Chapter 8

Ro'ahn looked up at the knock on his door, startled. He quickly turned the page in his sketchbook as he keyed off the lock. Bendal had been teasing him about Miss Brown all day. It would never do for the Nodulian to catch him drawing a picture of the woman. He was startled when, instead of Bendal, Taya walked in.

"Uh..." He rose quickly, nodding politely to the woman.

"Ro'ahn," she greeted him quietly. "I... May I sit?" she asked, gesturing towards his work-area.

"Of course." He nodded quickly and pulled out the chair for her. "How may I help you?"

Taya sat silently for several moments before pulling off her bracelet and gesturing towards the walls. "They're shanihium. The alloy blocks thought waves in addition to sound."

"I... was aware," he answered quietly.

"I came only to apologize for my brother's behavior towards you. He has been rude."

"No," Ro'ahn started to protest.

"It is the truth and you know it." She shook her head. "He does not hate you in spite of what you might think."

"I... He... many people have a right to hate the Vardian race."

"No one has a right to hate a young man dedicated to the cause of freedom and right." She shook her head. "In a hundred years, of all the Vardians in the universe, who do you think will be more remembered? Zin and Lana or Ro'ahn and Kria?"

"Zin and Lana, of course."

She nodded, her expression apologetic. "And so it is the tendency of most to judge your people by their standard. But that does not change that men and women like Ro'ahn and Kria fight and die every day that their people may be judged by a different one. My brother has suffered much at Vardian hands. I would beg you to forgive him."

"There is nothing to forgive."

"His behavior towards you has been most inappropriate. A man must be brave to volunteer for such a detail, and so you must be brave. And a man must be righteous to be accepted by Eijan, and so you must be that as well. In his heart, he understands that, but it cannot change what he has suffered. I beg that you give him a chance."

"I... He has nothing to prove to me. His record speaks for itself."

She sighed and nodded, rising. "Did you draw that?" she asked, gesturing towards the notepad.

"It was a scribble only, to kill time."

"It's very nice," she told him, picking it up. "Down to the glint Bendal always gets in his eye when he sees a lovely female across the room."

"How did you know he was looking at--"

"Because he has that glint in his eye," she answered with a faint smile, returning the pad to him. "Ro'ahn, please understand that you have nothing to prove. It is proven already or you would not be here."

"I... know." He bowed his head.

She smiled reassuringly. "Give Teya a chance," she advised. "He has it in him to be a good friend."

"I'm sure he must."

"That you are Vardian does not change your heart. Your parents must have been good people to raise such a child."

"They... I have a sister," he said for no reason he could imagine.

"Yes?" she asked, smiling. "Older? Younger?"

"Much younger." He reached around her and picked up a framed sketch. "She's a beautiful child and says she wishes to be a Tracker herself one day."

"She is beautiful," Taya agreed, smiling sadly.

Her own status as an unmatched twin meant she would probably never have the opportunity to wed, or bear children. It was, unfortunately, the Orsusian way. One set of twins married another. Unmatched twins, though, were so uncommon that they tended to be doomed to single life by default.

"Do you have any family?" he asked.

She shook her head faintly. "Our parents are dead and we have no siblings." Shrugging, she added, "There's a game of dice going on in the common room. I'm sure you'd be welcomed to join us."

"Oh, no." He shook his head. "I don't gamble," he added quickly, realizing how rude and brusque his answer must have sounded.

"Well, then, perhaps you could find a comfortable corner and draw the game?" she suggested mildly. "No one would object, I'm sure. Especially if you could discover where Bendal pockets the weighted dice..." she added, grinning.

Ro'ahn laughed and nodded, rising and following her from the room. Taya grinned at him, patting his shoulder as he moved to an empty chair. Giving him a reassuring nod, she returned to the game-table.

He declined? Teya asked her.

He is unsure of his position. You could go easier on him. It might even help.

He sighed and nodded.

"Hey, no fair strategizing when the rest of us can't hear!" Bendal protested.

"Two words for you, Bendal," Leila murmured. "Loaded dice..."

"I believe humans refer to it as calling the kettle blue, Bendal," Teya agreed, picking up the score-card and showing it to his sister.

"Prove it," Bendal suggested, grinning. "Maybe the gods just favor me."

"One of these days we will," Taya assured him. "And you will return your winnings when we do." Shaking her head, she picked up the dice-cup and gave it a shake before upending it on the table.

"There goes that game," Teya sighed. "I need a new partner."

"So do I," she chuckled, shaking her head. "Olia, Shana!" she called to the pair watching the game. "Join us."

"I don't play with cheaters," Olia called back.

Bendal crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm starting to get offended here..."

