Roofrats 27

"Not sure," she answered grinning. "Why do you ask?"

"For no re... I don't know." Yavu put his implement down and sat up straight. Carefully, play this carefully or she'd think he was crazy.

Nico couldn't figure out if he had something to say, and she should ask again, or of he just wanted to drop it, and she should change the subject, so she looked slightly confused instead of saying anything.

"Look, if you go there, you'll need someone who knows the place and the people," the hooker said abruptly. "Things are tough there, you've no idea. It makes people hard. They won't help an outsider."

Especially not one who was as profligate with her cash as this one was. Which was, of course, why Yavu was latching on.

"And you could stay there after it, eh?" She was grinning again, not in an unfriendly manner.

"We can help each other out. It makes sense. There's nothing for me here." He debated going for the sympathy angle, settling for "Most of the women here aren't like you, aliens or not. If you're a snare, especially a low-grade one, they treat you... not like a person. It gets in your head after a while. Not healthy."

"Yes." After a long look at Yavu, she leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "So, do I want to go there? And how much is it?"

Dealing with being an odd one out was one thing, and she did a decent job at it, but she was wondering if she really wanted to commit to sticking around for a longer while in a place as non-cosmopolitan as Instar, when she could just leave.

"Cheap to get there, not cheap to be smuggled out. And I can't tell you. You wanted to see both sides of life. You've seen the lucky ones." Despite appearances, the skinny snare was thinking hard.

"It... depends what you think is a good time, I suppose. Instead you could get drunk, drop a few notes, sleep with me or another boy and then go home. What most tourists do - instead of bothering about all these hows and whys."

It was rather amusing how he had changed tack from before.

"Need to know if I need to have smuggled out, then."

"I had to be smuggled out because I wasn't supposed to leave. And that's why it cost me so much. Maybe you they'll pay to get rid of, I don't know," Yavu said, raising his eyebrows, slightly tilting his head and closing his eyes almost fully.

Hopefully he'd at least managed to dissuade her from what he'd ostensibly been suggesting seconds earlier.

That made Nico laugh. "Better answer than 'Yes, for sure!'. More honest." A beat later she added, apologetically, "But I need to know first." She did not want to be stranded in potentially hostile parts because of her own poor planning. The alternative, of course, was handing Yavu most of her money, and heading off soon.

"Then we should ask one of the barge captains, right?" Eating implement clattered down into extremely empty bowl. Yavu was ready to blow this establishment.

Nico nodded, got up, and made a point of telling someone of the staff that she'd enjoyed her meal a lot. Judging from the grinning and swaggering and waving, Yavu had, too, in a somewhat different way. He didn't linger long, though.

Once they were out in the street again, Nico asked chipperly, "What's a barge captain?"


with input from Mutt

"There's one." Yavu pointed. She was standing on a large, long boat watching things being loaded; clearly she was the one in charge.

After watching the scene for a short while, to make sure she wouldn't get too much in the way, she went to the edge of the quay, and called over to the woman, "Excuse me? Can I ask you a question or two?"

While Nico talked to the captain, who seemed more concerned with making sure the funny little alien wasn't planning anything illegal than curious as to why she wanted to visit the colonies, a different scene was unfolding behind her on the docks.

Yavu was sitting on a bollard sunning himself as if he owned the place. He was keeping watch for police or other trouble through slitted eyes, so he quickly spotted when another guy showed up and started watching Nico. Yavu sauntered over for a closer look.

Tough guy, all lean muscle and overconfidence. He wasn't even being stealthy about it. Old, too, and dressed like a prude. Yavu hated those types. They didn't tip well.

Yavu turned and stood next to him, not too close. The guy ignored him. "She's with me, sweet stuff, and she's not interested," Yavu said loudly.

The guy turned and looked him up and down with some distaste. The message was pretty clear. Yavu wasn't worth his time.

"You're from one of those religious orders mid-city, aren't you?" said Yavu. He was not at all put out when he got no reply. "I thought so, you dress like them. What's a respectable holy man doing down in this basket of sin? Here to cheat on your vows, huh? Does it get boring shut up among your gilded mosaics? You get an overwhelming urge to get barbed by some exotic women?"

"Will you shut up?!" the monk snapped at him finally. "She's got more sense than to get mixed up with a cheap snare."

"Bet you two squares?" said Yavu. "Oh no, of course, that's probably against God's wishes too. Or do you sneak into one of the gaming dens after the alien women have had you?"

"Shut up," said the monk, "or I will stab you."

Yavu was loving this. "Okay, okay, hon, it's not my business how you spend your time. You keep off from Nico and we'll be juuuust fine."

"How d'you know her name?" asked the monk, giving him a baleful look.

"I told you," said Yavu, setting off back towards the quayside, "she's with me."

The monk hissed softly and, after a long pause, followed.

Nico surprisingly quickly had an offer for the fare that sounded very good to her. It was just as well she asked some more questions, including if one return would be included. That did raise the price, but, Nico thought, probably not by as much as a return would have cost if not paying would have meant being stuck out there.

The captain told Nico when they would cast off, and, "You and your companion must be here on time."

"Of course." A combination of approaching steps and the captain's look behind her made Nico turn around. A bit belatedly she thought of another possible problem. "I hope you don't mind leaving soon." Then she noticed he was being followed, and waved. "Oh, hello, Weft."

"Hi. Companion?" said Weft. "You do realise what he is, right?"

Yavu came to stand next to Nico and, when he was sure she couldn't see, momentarily crossed his eyes at the monk.

Nico hesitated. She looked Yavu up and down, leaning away from him slightly, before turning to Weft again.

"From this world, young, male, prostitute, looking for a way out of the city, possibly with a tendency to tease people," she counted on her fingers. Cocking her head to one side she asked, "Any of that what you're referring to?"

"No... yes," said Weft. "The bit where he's an alley-trash snare who wants a free ride. There are hundreds like him around here. Just don't offer to feed him or you'll never get rid of him, not until your cash is gone, anyway."

Yavu looked between them uneasily, either wondering what was being said or forming uncomfortable guesses. He understood the interworld for "prostitute" and "cash".