Through the Grapevine
Posted on Fri Nov 23rd, 2012 @ 7:46pm by Seyla
Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
* * * Saturnalia - The Cherry Pit * * *
Marla entered Saturnalia, tired after a long night. She’d been scheduled straight through tonight and, now, all she wanted was a drink. By some stroke of luck, none of them had been Suresh, for which she was grateful. She slipped into a seat at the one empty table. As she waited, it occurred to her that she hadn’t seen Suresh around and now, something her last client had said nudged her. She frowned in concentration as she let the conversation, such as it was, play through her thoughts. There had been something....
A surprisingly small, lithe, light blue-skinned Bolian server stopped at Marla’s table. Her first task, ostensibly, was to take the whore’s drink order. But what she ended up doing first was leaning in and asking, “Didcha hear? Gossip’s goin’ round, Marty: Suresh ain’t ‘round no more.”
Marla looked up at the waitress, her expression curious. “My last fella said something about Lazan throwing his weight around. You hear what happened?”
“Wit’ Lazy? No, do tell!” the waitress took a seat - it was late and Marla was one of only a few tables the Bolian needed to watch over.
Marla leaned in closer. “The Rat, you know the one I mean? Well Leo, he was my last tonight, said he’d seen The Rat running off from Suresh’s office, muttering about Laz changing his orders around and how the one he handles wasn’t going to be happy. When Leo said it I didn’t pay it any mind but it stuck in my head, you know?”
“I getcha on that,” Regens nodded sagely. “Looks like ol’ Lazan is looking to move up in the absence of that black cat.”
“What black cat?” Behind Regens stood Seyla with a curious look on her face. Sliding into a seat next to Marla, she regarded Regens coolly. “Surely you aren’t referring to Suresh as a ‘cat’?”
The Bolian quickly stood and hedged, “Ah, well, when he had his long hair... we all wanted to pet it, like we would a cat. Lemme get youz’gal’s drinks. The usual?” When both nodded, she hurried off.
Marla turned to Seyla as they were left alone. “So where’d he go? I noticed my life has been much more pleasant lately.”
“That, I don’t know, Marla,” Seyla frowned and glanced away, pretending that a bar patron on the far side of the room had caught her attention. “I’ve heard very limited information.” And right then, she realized that a trip to see Darwin would probably be a very good idea. “Any idea what overheated Lazan?”
Marla shrugged. “Leo didn’t say. But knowing who The Rat oversees, I think we can use our imaginations. Something tells me there’s trouble in paradise.” Marla smiled as their drinks were left and Regens hurried off. She studied Seyla a few moments. “Still sweet on him are you?”
“The Rat?” Seyla shuddered, intentionally misinterpreting the question. “I should have your mouth washed out with soap for that question. Did you pick up any other news this evening?” Men, they could be so forthcoming with tiny tidbits of information when their pants were around their ankles.
“I meant Suresh.” A smile touched Marla’s face. “I did hear that --” She was cut off by the arrival of several civilians who settled in at the next table. They seemed awfully wound up and were talking a mile a minute.
“Can you believe it?”
“I was coming out of the breakroom and security was still there --”
“It was horrible! There was blood all over that office. How Banning will get that place clean again....”
“And poor Eli! What will he do without Chance?”
Marla sat with her mouth hanging open, her gaze locked on Seyla.
Eli? Seyla blinked. She turned in her seat towards the other civilians and asked, “What happened with Eli and Chance?”
One of them looked her over and said, “Chance was attacked in Banning’s office, s’all we really know.”
Another elbowed the speaker and shook her head. “Wasn’t just attacked - he was killed.”
A third scoffed and protested, “No, not killed! C’mon, you’re just being sensationalist! He was attacked. I saw the scene - the place is a wreck, he must have been tossed around and fought back. He’ll be just fine, though. Tough guy.”
The news rocked Seyla. She knew Eli and Chance; had laughed with them over drinks in this very bar. Who would attack a kid like that? And why? Still just blinking, she shook her head, not sure what to make of it.
