SIX

Tenterhooks On The Block

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Aeryn sat slowly, nudging her plaited hair over her shoulder and clearing her throat. She looked across the large table at the Hynerian, similarly settling himself.

"Right," John announced, clapping his hands together and then regretting it as his head protested with aches. "Right," he repeated, much more quietly. "Are we ready to start?"

"Just let's be clear about one thing," Rygel said grumpily. "Winner walks away and there's no rematch."

"Fine," Aeryn snapped.

"Fine," Rygel nodded. "Then let's start. I want to get this over with so I can finally eat again."

The door swept open and Zhaan entered, closely followed by D'Argo and a giggling Chiana.

"Hey, Pantless," she called at John. "You really think Aeryn's going to win?"

"I do," he managed, ignoring the fact that he was still standing in Peacekeeper boots, white shorts and a black t-shirt, in light of the fact that either nothing else fitted him on the ship, or it simply could not be found with the headache he had impeding his patience. He folded his arms slowly.

"Well I'm sorry, but I think Rygel's going to take all of her stuff, too," Chiana grinned.

"Care to make a wager on that?" D'Argo challenged.

Chiana looked over at him, looking him up and down and grinning at his lack of attire. As it was, he was standing in bare feet and a large, shiny medical blanket was wrapped around him as if he were cold.

"Sure! How much you got?" Chiana chuckled. "Oh that's right - nothing!"

D'Argo straightened his back, walking to the end of the large table and sitting slowly. "I believe Aeryn will win everything back. I will bet all the currency in that pouch to that effect."

"And if you win? What do you want?" she asked innocently.

"You have to quit rubbing people and let them sleep," John put in, and everyone in the room turned to look at him. "And… she pays for the next load of crackers."

There were nods all round and then all attention went back to the table.

"Cards," Aeryn ordered.

Rygel put his hand inside his jacket, pulling out the set of circular playing cards.

"I'll check those," Zhaan said quickly, walking over and taking them from him. She fanned them out, ignoring his protestations as she counted them. "There are three missing," she stated flatly, before turning to look at him. "Find them."

"This is an old pack," he reasoned. "I have no idea where--"

"Find them!" the entire room chorused.

"Fine," he groused. "The only reason we're here is because you two frellniks couldn't hold your drink in the first place."

"The drink that I made myself and gave you for free," John observed.

"Don't remind us," D'Argo moaned, and John looked at his feet.

Rygel rummaged around and then pulled out two cards. "Ah, here we are," he announced.

"Three," Zhaan intoned.

"Or would you like me to pick you up by your feet and shake you until the other card drops out?" Aeryn said firmly.

Rygel looked at her, then gulped and quickly began patting down his other pockets. "Oh - no - it's ok, I've found it," he said weakly, smiling the wan smile of the timid as he let it drop into Zhaan's waiting hands.

"Finally," Zhaan sighed. She shuffled the cards and flicked and pushed, mixing them so deftly and so quickly that the others just stared. She looked up at the silence. "As you know, I wasn't always a Pa'u," she allowed with a smile.

John was grinning as Zhaan moved to a neutral distance to both players.

"Now listen to me, Rygel," she said harshly. "I will deal all hands and I will check for signs of cheating. You will not take advantage of anyone here today."

"That's what you think," he grumbled.

Zhaan simply took a calming breath and turned to Aeryn. "Are you ready to begin?"

"I am. Thank you, Zhaan," she said warmly. Zhaan smiled, looking at the round cards in her hands.

She leaned forward and dealt three cards to each player, standing back once finished. Chiana shuffled until she was behind Rygel, putting her hands on her knees to bend over and look at his cards over his shoulder.

D'Argo took up a defensive position behind Zhaan, closest to Rygel, ready to reach out with either hand or tongue.

John floated back and to the side until he was behind Aeryn's left shoulder, watching avidly as she picked up the cards. She scanned them quickly and neither Sebacean nor human let their faces give anything away as she let them back to the surface of the table.

Chiana and Rygel giggled between them before Rygel looked at Zhaan.

"I'd like to buy another card, please," he oiled.

Zhaan accepted the bauble he rolled her way and flicked another card at him. It skimmed across the table, stopping just short. He had to lean over to reach it. He picked it up and a small shadow passed over his sudden frown.

