GatheringForANightOnTheTownThe Amoretto Fountain was an extravagant marble concoction of nymphs and cupids, sculpted in Aquila's long-ago heyday and erected in the midst of a paved circle from which half a dozen streets radiated. It was still a city landmark, though its neighborhood was no longer one of high fashion, the nymphs' scanty draperies were weatherstained, and too many of the cupids had broken wings. And since its plaza lay at the edge of the district of theatres, restaurants and clubs that constituted Aquila City's more raffish night life, "Meet me at the Amoretto" had come to stand for an open invitation to a night on the town. David Lytham's note to Edgar Bahlmis, dispatched earlier in the day, had explained this, given directions from the upper city, and suggested seven-thirty as a rendezvous time. It was only a quarter after seven, but Lytham already stood with one foot on the rim of the fountain, watching for the young nobles' arrival. He wore the jacket, open-necked shirt, and colorful silk neckerchief currently fashionable among the bohemian set. Gathered around him were the three chorus girls, Mollie, Suzy, and Annabelle, who'd performed with him at the Grand Hotel a few nights ago. He'd also invited his mates from Plum House, Warden and Guppy. The evening was mild and, fortunately, clear. Other festively dressed Aquilans were gathering at the fountain or slipping in ones and twos and larger groups down the streets, where the lamps were being lit over open doors and music beginning to sound behind them. Warden ran a nervous hand over his freshly trimmed goatee as he walked through the theatre district. Looking at the locals in their colorful garb, he felt more out of place than normal. He wore a black, flight-style jumpsuit with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and the legs bloused neatly into his boots. While the outfit would have been considered fashionable back on the station, here it just marked him as an outsider. Moving down, he spotted Lytham and the girls by the fountain. Shrugging, he pulled on a pair of black half-finger gloves and began walking towards the quartet. "David!" He raised a hand in greeting. "Hey, Warden!" Lytham called back. As Warden approached them, he said to the girls, "Ladies, this is Warden Chase. He's rooming at Plum House too. He's from offworld," he added cheerfully. "Warden, meet Mollie, Suzy, and Annabelle. They're colleagues of mine." The interested, not to say curious, looks the three chorus girls gave Warden suggested that perhaps being an outsider wasn't entirely a bad thing. There is something to be said for the charm of novelty. "Any friend of Davey's is a friend of ours," said Mollie. "Do you know how to dance?" Suzy asked with a flutter of her eyelashes. "Do you want to learn?" Annabelle followed up. Warden raised an eyebrow and grinned as he regarded the young ladies. Bowing his head slightly, he regarded them each in turn. "Why thank you, Mollie. I feel the same. To answer the questions..." He smiled at Suzy and shrugged. "A little." Glancing over at Annabelle, he added, "I could always use a refresher course." Turning back to Lytham, he indicated the party's small size. "I take it I'm a bit early?" "No more so than I am," the young actor pointed out with a shrug. "But I didn't know whether our nob friends would be fashionably late, or not. And I don't really want them walking the wild side on their own." Warden nodded. "Good point." Guppy watched the exchange from the doorway of an abandoned storefront. The swirling gold lettering on the window indicated this had once been a perfume shop, when noble ladies would stroll these streets after a matinee performance. The rosy paint of the door posts now wore a glaze of grime, and Guppy took extra care not to lean against them. His shirt was close to white and he hoped to keep it that way. As Warden talked with Lytham's beautiful lady friends, Guppy took some time to look over the people gathering and leaving the fountain. A tall, sturdy gentleman dressed in khaki had his face buried for quite a while, whispering secrets and delivering kisses into a lady's dark hair. Guppy's dark eyes narrowed, focusing his attention on the couple and mentally composing their lurid story. When the man came up for air, his face was disappointing, nothing that triggered Guppy's memory bank. Kicking at the ground as he walked, Guppy ambled toward his group. Besides his mostly white shirt, his dark pants were fairly neat. The little bit of fraying at the cuffs could not be seen in the dimming light. His wavy hair was held firmly in place with pomade someone left in the bathroom at Plum House. "Ladies," he said with a slight bow. "Evening, Warden, Lytham. It's a nice night for a party." He hoped his voice sounded jovial and convincing. "Hey, Guppy," Lytham greeted him. "Looks like it. Things seem to be calming down after the riots and such," he noted cautiously. "Let's hope it stays that way. I'm interested in different kinds of excitement." He grinned. A sour look of disgust passed over Guppy's face at the mention of the riots. They stole the thunder away from the biggest story he ever broke, and it still bothered him. He tried to quickly banish the look before the ladies noticed. "Agreed," Guppy said. "And Warden, I promise this will