Chapter 23
Without an answer, Beka decides to shake her head and walk on. Tyr looks on after her before he decides to follow. Beka reaches the main complex of the drift. The music from the rave room booms through the thick walls, and people can already be seen walking through the door, even though it was technically still early in the morning. Beka decides to enter it to get a quick drink before she leaves, to maybe drown her thoughts for a moment, not noticing that Tyr is still following her.
The bartender smiles at the "fresh blood" that walks into the area. He smiles a fake but convincing smile to her and the one whom is following her. She doesn't notice and keeps walking until she sits on a stool at the bar table.
"What'll it be?" the bartender asks.
"Do you have something really strong, or really potent?" Beka asks.
"Rough night?"
"More like a lifetime of roughness," she frowns and looks off to the side.
As he fixes her drink, Tyr sits down a couple seats away from her. Her head is already down, buried in her arms, so she doesn't see him.
Then the bartender asks him, "What'll you be havin'?"
"Whatever she's having," he says and points...
The bartender shakes his head in warning, and says, "I don't know if you'll want what she's having," then he leans down and whispers, "I think she's had a rough night."
"I want what she's having," he says again.
"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you..."
He sets a dark, almost pitch-black drink in front of Beka, and begins to make another for Tyr. Beka jumps a little when the bartender sets it down, and she sits up taking a sip. Her face squints at the taste, as one would do when he or she licks a lemon.
"Yeah, that's the stuff," she says and takes another sip.
She looks over just then to see her follower sitting a few seats down. She takes a bigger sip of the drink and sets it down. The bartender sets the same drink in front of Tyr, and he starts to drink it, smelling it first and putting up a disgusted expression on his face. This drink is made for the depressed, therefore it only tastes good for the depressed and horrible to the neutral. Beka takes another sip, each one getting bigger and bigger until it turns into a normal sized gulp, still looking curiously at Tyr sitting just a few seats down. Her mind begins to become blurry and the images begin to become disfigured.
"Drugs are quick," she says to herself.
She gets up and wobbles over to Tyr, her drink is three-quarters done.
"Don't I know you?" she says in a slightly slurred voice.
Tyr just stares at her for a minute and finally answers, "You should get back to the Andromeda."
"Yes, of course!"
"Of course, what?"
"I know why I need to go! Go back!"
"Yes, well, they are probably all still asleep; you woke earlier than I expected."
She looks at him, then turns for her drink and takes another large sip. Tyr has hardly drunken the first few sips of his drink, and wonders how anyone could possibly want to drink it.
"I ran away, you know," Beka says out of nowhere.
"What do you mean?"
"From him, I ran away from him."
"Who? That blue-haired man?"
"No, from my father, when I was eighteen...I ran away from him."
"Oh."
"I just couldn't take it anymore...but then, of course, I come crawling back to him, just like he told me I would. You know what's a pretty thing? Those lights...they're like a messed up painting, a lot like me, you know? Man, this stuff goes to your head quick."
The bartender overhears and tells him, "The drink has that effect on people. They start telling you about everything in their lives. From whenever their memories started to now, all the gory details."
"What? You've got to be kidding me."
"I don't kid about this. They go for hours on end...until its effects start to wear off...or until they pass out."
Tyr looks up into the ceiling with some frustration, then back at Beka, whom is still rambling. He decides to push away the drink and carry her back to the ship. At first she refuses...
"No, no! I need one more, just one more!" she says.
...But then is too tired to argue anymore and allows him to lift her up and carry her out. He quickly pays for the drinks before taking her out and he heads back to the Andromeda.
Once on the Andromeda, Tyr brings her to her quarters on the Maru and lays her down in her bed, gentle not to hurt her.
"You know, Bobby and Chris were the only two guys I've ever felt something for. Except, with Bobby I didn't really get anything out of it. Well, I shouldn't say I didn't get anything out of it, `cause I did...but Chris was just so nice to me. He was good. He was really good."
She opens her eyes more and smiles up at Tyr.
"What are you smiling about?" he retorts.
"You're not all `Mr. Macho'. I knew there was a place somewhere behind all that muscle where you had a heart."
"Thank you, I think."
"What's happening to me Tyr?"
"You're drunk, that's what's happening to you."
Beka sighs, "No, I mean--"
"I know what you mean," he interrupts.
"Then why--"
"I'd prefer to talk to you while you were sober, and perhaps not so emotionally confused."
Beka frowns and replies, "Okay...whatever. I think I'll go take a shower now. You know, wash away all the confusion."
Beka slowly gets up, holding her head, watching the world spin and her vision go blind for a few seconds.
"What the hell did that Perseid put in that drink!" she exasperates. "God!"
She finally stands up and shuffles on over to the bathroom and the door slides open then shut again. A few seconds later the door opens and she steps out and says:
"You don't have to stay, you know. I'm probably going to take a while."
"Right. I'll go then," he says and gets up off the bed, walking towards the door and exiting.
Beka shrugs a little and closes the bathroom door, then starts the shower.
