Zoe sat at the table nervously watching the candle flame flicker. It pulled to the right when patrons entered from the front door and pulled to the left when the waiters came from the kitchen. She had a count of the staff and knew where each was. Any tell tail she could find was a blessing to her right now. She felt exposed and vulnerable.
"I don't like this sir." She whispered.
Mal sat across from her trying to get Kaylee on the Com unit and munching on a mixed plate of appetizers. He seemed at ease as he consumed the plate calmly, but his eyes were just as on edge as his partner's. He didn't like the fact that he could not raise Kaylee, though Jayne he more or less expected to ignore his call. The girl folk should have been back to Serenity by now and that meant trouble to him.
The chatter in the room was subdued but the mood festive as was the nature of the place. It was early for dinner, the sun still a few hours from setting. The crowds would not fill Mandy's until later, but even at this early hour the two Browncoats looked out of place.
Mandy's was respectable and quiet place. Its patrons were dressed for a night out, fine jackets and pretty gowns, not in street clothes. The Maître'd eyed the two soldiers suspiciously as they waited. They reflected poorly on his dining room and he preferred thay not be seen. Toward that end he'd found a table for them out of the way, which suited Zoe just fine.
"We've been here an hour, sir. I don't think Badger's coming."
"He'll be here." Mal poked at the Com unit while munching on a setay. "We still have his stuff – and you know how much Badger likes stuff."
"I just don't like sittin out in the open like this."
"I don't like it much myself." He gave up on the Com unit.
Neither needed to be nervous. Mandy's was a small but popular restaurant that was an unofficial safe place with the Persephone criminal element. From the lowest of the lowlifes to the most dangerous of assassins Mandy's was professionally off limits. Everyone knew it.
"What's keeping him?"
"Important people make you wait. He's letting us know we're on his turf." Mal pushed the appetizer plate toward her.
Zoe reluctantly picked out a spring roll and toyed with it.
"I just don't like it."
"When we get paid we can move on." He replied. "No need to linger."
Badger came into the restaurant five minutes later with an entourage and a girl on each arm. The Maître'd walked toward him but was quickly waved off. Badger knew where he wanted to be and how he wanted to look as he got there. Important. The crime boss smiled and made his way to the table next to Mal's. He took a seat with his back to the captain and tucked his napkin into his collar.
"Allo Mal!" He said without turning. "Fancy meet'n you here."
"Badger."
"Been keeping busy I trust?" The slightly scruffy man asked facing away from the Brown coat.
"Fair bit." Mal replied casually. "Stopped by your place earlier. Got an interesting welcome there. You wouldn't know anything about that now would you?"
"Ah Mal, you cut me. You know how much your business means to me."
"You have a strange way of showing it."
"They been renovating down 'ere for weeks. It ain't safe in that place no more – with all the demolition and reconstruction. A body can get 'urt. Ain't been for a while, m'self."
"Funny – your office looked down-right lived in."
Badger took a moment, his demeanor shifting to negotiation. "Honestly Mal, I've 'eard things. You are all the talk these days."
"So you hung me out there, is it?" Mal said, popping a small wonton in his mouth.
Badger's face flushed with anger and an edge came to his voice.
"You done your share of hangin folk out." Badger turned his chair and glared at the captain. "I ain't alive when so many of your other business partners is dead for no reason. I got contacts, Mal. I know things."
"And what do your contacts tell you."
"They say to stay away from you, Mal." He replied. "They say I should get my merchandise before you get yourself dead."
Mal pulled a key from his coat pocket and slapped it on the table in front of him. Badger's ears perked up at the sound and he reached out for the key, but Mal didn't remove his hand. Instead he gripped it tight again.
"Did they happen to say why?"
"Ghaw, Mal, you really don't know. Don't you listen to the news?" Badger finished his drink, stood and turned to Mal. He dropped a large bag of coins on the table and waited for Mal to pick it up, leaving the key. Mal waited.
"Care to be a little more specific?"
"You've seen too much Mal. Check who's gone missing, then ask yourself, where you been that you shouldn't a been, what did you see that you shouldn't have seen."
Mal took the bag, leaving the key behind. Badger smiled, snapped up the key and stuffed it in his pocket.
"It's what you started Mal. You know what I'm talking about, all that goings on last year."
Mal nodded, not really wanting to remember that episode in his life. Likewise Zoe felt a brief twinge and turned away.
"You done good." Badger admitted, turning to leave. "Oughta get a medal – but now it's coming apart at the seams, 'cause of what you done. They're all grabbin for power and you're fallin down on the wrong side of both sides. It's a lose-lose situation. Bad business."
Mal looked at Zoe just perplexed as when this conversation started. He hadn't done anything but ship and sell since Blue Star. Hadn't seen anything but space. Badger just put out an arm to each of his young woman and they each took an arm. Off they went.
"Good luck Mal." He laughed as he left.
Mal looked at Zoe wracking his brain.
"I ain't seen nothing – you seen anything?"
"No sir." She replied. "This is fung luh. "
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