Girls' Night Out Part 1

Posted on Sun Jul 5th, 2015 @ 5:00pm by Ensign Reva Madhava & Ensign Six of Ten & Marabeth

* The Nexus Club *

Six had hurried home from her shift and hurried to get dressed. When she finally reached the Promenade, she had slowed down and approached the entrance of the Nexus, looking for Reva. Tonight she had decided on a strapless dress in fuchsia, the gauzey skirt gathered to the left side. It showed a little leg but not enough to get her in trouble, by her estimation. She scanned the crowd and soon caught a flash of green.

“Reva!”

“Hi!” Reva laughed as she trotted over to Six and hugged her. “Nice dress. That shade of pink on you is great.” Her own dress, with no frills or gems, could have looked plain by comparison. But the bright blue gown clung to her curves and revealed cut out slits in the dress that showed her green skin underneath. “Any idea if Vic is on duty tonight?”

Six smiled. “Thanks. You are a knockout as usual.” She shook her head. “I don’t know but Hillaire said he was sure he would be. Ready to go in? I sent in a reservation, I think the table is in the main area where the dance floor is.”

“Well, good. I’m glad one of us is on top of things - I completely forgot that reservations are a necessity here.” They proceeded in and Camille told them it’d be just a minute till their table was ready. While they stood waiting, Reva noticed a man glancing their way. After a moment, she got a good look at him and turned four shades of green darker.

“Reva?” Six touched her arm, sensing the embarrassment immediately. “What’s wrong?” Her dress was all in place so it couldn’t be that. She followed Reva’s gaze and noticed the man looking at them. “What?”

The part-Orion giggled and leaned into Six to whisper, “It’s nothing. I met him, sort of, yesterday. At Seyla’s. He was, ah... naked.”

“Oh. OH!” Six gasped. She cast a surreptitious glance at the man once more. “Nice looking man. So he’s one of hers now? I wonder what he’s doing here?”

“Yeah. She hired him. I don’t know why he’s here,” Reva shook her head just as Camille came along and said their table was ready. “But, whatever, we’re here to have a good time.”

Six thanked Camille as they reached the table and sat down. She looked around the room but they were not in a position to see the main bar where Vic normally worked. However, she did spot the man Reva had pointed out and he was moving to a nearby table with a tall man with black eyes.

“I can’t see the bar,” she told Reva, “but check it out. There’s your friend with another fellow.”

“Do you want to go to the bar, see if Vic’s there? I’ll order our drinks here and wait.”

“Oh goodness, no. I can’t,” Six insisted. What if he’s busy or….or something?” Six asked. “Or not here?”

“That’s the life of a bartender. If he wants to talk to you, he’ll make time,” Reva told her. “Just, go on. Don’t be afraid.” Easy for her to say, she wasn’t the one approaching a guy about a date... or something.

Six reached over to take Reva’s hand and let the conversation with Suresh by the lake replay for her. Then she recalled the meeting with Tess. It all passed in moments, along with her uncertainty.

“Maybe in a few minutes.”

“Okay,” Reva smiled and laughed a little. “Then let’s order something. Share a bottle of wine or go the cocktail route? And I’d like to try Jackson’s Shrimp and Grits.”

“Wine, I think.” A waiter appeared just then.

“Hi Six. It’s nice to have you with us again,” he said.

“Hi Sam. Oh, this is Ensign Reva Madhava.” She glanced at the wine list and ordered a bottle that would go well with the shrimp and grits.

“Welcome Ensign Madhava,” Sam said. “You having the wine also?”

“Yes, please. And it’s nice to meet you, Sam,” Reva answered. “Hey, who’s at the bar tonight?”

“Vic is here as usual. Do you want me to give him a message?” Sam asked.

Six’s eyes grew wide as she watched Reva, having no idea what would come out of her friend’s mouth.

“Please! Tell him hi from his fellow spider-hunter,” Reva smiled. She caught Six’s look and laughed.

“Tell him I said hello if you would,” Six added. Sam nodded and hurried off to get the wine. From Six’s seat, she could see the two men at the other table. “They’re still looking,” she whispered.

“Let them look,” Reva commented. Even as she said that, though, she saw the familiar one stand and bring his friend over.

“Reva,” he smiled almost shyly, “hey, I thought maybe we should be properly introduced. I’m Marcus. This is my friend, Owain.” He leaned in and whispered, “Really, he just wanted me to introduce him to your friend here.”

Reva glanced at Six and grinned. “Marcus and Owain, this is Six.”

“It’s nice to meet you gentlemen.” Six smiled up at them. She sensed strong interest in the two and glanced to Reva a moment, then reached with her foot to touch Reva’s leg under the table. “I don’t know a lot of people here yet so it’s good to meet more.” She tried to ignore Reva’s revelation that Marcus had been naked.

“My pleasure,” Owain responded. He reached for Six’s hand and raised it to his lips. “If you have ordered already, perhaps I can lure you out to the dance floor?”