go better than last time. Lytham, he..." The reporter couldn't bring himself to say knows what he's doing. "He seems to hear about all the cool places. At Aquila Awake!, they tend to drink at their desks." Warden raised an eyebrow and gave Guppy a curious look. "What was wrong with last time? Interesting people, stimulating conversation..." He gave a small shrug. "The entertainment was a bit dull, but hey... You can't have everything." He gave the reporter a good-natured grin and a light punch to the shoulder. "So... What's the plan for tonight?" "Dinner first," said Lytham. "I already know where I want to go, and with any luck, the nobs will foot the bill. If not, I can cover it," he assured his friends. With the money Decuma had given him a few nights ago, he was still flush. "Then on to the clubs for some real music, and dancing." An anticipatory grin twitched up the corners of his mouth, and his eyes sparkled. Holly said she liked dancing... Folding his body to sit on the edge of the fountain, Guppy suddenly realized that the ladies were standing. He made a show of fixing his shoelace and reluctantly stood up again. "Do you think their parents will let them out of the house unescorted?" "They came to the Grand Hotel on their own, the other day," Lytham pointed out. "It was Lord Tremontaine who got in a twist about it, not their parents, I take it. I think they do things differently, offworld. And if they show up with an escort—" He shrugged. "—we'll show the escort a good time, too. Why not?" "Escorts?" Warden folded his arms across his chest and looked curiously at his companions. "Just how old does a person have to be before they can go out without a babysitter on this rock?" Lytham snorted. "Depends. I was on my own by the time I was fifteen. Nobles...? That's different." "Chikushome!" Warden shook his head in disbelief. "My father let me loose as soon as I was big enough to carry a sidearm. How 'bout you, Guppy?" "Long enough that I can't remember," he answered with a nod. Perhaps not wanting to remember his time in the lower city was closer to the truth. "Nobs, they play their children like pieces on a game board. You can tell what they hope to gain or have to lose by how hard they work to protect them. I bet a few of Lagoran's men were working beside the two of you at the Grand Hotel the other night." "If they were," Lytham said, remembering, "they weren't exactly doing their job. Lord Decuma had to fight off his own assassin that night." Guppy chuckled sarcastically, wondering if that piece of information made the paper. "I've noticed that about this place..." Warden folded his arms across his chest and looked down in thought. "Not too many good hands to be had. Even when you give 'em laz rifles, they can't fight for shit." "There's some pretty good men with a blade in the city," Lytham said, "but this fellow was just a lowlife garrotter. Most of the best fighters look to Carlysle, though ... and a lot of them go offworld." Guppy's eyes gave a little roll as he shifted about restlessly. "Do you really think the nobs are coming?" Groups and couples kept meeting, merging, and wandering off. He spun around to face his own group. "There's an Amoretti Café on Linden Street. Perhaps their drivers didn't believe them." "Oh, come on, Guppy. Every cab driver in Aquila knows where the Amoretto Fountain is!" argued Lytham. He grinned slyly. "It's probably just the ladies trying to decide what to wear." Annabelle stuck her tongue out at him. "Well... We were early. Besides, nobody important ever shows up on time." Warden shrugged. "Not like I've got anything else to do. That and the scenery's not too shabby." He gave the girls a playful smile. "I agree," said Mollie, boldly looking Warden up and down in return. After a moment's pause, he looked at Lytham. "Carlysle pay good?" "I wouldn't know," the actor disclaimed. "And you'd want to be careful about which Carlysles you hooked up with, just at the moment," he warned Warden. Guppy's eyes narrowed at Mollie's boldness. He turned away and resumed scanning the groups around them. That man in khaki was now talking up another lady. Guppy's trained eyes began watching his movements, memorizing his features. "And some of those Carlysles can't even talk," he contributed to the conversation. Warden gave Mollie a semi-serious wink before resuming his part of the conversation. "Which Carlysles would you recommend? 'Cuz heaven knows I could use some real work. This business of fixing wagons and such is boring and the pay sucks." "As far as I can make out, the Haldane's been confirmed as pea-green incorruptible," said Lytham. "Sure seemed that way when he came out to the Badlands with the Regent," Guppy agreed. "I think the new Lord Carlysle has been cleared as well. Below that, it's probably anybody's guess." Warden nodded his head as he listened. "Might be worth looking into. So." Stretching out his shoulders, he looked around. "When we finally get around to dining, what would you folks recommend?" "I already picked out the restaurant," Lytham said confidently, "place called Cipriano's. I found out about it from a friend of mine who sold them some statuary. I think you'll like the interior decoration," he added with a grin, "and I know the food's good. I've eaten there once or twice." Guppy smirked at