II.
"What?"
Teni floated out of her quarters and wrapped her cloak around herself, the frayed hood covered a satisfied smile. She could not remember the last time she had slept so well. Her stomach was full, her body was clean, and she was comfortably draped in a newly replicated dress that extended well past her knees. She had even gone a step further and indulged in a pair of opaque black stockings. She could not remember the last time she had felt so good.
She patted the heavy little purse tucked deep in her pocket and grinned.
It may have been foolish to splurge the precious money on the dress and stockings, and certainly on the extra-long use of the sonic shower, but she had been unable to resist. She never had more than a few slips of latinum to her name at any given time, and so was always being forced to choose between food and hygiene. More often than not she chose hygiene, for she could not bear to have others look on her in disgust, and hunger was easier to hide. But last night she had finally been able to have both, and even now her stomach was still slightly uncomfortable from the embarrassing amount of bread and Bajoran cheese she had consumed. And the cost had put hardly a dent in her newfound fortune. There was plenty of latinum to spare!
Don't waste it on creature comforts, Teni. You need to save it.
Allowing herself to become too excited was dangerous, she knew, for although it was a fine amount of money, it would not last forever. In fact, if the rents went up, she might manage to spread it out over a few months to make up the difference. But, what would she do after that? She still couldn't leave. The cost of a transport to Bajor amounted to nearly a month's wages, and even with this extra help she was still far away from what she would need.
Stop it! Teni shook the thoughts aside and refused to be anything but happy today. Just one day of being happy and pretending that she had no problems; was that so terrible? She moved swiftly through the promenade on her way to Storlot's, thinking pleasantly of how she would thank the human for his generosity. Maybe now she would finally learn his name and a little bit of his story. He was very quiet and even standoffish, but no one who would just give away so much money could be unkind. He was probably just suspicious. Everyone on the station was suspicious.
What is a lone human doing all the way out here?
She giggled at the very thought of seeing him again.
It was quite early, and there were as yet few customers in the bar. Min was already there, since it was her day to open, and Teni joined her behind the replicator station where she was stacking plates.
"Good morning, Min." Teni said with a broad smile.
Min looked up. Her face was drawn and a little pale. "You're in a very good mood today. Did the brothel blow up?"
Teni giggled at that possibility, but shook her head, "Not today, sadly, but I did have a comfortable evening. How has it been this morning?"
"Good, good." Min nodded. "I think we—whoa! Where did you get that?"
Teni had removed her cloak, thus revealing her new clothes. She wore a purple, long sleeve dress with a moderate round neckline and full skirt. The hem stopped a few inches past her knees, where her legs were bound in smooth black stockings. The dress still hugged her beautiful form, but was miles away from the hideous immodesty of her normal clothes.
Teni blushed, "I replicated this last night. Do you like it?"
"Well, yeah, but…." Min frowned, "Where did you get the money?"
Teni blushed suddenly. She had been so thrilled with her sudden riches that she had not even mentioned them to Min. She had paid for the broken glasses, insisting that Min not share in that, but she still felt bad. Even now, the sudden prospect of sharing left her feeling a bit ill.
"Well…one of the customers gave me some money. The human, actually."
"Oh. You mean, like a tip?" Min murmured. She frowned involuntarily, for Teni and her had agreed to split their tips the night before.
"No, not exactly." Teni found herself shifting her weight uncomfortably. She began to feel really bad, and cursed herself for being so selfish. Min was in the same situation as her. She really should share….
"It was more like a…gift. But, we should share it! If it came from a customer, it's just the same as a tip. I guess."
She fished into her dress pocket and removed the precious heavy purse, resenting the idea that half of it was about to disappear. She poured the purse out into her palm. A clatter of strips and slips, the change from her nights purchases, piled into her hand.
Min's eyes widened, "A customer gave you this much money?"
Teni nodded, "The human. He said something earlier about not caring if the docking fees go up, so he must have lots of money. It's probably nothing to him."
"I can't imagine that much money being nothing to anyone." Min said. She eyed the money for a few seconds then looked up at Teni with a stern expression, "You should give it back."
"What? Why?" Teni closed her fist around the latinum and pulled it against her stomach.
"Teni, no one just gives money away around here. Think about it."
"But he did just 'give it away'. He told me he wanted me to have it."
Min shook her head, "He'll probably be expecting a thank you today when he comes in."
Teni shrugged, "So? I'm not above saying thank you for something. It's the least I could do."
Min lowered her head and shook it sadly, "That's fine, but then he'll probably be expecting you to thank him again. Later. Maybe aboard his ship."
Teni stared at Min for a few seconds until her meaning finally sank in, "No. That is not what is going on here. He isn't like that."
"How do you know? You don't even know his name. Just because he doesn't ogle you and make lewd comments doesn't mean he's any better than the other men around here. It just means he's better at keeping it to himself."
Teni could feel her face beginning to grow hot. She had been so happy a few minutes ago. "I'm telling you, it wasn't like that. He scared off that bastard Mull. He was just trying to help me."
