some of which had even used at least part of her likeness for the character she was playing. The one that had done the best with that was a game series called Korin, about a crime-fighting geisha. Its premise was crazy stupid and its story very hard to believe, but it had a serious cult following, so much that some of her fans had recognized her when she starred in Ascension. It was pretty cool to be that well-known. Sparrow liked being popular, and being in the spotlight.

Dancing around the club while wondering whether she should hang out here or head up to the VIP rooms, Sparrow spotted a familiar face, a boy she had seen around before but had never really gotten a chance to talk to. She thought about going up to say hi. It might have been kind of weird. He might have seen her too, but most likely he hadn't. Or he might recognize her from the movies. But, never one to let awkwardness get in her way, Sparrow went ahead and strode up to him, touching his shoulder very lightly to get his attention. "Hi!" she said, offering him a sweet smile. "Sorry if I'm interrupting. I just wanted to say hey. I mean, I've seen you around, so I thought I'd at least get your name. I'm Sparrow." She extended her hand to shake his. "I'm glad to finally meet you."