Liar. Liar. Liar.
Zhi nearly choked when he named the price, loud enough to be heard all the way to the Gate and back. Was he stupid? Was he crazy? Maybe he was a gadabout, because he didn't even seem to be affected when eyes turned to them, when it became obvious that everyone in the rutting street would be listening to them now.
Breathe.
He didn't stop. He made it worse.
Breathe.
He was naming things. Places. A stake.
Breathe.
Yayabuko? Thirty thou? The best? Her? Her breath came out in a rush. She couldn't help it. She was laughing, as much from hysterics as to put off the dogs this rutting guttersnipe of a man had just unleashed. On him, on her, on who else the gods could only know. That sort of money was way above her. The best? Arrogant, cocky churl she might be, but she wasn't so stupid to go parading that around, and Yayabuko would put her in the sea himself before he ever let those words cross his lips, especially when that much gil was on the line. Not to mention --
He called her Dax.
She stopped breathing. Everything stopped. There was a roaring sound in her ears. Her tail curled under, pressed to the bottom of the chair, and for a moment she was staring fear in the eyes. Oh. Nald'thal hadn't just tipped her scale, he'd broken the rotten thing. For a moment, as she stared at the man who knew her too well, she was back in Galine's room. She was seventeen, and she was learning how the world worked through the voice and the hands of one tiny, ruthless lalafell.
She was never going back. Never. Not ever. It was that thought more than anything that snapped her out of it, though she didn't dare lift her hands from the table. She was shaking. Adrenaline pumped through her, mixing with the alcohol. Some of it was burned away, but she was still drunk. Even so, even then, she knew she had to move. Had a runner already slipped away? Galine would know in a matter of hours, that was a given. How about the Skites? Oh, aye, she'd paid her dues on time like she always did to work the territory that she worked, but she was not cleared for that much money. And doing business like that in someone else's territory without clearing it? True, it wasn't a lot for the gangs, but that wasn't the point. The point was that it was their territory, and anyone who cheated them had to be taught a lesson.
A beating was the least she'd get.
She had to get ahead of it now. Was he with Agha? Most likely. But it wasn't like one of them to get one of the other gangs to do their dirty work. The Skites were two zones outside of their territory, even. Zhi had been careful. She was always careful. Retribution, then? The gangs took their blood rites, their honor, seriously. Galine had settled it. Not for this man, clearly.
She stood up. "Y'meant three thou, y'ruttin' dog. Yer high. I ain't doin' no job fer thirty thou."
Oh, they'd not be put off by that. It was a stalling tactic. It wouldn't last for long, and she needed some time to feel this one out, to get out. In the meantime, she had to hope that none present knew the significance of that name: Dax. Hope? Hah.
"Follow me, y'fool sot. I'll get ye sorted on th'matter o'business in lowtown."
She stood, hooked her thumbs through her belt to stop her hands from shaking, and started walking out of Scuttlebutt. If he didn't follow, he didn't follow. She couldn't help that. But she had to get out now. If the man followed her, she'd duck into an alley half a block down from Scuttlebutt, and slow to see if he was comin' after her, but she wouldn't stop.
She caught Faller's eye on the way out, and the two sized each other up as they passed. He lifted his drink to her. His lips were smiling, but his eyes were hard and flat. They were the eyes of a businessman tallying up the take.
Affection never lasted long in Limsa Lominsa.
Zhi nearly choked when he named the price, loud enough to be heard all the way to the Gate and back. Was he stupid? Was he crazy? Maybe he was a gadabout, because he didn't even seem to be affected when eyes turned to them, when it became obvious that everyone in the rutting street would be listening to them now.
Breathe.
He didn't stop. He made it worse.
Breathe.
He was naming things. Places. A stake.
Breathe.
Yayabuko? Thirty thou? The best? Her? Her breath came out in a rush. She couldn't help it. She was laughing, as much from hysterics as to put off the dogs this rutting guttersnipe of a man had just unleashed. On him, on her, on who else the gods could only know. That sort of money was way above her. The best? Arrogant, cocky churl she might be, but she wasn't so stupid to go parading that around, and Yayabuko would put her in the sea himself before he ever let those words cross his lips, especially when that much gil was on the line. Not to mention --
He called her Dax.
She stopped breathing. Everything stopped. There was a roaring sound in her ears. Her tail curled under, pressed to the bottom of the chair, and for a moment she was staring fear in the eyes. Oh. Nald'thal hadn't just tipped her scale, he'd broken the rotten thing. For a moment, as she stared at the man who knew her too well, she was back in Galine's room. She was seventeen, and she was learning how the world worked through the voice and the hands of one tiny, ruthless lalafell.
She was never going back. Never. Not ever. It was that thought more than anything that snapped her out of it, though she didn't dare lift her hands from the table. She was shaking. Adrenaline pumped through her, mixing with the alcohol. Some of it was burned away, but she was still drunk. Even so, even then, she knew she had to move. Had a runner already slipped away? Galine would know in a matter of hours, that was a given. How about the Skites? Oh, aye, she'd paid her dues on time like she always did to work the territory that she worked, but she was not cleared for that much money. And doing business like that in someone else's territory without clearing it? True, it wasn't a lot for the gangs, but that wasn't the point. The point was that it was their territory, and anyone who cheated them had to be taught a lesson.
A beating was the least she'd get.
She had to get ahead of it now. Was he with Agha? Most likely. But it wasn't like one of them to get one of the other gangs to do their dirty work. The Skites were two zones outside of their territory, even. Zhi had been careful. She was always careful. Retribution, then? The gangs took their blood rites, their honor, seriously. Galine had settled it. Not for this man, clearly.
She stood up. "Y'meant three thou, y'ruttin' dog. Yer high. I ain't doin' no job fer thirty thou."
Oh, they'd not be put off by that. It was a stalling tactic. It wouldn't last for long, and she needed some time to feel this one out, to get out. In the meantime, she had to hope that none present knew the significance of that name: Dax. Hope? Hah.
"Follow me, y'fool sot. I'll get ye sorted on th'matter o'business in lowtown."
She stood, hooked her thumbs through her belt to stop her hands from shaking, and started walking out of Scuttlebutt. If he didn't follow, he didn't follow. She couldn't help that. But she had to get out now. If the man followed her, she'd duck into an alley half a block down from Scuttlebutt, and slow to see if he was comin' after her, but she wouldn't stop.
She caught Faller's eye on the way out, and the two sized each other up as they passed. He lifted his drink to her. His lips were smiling, but his eyes were hard and flat. They were the eyes of a businessman tallying up the take.
Affection never lasted long in Limsa Lominsa.