"That will be a warm day on Enix," Olia retorted, dropping into the chair across from him. "Nodulian, prepare to have your money taken from you. Coming, Shana?"

"Thank you, no. I already owe Bendal a week's pay."

"Cut-throat it is, then," Bendal said cheerfully. "Unless anyone else wants to join us. Ro'ahn?" he called.

"He doesn't gamble," Olia answered quietly. "Leave him be."

"Why are you so protective of him?" Teya asked quietly.

"Because someone must be," she answered simply, gathering the scattered dice from the table and returning them to the cup. "By the way, good job in the simulator yesterday. You scored in the top ten percentile. Taya, how was your first day at the precinct?"

As Taya opened her mouth to answer, Teya's head shot around and he stared at his sister with wide eyes as a stray thought of hers intruded into his awareness.

"What do you mean, your bracelet gave her a rash?" he demanded.

"She thought it was pretty. She asked to try it on. I could hardly say no without making her wonder," she said, shifting uneasily, aware that everyone was staring at her.

"I don't think I have ever seen that happen to a human," Shana murmured, shaking his head.

"How many humans do you know?" Leila scoffed. "Orsusian jewelry is corrosive."

"To reptiles," Shana countered, shaking his head. "Mammals should not have such a reaction."

"I read that human DNA has some very odd characteristics," Bendal noted. "Large portions of it tend to resemble Migarian DNA, the reason they're so easy for the fugitives to possess. So what if this one leans closer to the Dessarian end of the spectrum? Can we play now?"

"You have a point," Shana agreed, shrugging. "Even if this 'missing link' nonsense is just absurd..."

"Is that the strongest word you can find for it in English?" Bendal asked, grinning. "We need to increase your lesson-load."

"It can hardly be considered my fault that the humans have yet to find a word for miktishtakata."

"Watch your language," Ro'ahn snapped, scowling. "There are ladies present."

"I see none," Bendal retorted, grinning.

"Not even one, Bendal?" Kallissa asked mildly, moving to stand behind him.

The Nodulian winced. "Kallissa. Care to join us for a game?" he asked casually.

"Not tonight, no." She shook her head and walked off, moving to join Ro'ahn. "I do believe that is the first time I have ever heard you raise your voice," she observed quietly, drawing a chair closer to his.

"Females should be afforded respect," he answered simply, not looking up from his sketchpad.

"No one is upset with you, Ro'ahn," she murmured, shaking her head. "Look at Shana. He already has his mind on something else. In a few minutes he will no doubt walk to his office and start running simulations."

"He is dedicated."

"We all are or we would not be here," Kallissa pointed out. "May I see your drawing?"

He nodded and handed her the pad. "It is barely started," he apologized.

"Well, perfection takes time. It would hardly befit for the son of Ishtiana to be sloppy in his art. Are there others on this pad? May I see them?"

"Of course."

Kallissa smiled and started leafing through the notebook, complimenting him on the sketch of the others sharing lunch in the Watchfire before coming to the image of Jess' face.

"Yes, the human female. Bendal and Olia both mentioned that they had seen you talking to her."

"I... I said nothing of who we were or why we were here," he assured her quickly. "No one said she was cleared, so I assumed that she was not."

"You assumed rightly, Ro'ahn, and no one doubts your discretion. I was merely interested in your impression of her."

"I do not understand..."

"Some of us are troubled by her presence in Miss Porter's household. She may have to be told about us. Can she be trusted if it comes to that?"

"I... she is a kind creature with a good heart. I do not think she would betray her friends."

"I see. Thank you." She nodded and rose. "Go upstairs now. Take your pad if you wish. The human Detective will come shortly and I wish several of you to be in the bar when he arrives. Bendal. Leila. Olia. You go as well. Teya, you may go as well if you wish."

The Orsusian shook his head. "Thank you, no. I will remain here."

Taya smiled faintly at him.

"Very well." Kallissa nodded. "The rest of you will find Mylik already upstairs. Do your best not to be noticed. Especially you, Bendal."

"As my lady commands," he answered, rising and bowing.

Olia shook her head in disgust and rose. "There is a human game I think you may enjoy, Bendal," she informed him as the group started towards the teleporter. "They call it 'pool'."

"I like it already," he answered, raising an intrigued eyebrow.

.

.

.

Vic glanced around the bar as he entered. No sign of Cole, but Mel was behind the bar chatting with Jess. The crowd was decent-sized tonight and not just made up of regulars, although those were certainly present in abundance. Jonas occupied his usual stool but, for once, he was not absorbed in a newspaper. His eyes were on the alcove where a game of pool was taking place. A round, cheerful looking man in a garish and completely unseasonable Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts was playing against a skinny, black-clad girl who looked far too young to be patronizing a bar. Vic started in that direction only to have Mel wave him over.