the name. He'd been there once or twice himself, though not as a customer. "You take those nobs to all the best places. Did you make reservations?" Lytham grinned slyly. "Let's say Edgar Bahlmis did. I make a very convincing minion." "Well, no shit." Warden laughed. "You're a bloody actor." You don't know the half of it, thought Lytham as he mimed an exaggerated, performer's bow. "Bravo, indeed." Guppy slowly clapped his hands. "I ought to invite you on more assignments with me. The places we could go with your talent..." One corner of Lytham's mouth twitched up. "How much would these assignments pay?" he asked Guppy, thinking he already knew the answer. Guppy muttered something incomprehensible. He turned away in embarrassment and spied that khaki-suited gentleman chatting with yet another young lady. His eyes narrowed. Warden looked down and kicked at the cobbles. "Sounds like we could all do with some new work." "Always," Lytham agreed with a sigh. Thinking of their company for the evening, Guppy sounded a little more positive than the other two. "Oh, I have something in the works, but it's going to take time—a whole lot of patience and time—to do it right." Lytham said nothing, but looked faintly skeptical at Guppy's assertion. Warden simply shrugged. "Unfortunately, time and patience run contrary to my goals at the moment." "If Mistress Amity was willing to grant us a little more patience and time with regard to the rent, it might be a different story," quipped Lytham. "It'd be nice, but it wouldn't make that big of a difference to me." Warden looked up to the stars. "The only thing changing the script is gonna be cash in fist."
Upon hopping down, Miles glanced around and seeing the young women with Lytham, Guppy and Warden, his own face broke into a wide grin. "Halloo! Have you been waiting long?" "Not long," disclaimed the tall, slim young man approaching the carriage. David Lytham grinned and added, "Not to signify, anyway. I got here a little early on purpose because I wasn't sure whether you folks would be early, or fashionably late." Over by the fountain, the three chorus girls, Mollie, Suzy, and Annabelle, waved to Miles. "Late—and don't blame Ed and me. We'd have been here on time, but our sister…" Miles rolled his eyes in a meaningful way in answer to Lytham's response. Lytham chuckled. "It's a lady's privilege to spend some extra time to look her very best," he informed Miles, with an odd gleam in his eye. Miles grinned even wider, if that was possible, and returned the wave from the girls and headed in their direction. At this time, Edgar had descended and held out his hand to help the ladies disembark. Guppy pushed himself away from the fountain, letting Lytham take the lead in greeting the nobs. Looking at the first two out of the carriage, he thought this could prove to be an interesting night. His own clothes might be a bit worn and out of date, but Guppy knew he at least could blend in under most circumstances. "Good evening, Master Bahlmis! Are you ready for an adventure?" Guppy called to Miles before craning his head to see who might be emerging from the carriage next. Still a bit unsure of local custom, especially concerning nobles, Warden was content to let the other two do the greeting. As they did, he scanned the crowd. Being a man who, by necessity, was used to keeping a low profile, he was uncomfortable with the attention drawn by the carriage. While he noticed a few shady characters, he was comfortable in the group’s number. At least he was until Guppy used the "A" word. His father always said an adventure was what you had when things went sideways on you. Miles nodded his head to Guppy but reached out to shake Warden's hand. After all they had worked quite well together building the defenses around the Inn during the riots. He was looking forward to renewing their association. Tori waited for her sisters to exit the carriage first, then took Edgar's hand although she was so light on her feet she barely put any pressure at all on his arm stepping down. She looked around curiously, then with growing concern. The Fountain was lovely, but the people—Tori was not quite sure what to make of them. Some she had seen before. The man advancing toward the carriage, and the three women by the fountain, had performed at the ill-fated reception for Kate Calloway, though they'd been dressed differently then. Instead of Badlands garb, the young actor wore a more normal looking jacket and shirt, with a colorful neckerchief. The girls' dresses were not quite as skimpy as their chorus-girl costumes, though somewhat daring nonetheless. Holly watched first her brothers, and then the other girls, descend from the carriage. At last it was her turn, and she maneuvered herself and the annoying skirt into the carriage doorway. When she saw her older brother with his hand out to help her down, her eyes flashed with indignation. "Thank you for your concern, but I can manage just fine," she told Edgar. The young woman then started to climb out of the carriage, but as she was lowering herself onto the carriage step, her foot got tangled in her skirt and she pitched forward. Edgar gasped and his reaction was a bit slow, but thankfully quick enough to catch his sister before she landed on her face. "Holly? Are you all right?" Ashly shot forward