“Who’d go after a sweet kid like that?” Marla asked, echoing Seyla’s thought. She was having trouble processing the information. “Any other details?”
“Just that it was bloody and that Eli’s the one that found him, out cold, and called for medical.”
“Oh that poor kid. Seyla...you’re close to him, you think they’ll let you see him?” Marla was simply aghast at the news. The horror of walking in to find your lover beaten and bloody was just more than she wanted to think about.
“I can’t imagine why they would let me see him, Marla,” Seyla responded. “He’s right,” she nodded at the third speaker, “Chance will be fine and Zeferino will find who attacked him. In another week, we’ll have forgotten about it.”
“I sure hope so. Gods.” Marla shivered and reached for her drink. She downed it in one go. “And they think it’s dangerous down here. Huh.”
“Not kidding there,” Seyla muttered and downed her drink in one swallow. Suresh was ...where the hell was Suresh? Frowning, she resolved that tonight... no, tomorrow, she’d see Darwin and get some answers.
“Maybe with things so crazy, we outta rope in some of the boys to see us home when we’re out late,” Marla commented. “You’re awful close to Suresh, if the balance is shifting....we don’t want anything happening to you.”
Seyla nearly laughed: balance? What balance? She would kick Suresh’s ass if he had anything at all to do with this. Poking at the Chief of Security was a stupid idea when that Chief’s response was to increase Security patrols in your business’ area of the Station. For her, it hurt business. Prostitution was legal, but most of the jons didn’t want official folks, like Security, to know that they were paying for a willing ear and a willing... whatever body part they preferred.
But then, what if that was Suresh’s goal? To have Security so bound up in patrolling the civilian areas that there were holes left in strategic areas of the Station? Areas that would be vulnerable to attacks from someone or somewhere else? What areas would those be and why would Suresh attempt to stir the pot to leave them less secure? Seyla regarded the empty bottom of her glass till a replacement was brought.
Nudged by Marla, she looked up at the woman and nodded. “I’ll see to it that you girls have some extra protection.”
“Thanks. Hey, you okay Sey? You don’t look so good all of a sudden.” Marla sipped her new drink, but her eyes were on Seyla.
“Yeah, it’s just... I know Eli and Chance. I’m shocked is all.” Seyla answered. She tried for a small smile. “You were about to tell me what else you heard this evening?”
“I heard Security was searching his quarters too. Suresh’s I mean. Did you know he had a woman in there?”
Nodding, Seyla laughed, “He called her ‘Jade’. Think that might be a homage to his favorite woman?”
“Well, we all know you’re where he comes home to. That Isha fixation aside, and I still don’t know what that was about. She sure left him wound up though, he was always way too rough when he couldn’t take it anymore.” Marla shrugged. “Fucker couldn’t even remember my name.”
Sey smirked. “That’s because you don’t have red hair and green skin, Marla.” Amused, she looked the woman over and sat back.
“True enough. More power to you honey, enough to keep the regenerator charged.” Marla frowned now. “What about Darwin, Sey? You know the cat won’t put up with that once he’s back home.”
“He and I already discussed that, actually,” she turned her drink in circles. “I’ll still need the information Darwin has, though, so we’ll have to take stock, see who in the stables could take Darwin on. He’s a nice guy,” she added, surprising herself with a jolt of jealousy - jealousy aimed at whomever took him on next. “Nicely built, too.”
“He seems like a smart guy, which means Bella’s too stupid,” was Marla’s blunt assessment.
“He is smart. Sometimes too smart. Bella’s off the table. And I think he likes variety, so no humans; that takes Andy and Regina off the list. He’s fairly much all male, so none of the boys will do,” Seyla kept mentally assessing the girls on her staff. “Then again, maybe it’d just be best for me to keep seeing him, just a bit more discreetly than in the past.”
“Well your secret’s safe with me. One more before we go? It’s on me, Leo was generous tonight.” Marla waved to Regens, then held up two fingers.
“Just remember the 65 percent that goes to the house,” Seyla warned and smiled as Regens delivered the last round.
******************
Marla
Not The Stupid One
Seyla
Stunned but Not Stupid