Six shot a glance to Reva, then decided it couldn’t hurt anything. “I’d like that.” She rose and moved off with Owain.

Marcus took Six’s seat, though he moved it closer to Reva so that he could touch her. “I’m glad to see you again.”

“Well, um...,” she cleared her throat, “Our initial meeting was interesting.” She nodded.

“It was.” Marcus laughed for a moment. “I hadn’t expected company, especially company as lovely as you. Seyla was business of course, and I thought nothing of it but I would have preferred we meet under better circumstances so you wouldn’t think I was just a...a…..”

“Seyla’s boy?” Reva laughed and shook her head. She could have gone with a much cruder descriptor, but that one seemed the classiest. “It’s a way to make a living, right? And when one is as...,” she cocked her head to the side, “...talented as you so obviously are, why not?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. I also have a question. Why is a woman as breathtaking as you here alone tonight? Well, with a friend? I would think there would be no end of men willing to have dinner and dance with you.”

She hesitated; the answer was so complicated. “Perhaps, but I find most men make certain assumptions because I’m green.” She switched to being playful, “And, besides, if there were so many men wanting to be around me, you wouldn’t be in that seat.”

“Perhaps I beat them to the punch.” He laughed once more. “But I consider it a stroke of luck that we ended up here at the same time. I make no assumptions due to your species, Reva. I saw your reaction today. I am more interested in you.” He reached over to take her hand. “Will you allow me a few minutes to hold you close and dance? Perhaps make your night out a little more fun?”

“Yes,” she nodded and had a quick flash of how he’d looked yesterday. She felt a little flushed. “Now?”

“Absolutely.” Marcus rose and offered his hand. “No need to be embarrassed. I certainly am not. There’s nothing wrong with...appreciation.”

“Right,” she took his hand and went with him to the dance floor. “Appreciation is flattering.” She waved at Six and she and Owain passed them.

Six waved back as the song changed and Owain slipped his arm around her and led her back to the table. She smiled as he held her chair and she sat.

“Thank you Owain. You are a wonderful dancer.”

“I’ve found that a man is only as good as his partner,” Owain said, taking the seat next to her. He parroted Marcus without knowing it, “I am flabbergasted that you and your friend are here without male companions. You are too gorgeous to be alone, Six.”

She reached up to touch the hardware around her eye. “Hello, Borg. Most are afraid of me or see me as evil incarnate and stay far away,” Six answered. “There is one but it’s a new thing and…” she shrugged. “I’m not exactly Miss Experience in the romance field Owain. Maybe that’s your answer.” She smiled as Sam returned with the wine and filled her glass. He left the bottle and a small scrap of paper and departed. Six glanced at it and put it aside.

Owain noticed the slip and was tempted to pick it up. “Ah, but you are getting notes, aren’t you, Six?” He laughed. “Aren’t you going to read it?”

“Just from the bartender, I’d asked the waiter to check with him on something.” She studied Owain a moment, sensing mild jealousy as well as amusement. “It’s nothing.” Which was a lie of course. The note was from Vic and it asked her to come see him at the bar. Owain’s gaze held her as she looked back at him. “So are you and Marcus having dinner here or just came to socialize?”

He read all of her thoughts and smiled. “We’re just here to socialize. Marcus said he met Reva yesterday; I understand there were strange circumstances there,” he laughed. Then he leaned towards her and touched a lock of her hair. “You are fascinating. Do your implants ever hurt?”

“Only if something goes wrong with them, then they can, yes,” Six answered. His hand in her hair brought the image of Suresh doing that very thing flashing through her thoughts and too late, she realized Owain would see it. His compliment touched her, however and she blushed. “Thank you. It’s always nice to know that someone appreciates you.”

“You should only be with a man who appreciates you, my dear,” he spoke low so that only she would hear him. “I assure you, Six, I would appreciate you.”

Six’s eyes widened and she glanced over to the dance floor, wondering if Reva was coming back this way. Heat rose in her face as her flush deepened. “I...I don’t know what to say to that.” There was no mistaking his intent. “I’m flattered of course.” She was also suddenly nervous and had no clue what to think of this man.

"Please don't feel nervous, my dear," Owain said, his black eyes on her, "I didn't mean to do that. And I doubt you could say anything wrong to me."

“I could ask what you want from me?” she said softly. “Tell me.”

"Want? Nothing but your time, that's all. I would like to know more about you. Is that okay?"

“I don’t see why not. Wine?” Six reached for the bottle but his hand got there at the same time, covering hers. She sucked in her breath. "Oh.”

"Please, allow me," he smiled and refilled her glass then poured a bit for himself. "While those two are still enjoying the dance floor, tell me more about you. What do you do for fun? Besides come here to tempt men into flirting with you?"

“Fun?” The question surprised her. ”Well, I’ve only been here a short time. I’ve been to see several movies, I discovered that Saturnalia can be a rough place to visit, and I love the Arboretum. I’ve been here twice now, and to Lao’s. Oh! I also discovered something Suresh called barbecue. It’s very good, but messy.” The memory of Riley’s chin covered with barbecue sauce brought a laugh. “What about you?”