"He was just trying to claim you, Teni. Think about it. The first time he bothers to engage you is when some customer puts his hands on you? He was jealous, territorial." Min made a sour face and looked at Teni's clenched fist.
Teni was beginning to feel pressure behind her eyes. She didn't know if she was beginning to believe Min or if she was just growing angry at her insistence. "But…he doesn't go to that shop. I've never seen him walk in that direction, so he must not be like that."
Min shook her head, this time with a kind of confident finality, "That only means he has higher standards, Teni, and clearly he's willing to pay for them. It doesn't make him any better, though. Besides, you don't even know where his money comes from. What does he do for a living that has made him so rich?" With that, Min collected a few items from the replicator and scuttled off across the bar.
Teni leaned against the counter with her hand pressed firmly into her stomach. She looked down as she opened her fist and let her eyes roll over the glistening gold. The harpy's words came ringing in her ears; You make in a week what I make in a few hours. The latinum in her hand was just about what Teni would make in a week, tips included. A jaded, suspicious part of her mind began wondering just how many hours the human might be expecting...
She tried her best to forget the entire situation as she went about her work that morning, moving faster than usual and receiving slightly better tips for her diligence. Her newfound energy was no doubt partially a result of the good meal and excellent sleep she had enjoyed the night before, and the knowledge only added to her growing sense of hurt. By the time the afternoon rolled around, Teni's own thoughts and Min's confirming glances had completely convinced her. She had been bought. The human had purchased her like some engine part, and she hadn't even realized it.
Bastard…. I'll show him! She rubbed at her eyes when no one was looking and waited for the usual hour when he would arrive. With each passing moment her hurt only increased. She knew she had no cause to be hurt, for he was not her friend and she had no reason to expect any kind of decent behavior from him. But she had thought he was decent. In a way, he was betraying her imagination; her silly, childish imagination. She soon became distracted with thoughts of what she would say to him and how he might react. Nothing she came up with sounded harsh enough or eloquent enough, and so she rehearsed over and over, silently.
He appeared after the mid day rush, as expected, and walked directly to the single tables at the back. This time, Teni watched his confident casualness not with awe but with a seething disgust. He must think very highly of himself. Cocky bastard!
He sat and immediately began looking over his data-pad. Teni waited until all of her other tables had been served and there was a reliable lull before she headed in his direction. She was breathing heavily and muttering her words to herself. Confrontation was not Teni's forte, but she had to do this. She wasn't going to yell or make a big scene, but she would get her point across.
She stopped at the edge of his table and dropped her little fabric purse in front of him with a thud, "How dare you?"
The human looked up slowly, his blank expression twisting into one of mild surprise, "What?"
"You heard me." She hissed, "How dare you think you can just…just…buy me. I don't want your money."
His light blue eyes widened in a flash, and he shifted them from Teni to the purse and back again, "You think I am trying to buy you?"
She scoffed and gripped the edge of her tray tightly, "Don't act innocent. I know how things work around here. Everyone expects something. You—You're just like the rest! I don't care if you are human!"
He lowered his data-pad now, which he had been holding all the while, and turned his body in her direction. His expression had changed again, and now looked…disappointed? His voice was low, "I told you that you were not merchandise."
"You're a liar. Why else would you give me so much money?"
"Teni, listen—."
"You don't even know me!"
"Would you be quiet—?"
"I already spent some of it before I realized what you were up to, but I'll replace it in a few days." Her voice was cracking now, growing anxious.
"Teni—."
"—and I'm not going to serve you anymore either—."
"Teni!" He stood up swiftly and faced her, his nose mere inches from hers. "Listen to me. I did not give you that money to buy you. I gave it to you so that you would not have to sell yourself."
She stood frozen in place, trying to make sense of his words. "You…what?"
He stepped back to a more comfortable distance, "I have overheard conversations that you have with the other woman who works here. I know that you can barely afford to live on this station. I know that the people who operate the brothel have been pressuring you into working there because of your looks. I also know that if your expenses increase much more, you will have no choice to but take them up on their offer. I did not want you to have to do that. So I gave you some money. That is all."
Teni continued to stand frozen, trying to process what he had said. Everything he had said about her situation was true, every word. The fact that he knew sent a fresh wave of humiliation down her back. What had she done?
He took another step back and sank into his chair. He turned back toward the table and lowered his head, shaking it slightly.
"I have gone out of my way to avoid interacting with anyone aboard this station." He said quietly, his voice growing harsh, "And you just reaffirmed my confidence in that decision. Thank you." He picked up the little cloth purse and jabbed it in her direction.
Teni took it, not knowing what else to do, and began to shake. My God, what a fool I am. "I…I'm sorry." She gasped, "I thought—."
"—the worst thing you could have possibly thought about me." He finished. "I will not have my usual today, Teni. I don't want anything."
She turned away, feeling utterly numb, and moved through the bar. When she was about half way to the kitchen she broke into a run and flew through the door. She collapsed into a fit of tears as soon as she was out of sight.