"Mel, hey," he greeted her, leaning across the bar and planting a kiss on her cheek. "Cole around?"

"He'll be back later. Get you a drink?"

"Yeah, please. Hey, Jess," he added, sitting down next to her. "Holding up okay? Feeling better from last night?" He frowned faintly at the look on her face. "You okay, sweetie?"

"She saw the scars," Mel explained quietly. "I... I had to tell her about the abduction."

"God." Vic sighed and shook his head. "Jess, are you okay?"

"Me? What about Mel here?" Jess demanded, obviously rattled. "I mean, have you seen... have you heard?"

Vic frowned at Mel. "You've been having the dreams again? I thought those had gone away again."

"They did." She shook her head dismissively. "It was just the mugging. The size of that knife..."

"Maria still thinks you should see Doctor Simmons."

"No." Mel shook her head firmly. "I'm not ready to talk yet. Especially not when half the details are classified." She shrugged. "Now I understand why none of Lana's victims are talking..." Cole had been right about the fear of being committed. It was the main reason she had not sought help after his rescue of Lana when the nightmares had started up again.

"Lana?" Jess repeated.

"Forget it, sweetie," Vic advised. "You don't want to know."

"I've been getting that a lot lately," she noted, frowning faintly.

Vic shrugged apologetically. "Hey, I used to get it from Mel quite a bit myself. Part of me wishes I still was."

"Yeah, well, you two probably have... business to discuss, so I'm going to go say hi to Ro'ahn," she announced, rising and walking to the chair that the young man was perched in, pad in hand.

"Ro'ahn?" Vic repeated, staring at the young man in question for a moment then glancing questioningly at Mel.

"Yeah, I think he's turning into a project with her," Mel said, shaking her head. "He's shy which makes him a challenge."

"Don't think I've seen him in here before."

"Uh, he came in first time yesterday afternoon," Mel supplied. "He and Jess really hit it off."

"Oh." He nodded faintly, looking up at a bark of laughter from the alcove. The gaudily-dressed man was shaking his head in protest as the girl grinned and twirled her cue in one hand. "Hey, you card her yet?"

"Indiana state driver's license, date of birth 13 October, 1981," Mel recited, grinning at him. "Come on, you really think I'd let an underage kid in here? It'd be my ass, not hers," she pointed out. "I wish she looked older, though. Yesterday it was Jonas nagging me about her."

"Jonas, huh?" Vic glanced at the lawyer again, then followed his line of sight, straight to the girl. "He seems... interested."

Mel shrugged faintly, unable to argue with the assessment. It was odd, too, considering that Jonas had not so much as looked at a woman since his wife's death. Not that he was not more than entitled to move on after all these years...

"More power to him if he can pull it off," Vic said, shrugging. "I wouldn't have thought Jonas would be the type to go after someone young enough to be his granddaughter, though."

"Oh, she is not," Mel protested. Shaking her head, she changed the subject. "Oh, the translations on Lana's... writing." She cleared her throat and made a face before continuing. "'The streets will run as rivers'. The complete quote, which comes from a book of Vardian messianic prophecy reads 'the streets will run as rivers with the blood of the unfaithful'."

"Vardian Messianic prophecy?" he repeated, blinking.

"Well, according to Lana's file, they were her preferred bedtime stories."

"Lovely," Vic muttered, shaking his head in disgust. "So, what's Cole want to talk to me about?"

"He'll tell you when he gets here," Mel assured him.

"You're being cagey again."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Mel gave him an apologetic look. "You'll... you'll understand soon," she promised.

"I sure hope so, Mel." He glanced at the alcove again. "You sure it wasn't a fake license?" he asked.

"I know what a real license looks like. It had all the right holograms in all the right places." Mel shook her head. Olia's apparent age was going to be a problem if she planned on spending much time in a bar frequented by cops. "You don't believe me, go ask to see it yourself," she suggested.

"If you don't mind, I think I'll do that," Vic told her, rising and picking up his drink. "Maybe even get in a game of pool while I'm over there."

Mel grinned and nodded. "Have fun," she called after him before going to refresh Jonas' drink. "Hey," she greeted him.

"Evening, Mel. Good crowd tonight."

"Very good," she agreed, smiling.

Kallissa had made it clear to her earlier today that the Trackers would be paying her for their drinks, so she could hardly complain about their presence. Almost a dozen regulars added to the Watchfire's bottom line could hardly be considered a bad thing. As long as they didn't act too overtly. She watched Bendal hand his cue to Vic and make a beeline towards the nearest group of young women, shaking her head. Well, he would hardly have been the first oddball of a womanizing barfly she had ever seen.