"Oh, are you talking about Bubba's? That food is delicious! I heard there was an incident there the other night. Apparently a couple of patrons got into a fight and tossed barbecue sauce all over." He laughed.

Six’s eyes widened at the news and she filed it away to tell Reva. The mental image Owain’s words brought was a funny one, however, and she began to laugh.

“I’m glad I missed that.” She reached for her wine and had a sip. “I’m also glad I met you. It’s not often that men like you just drop in my lap.”

"That's because men like me are rare. Beauties like you, though, are even rarer, so I count myself both lucky and happy that you chose to leave your paramour at home tonight." He tipped his glass towards her and then sipped the wine. "Perhaps we could go to a movie together. Or, have you used the holosuites to visit far off places? There are a few I can think of that you would like."

“Are you asking me out?” She smiled and lowered her glass. “I’m sorry, I can be a little direct I’ve been told. I’m also not the greatest at reading between the lines yet. I tend to ask for clarification so as to avoid making mistakes. It’s saved me some problems more than a few times.”

He smiled, though he wasn't laughing at her, "Yes, I'm asking you out, Six. I like directness, so don't apologize for it. It's so much better than beating around the bush and guessing. Not that I guess all that much," he tapped his temple, "being telepathic has its advantages."

Six nodded. “I am an empath so I can understand, to a degree. Sometimes I wish I had your abilities but then again, I think it might be distracting. Before I answer, will you tell me what you do here?”

He glanced at his wine, then over to where Marcus had Reva in a close slow dance. "I'm something of an independent entrepreneur," he hedged, buying time while trying to figure out what answer she would be happiest with. "Reva probably already told you how she met Marcus, so you know we work for Seyla. But we're here on our time, not hers."

“I see.” Six toyed with her glass as she thought about that. “What will she say? Or is your time your own time completely?”

"Our time is ours. And she doesn't have much room to complain anyway. She's let one girl start dating a Fleet officer and, rumor has it, that she's spending every night with a Fleet officer," he answered. "What we do is a legitimate business, not like what Suresh gets into." His dark eyes met hers.

Six’s hand stilled against her wine glass and dismay flooded her. What Owain just said hinted that Suresh wasn’t exactly what he appeared. Tess’ words came back to her and it seemed that some did think this Suresh was the old one. She sensed that he knew, also, about her association with Suresh. She considered and discarded several replies before she spoke.

“Explain.”

"Oh, you apparently weren't here when Suresh tried to have the Chief of Security shipped off on a slaver's boat," he said, then quickly held up a hand and added, "I know, there's a claim that he's not the 'old' Suresh, that he's a clone or some such thing, but he's taking control of his contacts and businesses from before. You know, before he was sent to prison?" He sipped his wine. "His business tends towards the dark and depraved stuff - drugs, slave trafficking, intimidation rackets. He's even extorting Seyla again."

“Again?” Six wasn’t sure what to make of that and her confusion was clear in her expression. “I see.” The truth was she didn’t know what to believe. Darwin couldn’t be that wrong in his opinion...could he? Once again, Six wished Reva was closer at hand. She cleared her throat and had some more wine. “I don’t really know anything about that part of the station, but I’ve been told it’s not really a place I should be.” She hesitated, then finally nodded. “If you really want to see a movie, I’d like that.”

"I would like to see you. The movie is just an excuse to sit next to you and put an arm around your shoulders," he said before letting his expression and emotions cloud a little. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but catch your thought about Darwin. Don't say where you heard this, but Darwin's not exactly squeaky clean, Six. He's been in bed with Suresh for a while... Um, not literally, but, you know, figuratively."

That's the moment Reva and Marcus chose to come back to the table. Reva was laughing and out of breath; Marcus had his hand low on her waist. "Six, Marcus has...," she caught her friend's dismay and confusion and frowned at Owain. "What's up?"

Owain poured two more glasses of wine. "Just discussing going to a movie."

“Marcus has what?” Six asked. Her relief at Reva’s reappearance washed through her and she managed a smile.

"Oh, some really great dance moves," Reva finished. She and Marcus had pulled up chairs to join the two and now Reva claimed one of the wine glasses. "As one of Seyla's guys, he'll be popular," she grinned at him and nudged his shoulder with hers.

“Thank you for the vote of confidence.” Marcus beamed at Reva. “I’ll be sure to pass along your praise.” He looked from Six to Owain and wished, just for a second, that he was a telepath. Something was up with those two he was sure. He glanced to Reva, then leaned over to whisper in her ear.

Reva laughed, blushing, and said, "Yes, you've had a couple of confidence-boosting days, haven't you?" She spied the slip of paper Six had set aside earlier and grabbed it before Six could stop her. Once she read it, she beamed at Six, grabbed her arm and said, "Come on, trip to the ladies' room. Guys, excuse us a minute." She hauled Six away from the table. Her destination wasn't the ladies' room, though. It was the bar.