Zhaan looked to Aeryn. "And you?"

"I would like…" She lifted her cards again to peek at them. "To buy his card."

"Rygel, do you accept or counter offer?" Zhaan asked calmly.

"I… counter offer," he announced. He produced another shiny bauble.

"And I blow your little counter offer out of the waffle," Aeryn stated, lifting her pulse pistol from the holster on her leg.

John bent down, arms still folded, until his face was very close to her left ear. "Water," he corrected.

"Sshh," she hissed, placing her gun on the table.

"Fine. Buy it," Rygel grumped. He flicked it over at Aeryn and she passed the gun to John. He carried it over and placed it in front of the Hynerian.

"Just so you know," Aeryn said coldly, "I will be getting that back."

"You'd like to think so, wouldn't you," Rygel glared. Aeryn just smiled slightly, but the ice in her eyes made the Hynerian look away quickly.

"Zhaan," Aeryn said calmly, picking up the card and looking at it quickly.

"Yes?"

"I'd like to buy another card, please."

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John paced backwards and forwards behind Aeryn, his boots making soft boom boom boom boom noises that irritated the Sebacean.

"Crichton," she snapped. "Come here!"

"What is it?"

"I need your help with something."

He was already walking up behind her, stopping next to her with his arms tightly folded to avoid biting his fingers from stress. Aeryn put her hand down and flicked painfully at his exposed kneecap.

"Ow!"

"Stop. Pacing." She turned and looked over her shoulder at him, glaring balefully. "You are distracting me."

He put both hands up in surrender and backed away quickly, innocence written on his face. Aeryn looked over at Rygel.

Chiana was wiping his forehead with some kind of cloth, whispering into his ear. Rygel was grinning, until he caught a look from D'Argo that made him swallow and wave the Nebari away from him.

"Right," he said clearly. "We've been here three arns without a break. I say we get some food."

"No. We stay and finish this," Aeryn asserted.

John walked up and put his left hand on the table next to her, leaning his mouth down to her ear. He whispered something and Aeryn's face relaxed slightly.

"Ok," she allowed. "We eat first, and then you lose everything you have."

Rygel simply rumbled with mistrust, looking at Zhaan. "You'll protect our cards?" he asked.

"I will," she nodded. "No-one will see anyone's cards while you are gone."

Rygel nodded, placing the cards on the table and groaning. He lifted his hand to the control stick of his chair and floated upwards, curling a finger at Chiana to follow him. D'Argo got up, following with a dark look on his face.

As soon as Rygel was out of the room, Aeryn turned in her seat to look at John. "Are you sure he's going to be easier to beat once he's eaten?" she hissed.

"Aeryn, you know him as well as I do. He'll be in there for an arn, stuffing his face, and when he comes back he'll be happier and less ansy. Makes sense."

"Nothing Rygel does makes sense," she protested, but she did lean back in the chair and let out a long huff. "I'm not sure I can do this," she added quietly.

John watched her close her eyes and let her head fall over the high backrest of the chair. She put a hand up to squeeze at her neck, her eyes still closed, and he made himself look away to Zhaan.

She smiled serenely, reached out, and collected the cards back in. She slipped both players' hands inside the long arms of her robes and inclined her head to the human, turning and sweeping out of the room.

John turned and leaned back on the edge of the table, his hands either side of him.

"Hey," he said quietly.

Aeryn opened her eyes, finding his face.

"You're actually doing really well," he said, with amusement in his eyes.

"You sound surprised."

"Well… D'Argo and I kind of got stripped in under two arns," he shrugged. "You've already got half of D'Argo's kit back and my pants. I'm impressed."

"Really?" she asked, caught off guard by the appreciation in someone else's voice for something she had done that hadn't involved shooting or hitting someone.

"Yeah, really," he nodded earnestly.

"You're just saying that," she said deliberately.

"Nah, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. You're just saying that because you're scared I'm going to lose it in the next half and you'll have to walk around without pants until we find a commerce planet to get some new ones," she smiled sweetly.

"Damn, you got me," he teased, looking at his boots for a moment. She sat up, putting her hand out on his, on the edge of the table.

