Seyla Gets Serious

Posted on Thu May 19th, 2016 @ 11:43am by Suresh & Seyla

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Seyla's Quarters

* Seyla’s Quarters *

197... 198... 199... 200... 201..., Seyla counted the tiny lights on her ceiling. She knew there were 297, a number that vaguely bothered her for its oddness, but at least she also knew that this particular client never got close to 251, let alone 297. She wasn’t wrong this time as he suddenly groaned and stopped his thrusting. Seyla moaned along with him. “Oh, it’s always such a pleasure with you,” she purred and was glad when he finally sighed and rolled off of her.

“I know... you’re wonderful, Sey,” he breathed. She went back to counting the lights and reached 164 before her client finally sighed again and sat up. “I’d best be getting back. Same time next week?”

“Oh, yes, of course,” she tried to be enthusiastic; only her pheromones kept him from noticing. “I have you on the calendar.” She stood and gathered a robe around herself; it was more for warmth than modesty: it was as sheer as gossamer. “Dress and I’ll see you in the other room,” she said, leaving him alone in her bedroom. She went straight to her bar and poured herself an Orion whisky.

Just as she was ready to settle on the couch, her door chime sounded. “Crap,” she muttered under her breath, glancing at the bedroom door then answering the front door. “What... Ugh. Surie. What the hell do you want?”

“We need to talk.” His serious tone left no doubt that he meant business. “We have a bigger problem than we thought.”

“Are you measuring with a man’s measuring stick or a woman’s?” She turned and walked to her couch, putting her drink down. Glancing at her bedroom door, she wondered which of them would finish first: Suresh and his news or her client and his dressing habits. She hoped Suresh would.

“By the someone is dead measure.” Suresh crossed to the bar and poured an Orion whiskey for himself. “Who’s in there?”

“No one you need to worry about,” she told him. He voice held the same tone of disinterest as she said, “A dead measure? That’s more valid than a man’s measurement. Who’s dead?”

“A bartender at Marsey’s.” He sat down by her and took a drink of the whiskey. “And Dae’s being framed for it. He was watching Marla and saw someone following her. Farco said he was shot and woke up in a hotel in bed with the bartender, who was dead. The police apparently were tipped off and were already arriving.”

“A bartender?” She shook her head. “What of her family?” She’d ask about Dae in a moment. She had her priorities.

Suresh shook his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t been down there yet. I sent Ed to sniff around and see what she could find and keep an eye on Marla. She’s correct. Marla’s digging has stirred up someone and it’s gotten dangerous for her and anyone else involved. That could include you, Sey.”

“Oh please,” she said, unconcerned, “As if anyone would take a swipe at either one of us on the Station. It was good of Edana to go down to Archadia with Marla... isn’t she tending to Darwin’s garden lately?”

Suresh cleared his throat and drained his glass. “Yeah, when he’s not with…..never mind.” He rose and for a moment felt a trifle unsteady. He regained his balance and crossed to the bar. Instead of refilling his glass, he brought the bottle back.

“Not with whom?”, she asked. Her bedroom door opened and she closed her eyes in a brief moment of frustration. “Excuse me,” she said to Suresh. She stood and went to her client, speaking quietly to him as she walked him past Suresh to the door. The man’s hand was on her ass till she pushed him out into the corridor with a quick kiss.

She turned back to Suresh and said, “Don’t tell anyone you saw him here.”

Suresh laughed and shook his head. “Bored, Sey? He’d do it in no time I bet.” He refilled their glasses. “I can’t tell you who.”

Going back to her couch, she passed him and released her pheromones as she momentarily hovered over him. “It’s telling anyone else that concerns me,” she whispered then curled on her couch. “He pays a kingly sum for a weekly hit of pheromones. You should have seen what he was willing to pay for an evening with Reva. So, we have a dead bartender and Dae is in jail for her murder. I’ll assume he didn’t actually do it, since he seems to like Marla so much.”

“Of course he didn’t. He’s not that stupid, Sey.” He looked her up and down, taking in all the green skin revealed by the sheer robe. He breathed in, for the moment enjoying the pheromone scent. “Farco says that Marla has moved back in with him.”

“Oh, that’s very good. That was the original intent behind sending him with her.” She smiled. “Now we just need to have Dae released. Do you have someone working on that yet?”

“JAG and Security have already been there to deal with the official channels. I have a friend in the palace that I’ll be seeing when I leave here to work it from that side.” He reached out to touch her cheek. “We gotta find out who is behind this.”

