Mixing With The Locals

Posted on Sat Mar 30th, 2013 @ 2:23pm by Jackson Banning V & Seyla & Marla
Edited on on Sat Mar 30th, 2013 @ 2:26pm

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Saturnalia, The Cherry Pit
Timeline: Several Hours After 'Where Do We Go From Here?'

* * * Saturnalia - The Cherry Pit * * *

Saturnalia was busy as always and the waitresses were moving around the club at a brisk pace. Seyla's girls were also booked solid tonight, though Marla's next appointment hadn't shown. She was amused, as she hadn't expected them too. Some ensign with a few hours leave before shipping out. So now, she entered Saturnalia and strolled through, greeting the regulars, and stopping at the bar. He passed her a drink and a small box and she turned to survey the bar's activity.

While Marla was distracted by people-watching, Seyla slid into the seat next to the woman. "Admin will pull payment from the Ensign's account for failure to show," she said. "Is this a gift from him?" The Orion put a finger on the box.

Marla shook her head. "No, this one's barely out of the Academy I think and looking for a rite of passage and too afraid to face an actual prostitute. His type doesn't send presents, but he will make up some great stories for his crew mates I bet." Marla smiled a moment. "This present is for you."

Seyla glanced at Marla and quickly realized the present wasn't from her. Taking the box, she looked for a card; not finding one, she undid the fancy ribbon and opened the box. "Oh my," she pulled out a bracelet heavily laden with glittering beads. Six of the beads had gems on them and as she touched one, it changed colors.

Marla's eyes widened at the gift. "Those are from Risa. They change color with your emotions, Sey. Someone sure thinks a lot of you." Marla's tone was awed. "And no name. Interesting." Movement over by the door caught her eye and she glanced over, watching a man who'd just entered.

The Orion's first thought would be that the gems would be from Suresh. But Suresh wasn't around to have sent the gift. Lazan? She needed to talk with him; perhaps he'd sent it for Suresh. These were like the flowers: beautiful and a complete mystery as to whom had sent them. Slipping the bracelet onto her left wrist, she noticed Marla's attention on a man and took a look at him. "Eyes elsewhere, Mar, it's just Jackson."

“Just Jackson?” That got a laugh from Marla. “Admit it, he’s tweaked your antennae ever since you met him. Pity he’s off limits now.” Though if Marla were honest, her thoughts were lingering elsewhere, despite how handsome she thought Jackson to be.

"Eh. Not worth our time, considering the headache we'd get from his keeper," Seyla mumbled to Marla, smiling. She looked up to see the man coming closer.

Jackson reached the table and smiled as he looked down at them. “Evenin’ ladies.” His gaze swept over the bracelet that Seyla held. “Lovely piece, Sey.”

Holding it out to catch the light, Seyla grinned, “It is, isn’t it? I wager that Oralia would like one of her own, Jack.”

“Risan. Interestin’, that piece is a long way from home, and brought by someone with some means. Those jewels are expensive. Appreciative customer?”Jackson lifted a drink from a passing tray and sat down at the table with them.

“I don’t know, Jack. Are you?” She purred and leaned in a touch, letting her pheromones drift on the air currents.

He leaned back a little. “Careful, Seyla, last time you did that, The Wormhole erupted in a fight and you broke my nose.”

Laughing, she shook her head. “I didn’t break your nose! Rio did! He was the one with the tray as I recall. Come now, Jack, surely Oralia wouldn’t mind having you a little more ...worked up than normal?” She slid closer to him and lightly brushed a finger along his cheek.

“Liar.” He took hold of her hand and moved it away. “Yer outta luck honey. I haven’t seen you around much of late, where ya been? I did notice you Marla, just last night. Glad to see you enjoyed yer evenin’.” He grinned at her.

Casting a watchful eye towards Marla, Seyla pursed her lips and evaded Jackson’s answer. “I’ve been around, Jack. Possibly you’ve had your hands full with other concerns, such as your ward and his dead little friend. Too full to notice me, I’m sure.”

“Chance is back, as you know. Eli said he’d given you the news.” He shook his head a moment. “An’ thank god for that. He’s too young to have to go through all that, and Chance is too young to get caught up in whatever this was. Be careful, Sey, be a shame for you to get caught up in it too.”

“Wasn’t it an attack on you, Jackson?” Marla, who’d grinned like a girl with a secret when he’d mentioned seeing her at the Nexus, gave him a furrowed-brow frown.

“We thought so at first but a later discovery proved that Chance was, in fact, the real target.” He turned his attention to Marla now. “So how was your date?”

Mimicking Seyla, Marla batted her eyelashes at him and slowly drawled, “Oh, honey, you know I don’t give out information like that. All I can tell you is that he was a perfect gentleman in public.”

Seyla did her best to hide the roll of her eyes.

“He was?” Jackson laughed and reached for his drink. “Likely the only time he has ever been a gentleman. So, Sey, how about it? What can you tell me? I don’t want to have Eli an’ Chance goin’ through life expectin’ someone to jump out and attack them again. And by the way, the Hazari’s dead. The weapon’s gone, anyhow, who’s behind him?”

She stared at him for a long moment. “The Hazari? Is dead? He’s the one that killed Chance? Why would I know anything about who was behind him?”

Jackson leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Because, Sey, we both know that not much happens on this station that you don’t know about.”

“Right, sure,” she shot back, sarcastically. “Then how come I don’t know about the Hazari bein’ dead? Who killed him? How? And when?”

“Killed tryin’ to escape after he somehow got outta the brig, then came an’ tried to kidnap Eli. He apparently had bigger balls than brains.”

“Looks like your one true love needs to tighten up her security,” Seyla said derisively. “Letting a guy like that escape? Can’t be good for business.”

Jackson shrugged. “Look Sey, we both know that your little snuggle bunny has his fingers in everything on this station. The problem is, now he’s locked up tight and given what he’s done, likely lookin’ at a change of location before long. Whatever will you do?”

"Keep on doing what I've been doing: surviving just fine without him." Seyla smiled at Jackson, but she still wasn't giving up certain information he'd asked for.

“Yeah, I suppose you will.” He downed his drink before he continued. “To be honest, Sey, and not that you an’ I are best friends or anything like that, but I think you’ll be better off with ‘im gone. Might be the thing that keeps ya outta the brig yerself.”

"Nothing in my business is illegal," she reminded him, "and it would have remained that way even with Suresh here."

Jackson nodded. “Just consider it a friendly warnin’, that’s all. We go back a long way, Sey, and it’s been an interestin’ trip. I’d hate to see you fall on hard times.”

That comment caused Marla's brow to lift slightly. Seyla on hard times? She couldn't see that, not when an unknown suitor was sending her gifts like the gems on her wrist. "I think hard times is what Seyla and I encounter with nearly every client," she joked.

A laugh escaped Jackson. “I’ll just bet ya do, sugar.” He rose and rested his hand on Seyla’s shoulder a moment. “If things get rough, call me.”

Covering his hand with hers, Seyla nodded, “Thank you, Jack, for the offer.”

“Anytime.” He looked to Marla, wondering for a moment as he recalled her with Dae the previous evening. He was curious but she wasn’t the one he wanted to question. “Take it easy ladies.” He turned and departed their table, moving on up to the bar.

**************
Seyla
Baiting Jackson

Marla
Not The Only One With A Secret

Jackson Banning V
Owner & Slumming For The Night
The Nexus Club