when Holly slipped, but she thought that if it was her who had stumbled, drawing attention to it was the least kind thing of all to do, so she turned her attention back to the others in the square and smiled brightly. She thought she was a teensy bit overdressed and she liked it. Warden started to move forward, but stopped himself as he realised that he couldn't reach her through the others and that Edgar was already in motion. "Awkward things, skirts," Lytham remarked sympathetically from just behind Edgar. Raising an eyebrow at Lytham, Warden smirked. "Wouldn't know." Holly pulled away from her brother as soon as she'd regained her balance. Pretending that her older brother didn't exist, and that her tumble from the carriage had not happened, she stepped around Edgar and offered the handsome young actor her hand. "Dreadfully. Do you wear them often?" she asked with a playful grin. "As an actor, I've worn all sorts of costumes," Lytham answered, taking her hand and bowing over it with a flourish. Light, laughing eyes met hers as he added, "If you think skirts are bad, you should try a priest's robes." Without missing a beat, he tucked Holly's hand into the crook of his arm, then turned to Edgar and asked, "Are you going to introduce these other lovely ladies?" Edgar looked around in a confused manner. Hadn't he just saved his sister from a terrible spill? Surely she should have at least thanked him… Then he sighed. Girls. "Know how to make an entrance, or exit, huh, Holly!" Miles yelled out and grinned at the three performers, including them in his joke with a wink. "So … what else are we doing for excitement?" He turned expectantly to Guppy who had previously asked him about being ready for an "Adventure". Yes, he was more than ready! Guppy watched the commotion at the carriage out of the corner of his eye. "Nothing before we have a good meal. That's my motto." Especially if he could get someone else to pay for it. "After that, you never know what could happen." Warden looked between Miles and Guppy and smiled. "Let's skip the excitement and stick to entertainment. Last time I was around either of you, the excitement was a bit on the wooly side." He shook his finger at them in mock censure. Although she knew that in Aquila, gentlemen introduced the ladies, Tori felt that she had waited long enough. She also thought perhaps thrusting herself forward might make her less feminine in the eyes of her companions and offer better chances for her sisters, who had much better ideas of how to deal with being on a "date" with a man. "My name is Victoria Windhaven," she said, "and these are my sisters—Gabriella, Miss Windhaven, and my twin, Miss Ashly." "Uh… Yes! Right." Edgar felt the heat rise to his face. Again his reactions had been too slow; this time to the social situation. It was one thing to read and study about such customs, but quite another to actually live in them. And again before he could introduce the crowd from the fountain, Lytham spoke up. "Delighted to make your acquaintance, ladies," said Lytham, with a bow. He did actually recall meeting Gabriella, but if she didn't want to recall the circumstances—she'd had a sword in her hand, among other things—he wasn't going to be the one to remind her. "David Lytham, at your service. May I also present Mollie, Suzy, and Annabelle," the three chorus girls smiled and waved, "and my housemates Warden Chase and Mr. Guppy." At the sound of the voice, Gabriella turned her head to the young man who introduced himself and the others within the group. She tilted her head at the memory of the voice and tried to catch a better look of his face. She smiled and waved at the chorus girls. The young actor's face was actually easier to see tonight than when he'd been wearing the broad-brimmed hat of a Badlander. Warden gave a sheepish sort of shrug. "I keep forgetting that Aquila is such a formal place." Turning to face Tori and her sisters, he gave a casual salute. "Ladies." "Aquila may be, but I'm not," said Ashly. "If you call me 'Miss Ashly' I'll never forgive you." Miles grinned at Ashly's boldness. He didn't think he'd ever get used to the formalities of planet life. However, he had to admit he liked girls in dresses. He couldn't quite put it into words, but the dresses were rather more alluring to him than the skin-tight jumpsuits that the girls back home wore. Lytham turned to Edgar and said, "I figured on dinner first. There's a great place I know of, called Cipriano's. I think you'll like it." "Wonderful!" Edgar responded. This he had an answer for. "Dinner sounds perfect. Should we take the carriage or... It's such a nice night. Is it within walking distance?" he asked, smiling hopefully. He didn't relish the idea of getting back into that bumping stuffy carriage until he absolutely had to. Tori nodded to Warden and smiled at the performers. "We saw you the other night," she said quietly. "It was a lovely performance." "Thank you," said Mollie, her smile turning up a notch. "Too bad we couldn't do anything about the rest of that night." Annabelle rolled her eyes. "Don't even think about it," she recommended. The smile turned on Edgar and Tori said, "It seems a nice night for a walk, and the coach seems to be ... out of place here." Lytham nodded. "It isn't far," he said. "And not too far from