“I agree.” Seyla smiled at him and moved closer to him. “Hopefully the authorities won’t find our hidden passageways, though. They wouldn’t need to know about them, would they?”

Suresh shrugged. “Nothing down there but old furniture at the moment. This is personal Sey, I’d swear it. Someone wants to strike at us, not the business. Who?” He laid his arm along the back of the sofa, then wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

“I would have said Lazan but... isn’t he dead? Maybe someone else is avenging his death?”

“Patch’s brother, Frank, was the one who handled that job. He took Lazan and was to dispose of him, then take a vacation for a month or two,” Suresh answered. His words were slightly slurred. “I haven’t heard from him.”

“Hmm.... Okay, so who else? We know the old you is dead, so you’re off the list. I can’t think of any clients who would be so stupid as to do something like this. An Archadian, perhaps?” She pondered that then admitted, “We did rather con the building and everything else from that woman... what was her name?” She looked at him like he should know. The old Suresh would have known.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I should get hold of Frank and just...make sure, you know?” Suresh tangled his fingers in Seyla’s long red hair. “I’ll put Farco on that job.”

She purred, smiling at him. “And we can have some fun in the meantime.” Laughing lightly, she drew a finger along his throat, down his chest. “I’m sure Six won’t mind a bit,” she added dryly.

The mention of Six set off a shower of fireworks in his addled brain. “Six…” he whispered. “I….I can’t.” It certainly wasn’t because he didn’t want to, though, thanks to the pheromones.

Laughing, she kissed him, long, slow, sensuously. “No, no, you can’t. Poor Suresh, so adoringly monogamous.” She pulled away from him, well aware of the trouble she was causing him. She loved it.

“You’re a witch Seyla,” he said without much rancor. “Though I understand what the former me saw in you. When he was behaving that is.”

“Yes, when he behaved, we were good together in so many ways,” she replied.

“I need to call Farco, have him check on….on...Frank. That’s it.” He wondered if he should call Piper for emergency transport out too. The thought made him laugh a little. “I should go.”

“Let me walk you to the door; it will be easier,” she stood and helped him up. At the doorway, she paused, “We’ll need to settle with the bartender’s family, too, Suresh.”

“Yeah.” He reached out, slipping his arm around seyla, pulling her close. “Have Marla do that once she is found. Tell them we’ll take care of whoever did this.”

“Found? Wait... you didn’t mention Marla was missing!” She pulled back enough to look him in the eye.

“Vanished into thin air in plain sight, basically,” he admitted. “They’re on her trail now but I can’t get Ed to answer, not since she gave me the news.”

“Do we have anyone down there who can help them? Patch? Farco?”

“I can send Eldren. Patch is off the station on a job.” Suresh was trying hard not to notice how good she felt pressed against him. “If they can take out Ed, that’s scary.”

“Well placed taser or hypospray. I’m sure she’s fine. I’m more concerned about Marla. Dae will be angry that she’s not safe,” Seyla said. “Send Eldren, go get him down there and find Marla.”

“He could use a little distraction right now anyway. Consider it done.” Suresh’s fingers found the sash of her robe and loosened it. Somewhere in his brain a warning bell sounded but it didn’t stop him. “If something happens to Edana, Darwin will go ballistic.”

“Perhaps. More likely, he’ll just come back to me,” she purred. She tightened her sash and tsk’d at him, “Now, now, you need to stay celibate for Six.”

“Then stop blasting me with your elixir,” Suresh murmured. “If something happens to Ed, he’ll run right back to Li.” Too late he realized the pheromones had loosened his tongue too much.

“Back to Li?” She looked at him closely. “Darwin and Li are involved? How seriously? She moved on from Sakkath quickly, didn’t she? Oh..., he comforted the grieving widow. He’s rather ...wonderful that way.” She walked back to her couch.

“Forget I said that, Sey,” Suresh ordered. “It’s not common knowledge and Ed’s sensitive about it. Dammit.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Please.”

“Ed should be sensitive about it,” she agreed. “I won’t rub it in with her; I’m not that crass.” Now, holding it over Darwin... or Li... that, she could do.

Suresh’s eyes narrowed. “That’s one you might want to sit on and be careful with, huh?” He decided to leave it at that. ”I need to go find Farco.”

“Yeah, go on, I have to get cleaned up here,” she said, dismissing him.

Suresh shook his head, trying to clear it, then stepped through the doors.

****************
Seyla
Suresh
Something In The Air….