"Olivia was right about that one," Jonas observed.

"He's a flirt, all right. But I'm told he's harmless."

"Harmless is a relative term, dear," Jonas noted as one of the young ladies at the table rose and followed Bendal to the juke-box. "Look at Olivia," he said, gesturing to the alcove where Olia was dutifully presenting her license to Vic. "I never would have figured her for a pool-shark, but she has wiped the table with four people so far this evening." He fell silent, watching Vic study the license for a long moment before returning it to her and settling down to the game. After a few minutes, he chuckled and amended, "Five."

"You were right, Mel," Vic informed her as the two returned to the bar. "She has to be legal because it must have taken her at least twenty-one years to learn to play like that. Damn." Chuckling, he added, "I'm just glad Maria wasn't here to see that. I'd have never heard the end of it." Returning his attention to Olia, he asked, "So, what's your friend's story?"

"He is not my friend. And his story is that he will flirt with anything that has a pair of X chromosomes and a pulse."

"Ah." Vic nodded faintly, his expression bemused. "I kind of meant why is he wearing Bermuda shorts and flip flops in the middle of a blizzard?"

"That you would have to ask him, I think. He is an... unusual man." She shrugged expressively. "Hello again, Jonas," she added, smiling at him. "Interest you in a game of pool?"

"Not even if I could play, Olivia." He shook his head and held up his glass in a mock-toast. "I've been watching you and I'm not sure my ego is up to it."

"A dance, then?" she suggested.

"Are you always so... forward?" he asked uncertainly.

"No. Usually I am more so. As Bendal so concisely put it 'you, bed, now' is much more my style."

"Good heavens," Jonas murmured, blinking and staring into his drink. He was beginning to think that he had gotten in over his head, flirting with this one. He was clearly outclassed.

"Do not be afraid; I promise not to bite too hard," she whispered in his ear. "Come on. My roommate is out tonight..."

Jonas' head shot up and he stared at her with wide eyes. "You can't be serious?" he murmured, quickly glancing around to make sure no one had overheard.

She shook her head, smiling reassuringly. "I take such activities very seriously. I would not invite a man into my bed on two day's acquaintance no matter how interested I was. But the offer to dance was a serious one."

He shook his head faintly. "What would people think, a man my age dancing with a girl yours?"

"They might be mildly envious of me, but I see no impropriety in the act."

He shook his head again. "Another time. When the music isn't so..."

"Frenetic?" Olia finished for him. "Bendal is going to give himself an asthma attack if he fails to slow down soon," she observed, shaking her head. "Another time, then, Jonas. I look forward to it."

"Olivia, I..." Jonas shook his head. She was treating him as if he was a man half his age, honestly did not seem to notice how old he was. While it was gratifying, it was also faintly troubling, though not for any reason he could pinpoint.

"Yes?" she prompted.

"Never mind," he sighed, shaking his head.

"As you would have it." She shrugged and gestured to one of the barmaids. "Something clear and tasteless, please."

Isabel blinked at that request. "Can I--" She stopped as Olia sighed and pulled out her ID card, wondering why Jonas was chuckling. "Uh, okay. Clear and tasteless. Vodka?"

"If it is clear and tasteless, vodka would be fine."

"Ice?"

"Thank you, no. I dislike cold beverages."

"Uh, okay. One vodka coming up," Isabel muttered, shaking her head and moving to retrieve the bottle.

"You don't drink much, do you?" Jonas asked, shaking his head.

"I drink a great deal, actually."

"And the most specific you can get is 'clear and tasteless'?" he countered, raising an eyebrow.

"What I generally drink is produced at home by my mother's husband."

"You do realize that's illegal, don't you? Not to mention dangerous."

"Oh, I should hardly think it was dangerous given his years of experience. Thank you, miss," she added as Isabel handed her the drink. "But could I please have a little more than this?"

"Uh, sure," Isabel said, shrugging and adding a few more shots to the glass before turning her attention to another customer.

"Your stepfather is a moon-shiner?" Jonas asked.

She frowned faintly, narrowing her eyes and trying to make sense of the word. Failing to, she settled for working from its context. "You mean does my mother's husband distill his own alcohol?"

"That is the accepted definition of the word, yes."

"Ah. Then yes, he is." Olia nodded. "He has been supplying my mother's family for well over twenty years now and his own family before that. He learned from his father."

"Interesting." Jonas shook his head faintly. The girl had come across as so respectable before, but now he learned that she was a pool-shark whose step-father was a moon-shiner. Looks certainly could be deceiving.

"This is very weak," she observed mildly, downing what had to have been at least three shots in a single long sip.

Jonas blinked and shook his head. Next time a pretty girl sat down next to him, he was keeping his mouth shut.