the dancing clubs either." He grinned. "Besides, even a coach that size isn't going to fit all of us." He chuckled. "I'd have you tell your coachman to pick you up at midnight, but I'm not sure we'll be back by then. Depends on how much fun we're having." "Yes, let's walk," Holly opined. "I've been cooped up in that bumpy wagon long enough. I need to get the kinks out of my legs before we get to the dancing." Edgar didn't want it to show, but it was evident by his grateful smile that walking would suit him quite well. He did eye Holly quizzically. He wasn't sure if, as an the older brother, he shouldn't step in and say something about the way she seemed to have latched on to "Slim" as Edgar thought of the actor. As the group turned toward their dining destination, Holly pulled back a bit from Lytham's arm to momentarily inspect him. "Oh, I don't think a priest's robes would suit you at all!" she told him with a slightly predatory smile, drawing close once more. "He was a renegade priest," Lytham informed her with a wink. "One of my better roles ... or at least, one with a fair amount of stage time." Warden hesitated for a few seconds as the party began moving towards their evening meal. Not only was he feeling out of place on Aquila, but with the company he found himself in. All in all, he was feeling out of his depth. Trying to relax, he took a deep breath and looked skyward. He gazed up the evening sky and felt even worse. The wide open space of the square, at least by Warden's estimation, left him feeling agoraphobic and seeing the stars without a barrier between him and them had always made him queasy. Shaking his head with a sigh, he did his best to push it all aside and carry on. Miles caught the mechanic's glance skyward and grinned. "Feels kinda odd, doesn't it? I mean … stars right out there like that? No window or nothing between? Ed says you'll get used to it—he's been planetside a lot more than I have." Warden shook his head. "I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it. Then again, including my time here on Aquila, I've only had seventy-two days dirtside." Secretly, he hoped he'd never have to get used to it. Guppy felt obligated to offer his arm to one of the ladies, but it seemed that these liberated women would laugh at him at best or slap him at worst. He fell into the group near Warden and Miles. "It's even worse out in the Badlands," he commented. "You see a lot more stars, and it's dead silent. Except when you hear an odd rustling noise. Nature." He made a sour face. "Thanks, but no." The engineer did his best to repress a shiver. "The quiet is fine, but I don't think I could handle all the open space yet." It was just about at that point that the three chorus girls decided to attach themselves to this trio of men. "Let us teach you how to walk with a lady," suggested Mollie, tucking her hand firmly around Miles's arm, and giving him a wink. Miles rather appreciated the quaint custom. With her arm linked firmly in his, he got the impression of Mollie's soft curves pressed tightly against his upper arm. He was thankful for the darkening night and poor lighting, because he was sure his face was a crimson flame. He swallowed and tried for blustering, "I could get used to this sort of thing!" Mollie chuckled softly. "Local customs," added Suzy, doing the same to Warden. Warden gave Suzy an unsteady grin. "I'd hate to offend." He did his best to push aside his discomfort and smile. "Refresher course for you," suggested Annabelle, falling into step next to Guppy. Ashly kept an eye on the byplay, smiling. It was fun to be in a large group of people. It was just too bad Alex wasn't along. On the other hand, that left plenty of time for match-making. "Edgar, why don't you help Tori? I talked her into shoes that are hard to walk in." Hearing this, Lytham slowed his pace a little. They weren't in any hurry, and a case of sore feet could really kill an evening. Tori gave her sister an odd look. The slippers had a bit of a heel she wasn't used to, but she didn't anticipate difficulties because of them. "It's really nothing to worry about," she said quietly. "It's a beautiful night." Despite Tori's protest, Edgar did drop back with an apologetic smile, offering her his arm, and responded, "Yes, it is a beautiful night, but it doesn't compare to the beautiful company." Tori couldn't help but smile as she laid her hand lightly on his arm. "You're very kind. I hope your family has been adjusting to the changes well—as well as can expected, I mean, with events as they were. I still find myself thinking of Teresan and ... mistaking customs—although I'm used to the stars." There was no doubt this group was a beautiful company. Many sets of eyes at the Amoretto Fountain followed them as they walked away. Guppy could feel the attention but was rather sure that none of the glances were focused on him. After checking to make sure her sisters were taken care of, a latent memory of her own dismal chances at a match, Gabriella stepped back to walk next to the three girls, hoping to slip in their small talk and see what this evening was going to be all about. Ever cautious since the reception, she glanced back to check those who watched them leave, but nothing seemed amiss. She then turned her attention back to the rest of the group. |
