Neon Desires – 5/10

The thunder still echoed in the sky, and for a moment time seemed frozen between the two buildings. Alix and Axel remained still, holding their breath, feeling their heart, or what passed for a heart, pound with anxiety. Thick white smoke spread through the alley, moving slowly, as if obeying some secret will, defying even the logic of city winds. With each second, the mist thickened in spirals, swirling around a new presence.

Suddenly, a wave of scents flooded everything. It wasn't just the aroma of ozone burned by the lightning, but a whirlwind of sensations. First came a sweet vanilla scent mixed with rare flowers, then a fresh, citrusy note, almost effervescent. Next, something like hot chocolate, but with a base of exotic spices and a touch of something that evoked childhood, forgotten dreams, laughter, the warmth of skin.

Axel was the first to comment, whispering, almost stunned. "I… I'm feeling everything at once. Is this real?"

Alix didn't answer. Her sensors were in confusion: too much data, too many scents, sensations that surpassed any known parameter. For a moment, she wondered if something was wrong with her, if she had finally glitched, but when she looked at Axel and saw that he was paralyzed too, she concluded that this was… something else.

The smoke slowly began to dissipate, revealing neon lights dancing in impossible colors. The alley, once dirty and cramped, now seemed like a dreamlike scene. In the center of the mist, where the lightning had struck, appeared a small building, completely out of place in that universe. A corner shop, with a façade shining in lilac, blue, and green, signs twisting into flashing phrases.

The largest, right above the revolving door, displayed in sweet letters: Gelato del Peccato. Below it, an even more unusual inscription, made of pulsing, curvy lights: "Ice cream for unconfessable desires — enter, if you're able to leave unchanged."

Alix and Axel looked at each other. They said nothing, because it seemed impossible to form a word in the face of that scene. The shop was small, cozy, with colorful display cases and an aroma so dense it was almost tangible. There was something alive there, a pulse in the air, a whisper of promise.

Before they could think of running away or calling for backup, the door opened with a musical chime. And there, at the threshold, appeared a woman. But to call her a woman was too little. She seemed born from a collective dream, a fantasy shaped to provoke sensations. Curves that defied the laws of physics, skin glowing under the lights, a dress of uncertain fabric, sometimes solid, sometimes liquid, clinging to her body in a way almost indecent, but impossible to say if it was clothing or pure magic.

She wore a wide-brimmed, pointed hat, as extravagant as her very presence. Her hair, long and of a blue that never existed in any catalog, fell in electric waves, moving as if made of smoke, light, or desire. Her face was at once young and ancient, and her smile… both an invitation and a challenge.

Alix felt a strange heat run through her body, from her feet to the top of her head. Her sensors registered an unusual spike in activity, a mix of alert and fascination. Axel was stunned, almost tripping over his own feet as he tried to compose himself. The silence lasted only until the woman chose to break it, with a smoky, soft voice, full of irony.

"I see you brought the storm with you. Or maybe the storm brought you to me?" She laughed softly, as if she knew all their secrets. "Welcome to my humble house of frozen pleasures. I am Zafira Blu, owner of this magical corner, where not even the most hidden desire escapes the menu."

Axel blinked a few times, unsure if he was dreaming or under the effect of some nanodrug. "This… this place appeared out of nowhere. The alley wasn't like this…"

Zafira winked, theatrical. "Life is full of shortcuts, my dear. And some shortcuts lead to delicious places." She looked at Alix with an even wider smile. "And you, patrol officer… have you chosen your favorite flavor yet?"

Alix tried to regain control. "We're not here to eat ice cream. We're on patrol. There's been a theft, we need to leave." Even as she spoke, something inside her fought against orders, an impulse to stay, to ask, to feel.

Zafira stepped out of the doorway, gliding toward them with hypnotic movements, unhurried, as if she controlled time itself. The rain stopped the very moment she stepped outside. The street seemed suspended in time, the city's sounds muted by the spell. She ran her hand along Axel's arm, then gently touched Alix's hand, as if greeting old friends, or lovers about to meet.

"I see your desires are beating loud. And it's not just because of the theft, nor the chase." She leaned in, almost whispering. "This place only appears when desire is stronger than fear or duty. You were chosen by the night itself, did you know?"

Axel glanced at Alix, a mischievous smile on his lips, as if saying, "See? I wasn't crazy." Alix, on the other hand, felt a deep shiver, not of fear, but of anticipation, as if her whole life had led to this moment.

Zafira opened her arms, gesturing to the shop's interior. The light coming from within was different from anything they had ever seen. It wasn't just color, it was sensation: every beam of neon provoked a shiver, every aroma pulled at a memory, every promise drew a new path to pleasure.

"Come. At Gelato del Peccato, no one is just a customer, everyone becomes their best fantasy, even if just for a spoonful." She winked at Alix, then at Axel, her smile widening, mischievous. "Tonight the place is open just for you two. Try whatever you want, but beware: it's hard to leave here the same as you entered."

Alix hesitated. Protocol screamed to get out, to take Axel to the station, to forget this surreal apparition. But desire, that bug, that impossible longing, beat stronger than any routine command. Axel seemed to read her thoughts, gently squeezing her cuffed hand.

"Let's go in, officer. Who knows what we'll find on the other side?"

Zafira Blu took a step back, making way, her blue hair swirling like smoke and light. Alix breathed deeply, savoring the sweet, warm, irresistible scent wafting from the door. For a moment, she forgot why she was there, the weight of her duty, the rules. Only desire remained.

And so, beneath the most tempting neon sign in the city, the two of them entered together into the secret world of the magical ice cream shop, ready, perhaps for the first time, to taste the unexpected.