"If you want me to quit while I'm ahead, just say so," she said quietly.

John opened his mouth, then apparently thought better of it and gave up. He pushed himself off the table and began to walk away.

"Well, I'm just - ah - going to get something to - um - eat," he said, not looking at her. "You want anything?"

"Some of that moon's shine would probably help," she called after him, confused over his behaviour.

"Comin' right up," he called without looking back.

She watched him leave, then sat back in the chair.

"I didn't say you walking around without pants would be a bad thing," she mused to herself. Then she sighed and stood up slowly, stretching out tired muscles.

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"Right. Let's finish this," Rygel grumped, still wiping crumbs from his front. Chiana began to help him dust them off until he looked at her. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you…"

"What?" she asked innocently, halting her hand and backing up a step.

The Hynerian waved her closer again. "Just why are you on my side here, hmm?" he oiled. "Helping me, or simply spying for the other side?"

The Nebari's face took on a look of astonished outrage than Rygel completely failed to swallow. "I've seen you play, and she used to be a Peacekeeper. What odds would you give?"

Rygel's smile rippled outwards, stretching his face into something that reminded John of a banana boat on the beach in Florida once. D'Argo, from behind Zhaan, simply watched.

Aeryn sat in her chair slowly, casting a slightly vulnerable look at John before turning her attention on the little Hynerian.

"Come on then," she ordered.

Zhaan produced the protected hands, sliding them back to their owners. Each of them picked up their cards and studied them.

"Rygel. I believe it was your play," Zhaan announced.

"Yes. I would like to sell you a card, Zhaan."

"How much do you want for it?"

Rygel considered his hand, watched avidly by Aeryn and John. Aeryn watched him remove the card furthest left, turning it face down on the table and looking at Zhaan.

"Two gems," he said tonelessly.

"I must see the card," she stated, reaching out for it.

"Wait," Aeryn said quickly. "I want to buy it."

Zhaan paused. She looked at Rygel.

"Still two gems?" she asked.

"For that Peacekeeper bitch? Four," he smiled.

Aeryn's lip curled but John put his hand round her and slapped her cards and, by extension, hands, flat against the table. His lips very nearly touched her left ear.

"He's trying to piss you off," he whispered.

"I know!" Aeryn snapped.

"So don't let him." The human paused, summoning courage to continue. "Patience. With patience comes the kicking of the ass we talked about."

She blew out a sigh and John backed up one, folding his arms and fixing Rygel with a definitely less than friendly gaze.

Aeryn tipped a finger up at John and he bent down again, offering his ear.

"I'm not good at patience," she admitted.

You think? John nodded on the inside, but his eyes never left the Hynerian. He lifted his head and hovered by her ear again, inadvertently smelling her hair and trying to ignore it. "Then you have the tactical advantage. He's not expecting an ambush that needs patience, he thinks you're just going to come in all guns blazing."

He didn't move but she pulled her head away, turning to look at him strangely for a long moment. He looked back at her, and suddenly, she began to smile. He started to smile back, but then something in her predatory stare killed the warmth of the moment. He swallowed and stood straight.

She turned her head and looked back at Rygel.

"Right then," she announced, tipping a finger at the Hynerian. "Zhaan? I want to buy the two cards on his left," she declared.

Zhaan looked from Aeryn to John to Aeryn again, slightly alarmed. John put his hand on the table and bent down to her face.

"Aeryn, this is not a criticism, but what the hell are you doing?" he hissed urgently.

She smiled at him from barely an inch away. "I'm coming in, all guns blazing." She produced an evil grin and then put a finger to his chest, pushing him out of the way. She picked up her cup of moonshine, downing it in one go.

"Aeryn--"

"John," she said happily, picking up gems and sliding them across the table to Rygel and Chiana, "shut up. How wrong could it go?"

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Another play on a Warren Zevon song title: This one is from 'Tenderness On The Block', about a young girl all grow'd up and dating strange men and learning new things.

'Mama, where's your pretty little girl tonight? Trying to run before she can walk - that's right. She's growing up, she has a young man waiting. Wide eyes - she'll be street-wise, to the lies and the jive talk. She'll find true love. And tenderness on the block.'