Without an answer, Beka decides to shake her head and walk on. Tyr looks on after her before he decides to follow. Beka reaches the main complex of the drift. The music from the rave room booms through the thick walls, and people can already be seen walking through the door, even though it was technically still early in the morning. Beka decides to enter it to get a quick drink before she leaves, to maybe drown her thoughts for a moment, not noticing that Tyr is still following her.
The bartender smiles at the "fresh blood" that walks into the area. He smiles a fake but convincing smile to her and the one whom is following her. She doesn't notice and keeps walking until she sits on a stool at the bar table.
"What'll it be?" the bartender asks.
"Do you have something really strong, or really potent?" Beka asks.
"Rough night?"
"More like a lifetime of roughness," she frowns and looks off to the side.
As he fixes her drink, Tyr sits down a couple seats away from her. Her head is already down, buried in her arms, so she doesn't see him.
Then the bartender asks him, "What'll you be havin'?"
"Whatever she's having," he says and points...
The bartender shakes his head in warning, and says, "I don't know if you'll want what she's having," then he leans down and whispers, "I think she's had a rough night."
"I want what she's having," he says again.
"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you..."
He sets a dark, almost pitch-black drink in front of Beka, and begins to make another for Tyr. Beka jumps a little when the bartender sets it down, and she sits up taking a sip. Her face squints at the taste, as one would do when he or she licks a lemon.
"Yeah, that's the stuff," she says and takes another sip.
She looks over just then to see her follower sitting a few seats down. She takes a bigger sip of the drink and sets it down. The bartender sets the same drink in front of Tyr, and he starts to drink it, smelling it first and putting up a disgusted expression on his face. This drink is made for the depressed, therefore it only tastes good for the depressed and horrible to the neutral. Beka takes another sip, each one getting bigger and bigger until it turns into a normal sized gulp, still looking curiously at Tyr sitting just a few seats down. Her mind begins to become blurry and the images begin to become disfigured.
"Drugs are quick," she says to herself.
She gets up and wobbles over to Tyr, her drink is three-quarters done.
"Don't I know you?" she says in a slightly slurred voice.
Tyr just stares at her for a minute and finally answers, "You should get back to the Andromeda."
"Yes, of course!"
"Of course, what?"
"I know why I need to go! Go back!"
"Yes, well, they are probably all still asleep; you woke earlier than I expected."
She looks at him, then turns for her drink and takes another large sip. Tyr has hardly drunken the first few sips of his drink, and wonders how anyone could possibly want to drink it.
"I ran away, you know," Beka says out of nowhere.
"What do you mean?"
"From him, I ran away from him."
"Who? That blue-haired man?"
"No, from my father, when I was eighteen...I ran away from him."
"Oh."
"I just couldn't take it anymore...but then, of course, I come crawling back to him, just like he told me I would. You know what's a pretty thing? Those lights...they're like a messed up painting, a lot like me, you know? Man, this stuff goes to your head quick."
The bartender overhears and tells him, "The drink has that effect on people. They start telling you about everything in their lives. From whenever their memories started to now, all the gory details."
"What? You've got to be kidding me."
"I don't kid about this. They go for hours on end...until its effects start to wear off...or until they pass out."
Tyr looks up into the ceiling with some frustration, then back at Beka, whom is still rambling. He decides to push away the drink and carry her back to the ship. At first she refuses...
"No, no! I need one more, just one more!" she says.
...But then is too tired to argue anymore and allows him to lift her up and carry her out. He quickly pays for the drinks before taking her out and he heads back to the Andromeda.
Once on the Andromeda, Tyr brings her to her quarters on the Maru and lays her down in her bed, gentle not to hurt her.
"You know, Bobby and Chris were the only two guys I've ever felt something for. Except, with Bobby I didn't really get anything out of it. Well, I shouldn't say I didn't get anything out of it, `cause I did...but Chris was just so nice to me. He was good. He was really good."
She opens her eyes more and smiles up at Tyr.
"What are you smiling about?" he retorts.
"You're not all `Mr. Macho'. I knew there was a place somewhere behind all that muscle where you had a heart."
"Thank you, I think."
"What's happening to me Tyr?"
"You're drunk, that's what's happening to you."
Beka sighs, "No, I mean--"
"I know what you mean," he interrupts.
"Then why--"
"I'd prefer to talk to you while you were sober, and perhaps not so emotionally confused."
Beka frowns and replies, "Okay...whatever. I think I'll go take a shower now. You know, wash away all the confusion."
Beka slowly gets up, holding her head, watching the world spin and her vision go blind for a few seconds.
"What the hell did that Perseid put in that drink!" she exasperates. "God!"
She finally stands up and shuffles on over to the bathroom and the door slides open then shut again. A few seconds later the door opens and she steps out and says:
"You don't have to stay, you know. I'm probably going to take a while."
"Right. I'll go then," he says and gets up off the bed, walking towards the door and exiting.
Beka shrugs a little and closes the bathroom door, then starts the shower.