What Now?

Posted on Tue Nov 27th, 2012 @ 6:21pm by Seyla & Cadet Senior Grade Eli Ziyad

Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Timeline: Same Night Chance Died

* * * Saturnalia - The Cherry Pit * * *

After Harding delivered the news, Eli’s world had grown dim around him. He knew it was likely more shock, stress, grief... but he felt as if he were swimming through liquid glass. Everything was in slow motion and faded from view almost as quickly as he saw it. Oz and Jackson had both asked if he wanted them to stay but he knew they had pressing things to do. Things that could find whoever killed Chance and that was the most important thing right now. Besides, he wanted some time alone to let his mind wrestle with the truth of his situation and the looming question: what now? He’d never really thought about what life would be like without Chance. They were young and had years ahead of them. Or so he thought.

The current ‘what now’ seemed to be Saturnalia. Somehow he’d ended up here and was a little surprised to see the doors before him. It was as good as anywhere, he supposed, and wandered in. Thanks to Marla and Seyla, the news of Chance’s attack had already spread among the regulars and the staff and the sudden silence as he entered was deafening. He knew they were likely dealing with the same question of what now and what to say to him. He continued moving to an empty table and sat and the buzz of conversation rose again, this time about him most likely.

“Drink Eli?” Regens was still on duty. She took one look at him and shook her head. “I’ll be right back.” She hurried off and returned a few minutes later with two drinks on her tray.

He downed one without a thought and she set the second before him and moved away. Whatever she’d brought him burned its way down but even that was muted. Turning his glass in his hand, he stared down into the depths of the amber liquid.

“Hey, kid,” Seyla greeted him without preamble and took the seat next to Eli. “I’m so sorry to hear what happened. Will he be ...,” she stopped herself, realizing that Eli wouldn’t be here looking the way he did if Chance were going to be okay. “Oh....”

Eli gave a slow nod. “Yeah. Oh.” He took another sip then looked over to the Orion. “Hey, Sey.” The drink was getting low and he gave Regens the usual two-finger signal.

“You wanna talk about it? Or simply sit and drink?” She asked, taking one of his hands in hers. “Or are you more the type to want to bury yourself?”

“Let’s see.” It took him a second or two to mentally gather her questions. “No, yes, and yes.” He finished off the drink and passed it to Regens as she placed two more in front of him and departed. “What’s there to talk about? Someone, for some unknown reason, chose to rip away the best thing in my short, difficult life.”

“Nothing can console you on that count. But I do have a few dark-haired girls who’d be willing to let you bury your troubles in them. They could take your mind off of it for a while,” Seyla offered. Leave it to the woman who dealt in sex all day to turn to that as a way to ease the reality of losing someone.

Eli’s expression was dull as he turned to look at her. “A little disloyal and unfeeling, don’t you think?” He didn’t clarify whether he meant her offer or his giving in to that offer.

“No,” Seyla shook her head. “It’s certainly not unfeeling. Physical pleasure is often the way all sorts of people comfort themselves. You wouldn’t be the first and you wouldn’t be alone. And right now, Eli, I think it’s the part about being alone that you really shouldn’t be.”

“I can’t do that to him,” was his answer. “And I don’t agree. How am I supposed to think this through and get my head together if I avoid being alone to do it? I have to, Sey, or go crazy.”

“I didn’t mean you had to be with someone. I meant that you shouldn’t be left without a shoulder to cry on. I’ll bet you that Zeferino has hauled Jackson into bed for just that,” she smirked, not happily.

“Actually they’re --” He stopped there. It wasn’t his place to give out information that could screw things up when it was overheard. His third glass was emptied and he reached for the fourth. “But thanks anyway.”

“Sure, honey, if you change your mind, I have a cute dark-haired girl in mind for you,” she patted his hand “Don’t be afraid to come knockin’, as Jackson would say.”

“So what should I do now?” His words were a little slurred. He lifted his glass and finished it off and realized, belatedly, that he was really feeling four drinks in quick succession. Then again, when had he last eaten? He couldn’t recall. He didn’t even know what time it was now.

“Let me take you home,” Seyla said. She didn’t mean his home, either. She turned to look around the bar and spotted one of the men she employed. Waving to call him over, she looked at Eli. “No refusals on this one. You can cry and scream and rant all you like. The walls at my place are pretty sound proof, so no one will hear you.”

“Will you be there?” He reached for his empty glass but his coordination was shot and he knocked it over instead.

Her professional goon was standing at the ready at her shoulder. “Does it matter if I am? I’ll bet that in another few minutes, you’ll be out like a light bulb.” She watched him then righted his glass and spoke quietly to her goon, “Make sure he gets to my place. Put him on the couch and let him sleep this off.”

“I’m not ready to go yet.” Anger flared, quick and irrational, at her words. He knew she was right but that didn’t stop the heat pounding in his face. “I lost the the man I love, horribly. I don’t have one fucking clue what I’m going to do now without him. So if I want to crash and burn for a night, then I damn well will.” He held up three fingers to Regens, looked at his hand and with some effort, lowered the third finger.

“Well, you’re doing the burn now. I’m just making sure you have a safe place to crash.” Just why she was making certain of that wasn’t clear to anyone; she had her reasons, though. Most had to do with Eli himself; the others? Jackson Banning played a role in there somewhere.

“Then stay and have one or three with me Sey.” He glanced at the goon and shrugged. “He can too I suppose.”

She nodded at her henchman and he pulled up a chair, turned it around and sat on it with his arms resting on the back. He knew better than to drink now that Seyla had summoned him. As Regens delivered drinks, Seyla portioned out Eli’s two drinks into three glasses (one of which was a glass Eli had already been drinking from). She took one and left the other two to Eli. “Salud, as some humans say.”

“Screw that,” Eli murmured and took a sip. The buzz had gone to a full-blown drunk now, but at least he had a good excuse now for being numb. He moved the glass aside and leaned on the table towards Seyla. “So you plan to take me home and tuck me in...” he downed the drink and leaned back on the table. “If so, maybe you better.....” That’s as far as he got before his head slipped off the hand that propped it up and settled on the table.

Bemused, Seyla looked at the young man and finished his statement for him: “Call Jackson for starters. Tate, he’s all yours; be gentle, he’s not a jon.” As the big man easily picked Eli up and headed for the door, she called after him, “The couch! Not the bed!”

“That poor kid,” Regens commented as she stopped at the table. “Good of you to take care of him Sey.”

“Someone needs to look after the young ones; otherwise we just get more like Suresh.” Seyla finished off her drink and picked up Eli’s as Regens moved on to another table.

****************

Cadet 4th Class Eli Ziyad
Crash & Burn

Seyla
Landing Pad

Regens
Provider Of Rocket Fuel