Even with its dwindling population the Light District never really went to sleep. The hour was well after the end of my late shift, but the whole area still bathed in the dim twilight of the satellites, and the flashy colours of neon and diode-lights. People like ghosts passed all the time, some of them transparent even. I felt rather uneasy about where Evelith was taking me: I would never have entered a place myself with the name ‘One Night Stand Bar’ in antique neonlights above the door, and a couple of stick-men embracing horizontally in primal neon colours above that name. But she had been rather persistent, even to the point of making sure we were dressed to the occasion of going out, so I had no choice. We went in and she found us a table far from the windows.

“Why on Earth did you take me here?” I asked, and She smiled mysteriously again. “Ah, nothing special actually. I just wanted to be away from the Nirvana Ecstasy and to be alone with you to talk for a while.” “And why can’t we just do that in my room? Or in yours?” She shuddered. “The child is sleeping in my room. Yours is just too messy to be comfortable. And we might meet other interesting people here with news from other places. And seeing more of the world is always interesting. I haven’t had an occasion to go out in a while. If you’re always in a bar one easily forgets to really enjoy any of the nightlife…”

She spoke of ‘all the nightlife’, but that was quite optimistic as a description of what was going o,. Even with all the ghostly people passing most buildings in this street were notably empty on what should have been a peak moment of activity in the Light District. In fact the ‘One Night Stand Bar’ was one of the few active establishments left in the whole Light District, more active than the Ecstasy Nirvana even. And the Light District was one of the last places frequented by actual humans in the reachable part of The City, I had concluded by now.

This bar was a completely different place from the Ecstasy Nirvana. There were no dancers or projection shows, but the music was equally bad as the stuff Yelati and her colleagues liked to ‘dance’ to sometimes. I knew Evelith had gotten used to this district and all the stuff that was going on in it without becoming a part of it, but it still disoriented me and reminded me of things I had pushed out of my memory long ago, thing that hadn’t even been real in the first place. She noticed my confused state so she started the conversation herself.

“Come on boy, if you can relax in the Ecstasy Nirvana you can relax here too. It’s the same kind of place.” I looked nervously at her. “I came there for one beer that night, nothing more, and I stayed for you as a friend. Not for the nirvana part nor for the ecstasy. And I don’t need no one night stands either.” She smiled. “Ah, the name says that it used to be the place where people could pick up strangers for one night stands indeed. But I assume that everyone who’s left here in the neighbourhood generally knows each other quite well by now, so that might not really work anymore…” She paused and looked teasingly at me. “But hey, I’ll take the most handsome man here home with me tonight, hah!” I gave her an ice-cold look back that she ignored. “It’s just that this is the best bar around that’s still open and where the people can be trusted I’m afraid. And sitting outside in the dark is a stupid idea…” I didn’t reply, listening to the music in the background that was lowering its tempo. “I got used to the nirvana ecstasy too…” I mumbled. It seems I was lightening up already. Or maybe I was just giving up. The place was not my style and the music was bad, but it was relaxing indeed to be here with just Evelith; without having Leste, the flying monk and the kid around. I was still adapting to humanity and adjusting to the company of others again, and for some reason it was easier to be social with just her without the others around.

It didn’t seem like she really had something specific to discuss, but time seemed to pass fast while we were chatting even without important topics, until an unknown female voice from behind Evelith broke the moment. “Since when are you, of all possible people alive, picking up the men here before I can get to them, Ev?” I saw Eveliths mouth say something like ‘shit’ without making any sound before she turned to speaker. “Hi Vezlena!” She said, sounding a bit tired. “No, I just want to talk to Ad without Les and Yela, and there’s a little fundless kid sleeping in my room too.” The woman named Vezlena turned her eyes to me with a rather hungry look that made me uncomfortable. She had a pale skin and short dark hair, and looked like she had stepped out of one of the weirder music videos. “So you’re that new man, Adaman the robo-guy? Les told me about you.” She gazed up and down my body and turned to Evelith. “What a waste that you haven’t made a move yet. Can’t I borrow him for a night if you don’t want him?” I really wanted to protest, but froze up, and Evelith answered for me, more with her beaming eyes than with words. “Don’t!” She looked rather fierce now, more than I was used from her. “What about yourself then, baby? If you’re not even into this fridge of a man, you might like a woman with a broad range of experience more?”

Evelith just ignored her and turned her head towards me. “Never mind Vezlena here, she’s just the one night stand people can pick up when there’s not enough new people here. Gotta keep it real with such a name, not? And I’m not really safer than you are anyway, as you can see…” She turned back to Vezlena herself. “Can’t you make yourself useful for once, Vez, and bring us 2 beers. The real beers please. I know you have good stuff at the moment. Better than what we have even.”

“Okay, okay!” She said, and disappeared, seemingly undisturbed about Eveliths rather brutal rejection. “What was that about?” I asked. “Oh, they have some great stuff from the fundless that you need to taste. Old-style beer, with real yeast made from grains. Don’t drink too much of it though, or you might end up wasted enough to fall for Vez and her schemes. Or even for me…” She winked. “Alcohol makes people do stupid things you don’t want to and I will have to take you home tonight anyway.” She smiled teasingly again. “Don’t scare the poor asexual roboman please.” I mumbled. “Well, I only meant something stupid like talking with me for hours and becoming my friend and then crashing on my couch like you did before. What are you thinking about, you incredible idiot?”