“You know what it is?” Brill said to Bev over my head.
“What?”
“Him.” She jerked a thumb in my direction. “They wanna see what he does next.”
I held up my hands in surrender. “Whoa! I got the duty in the morning. I’m just going for a couple of drinks and then I’m coming home and going to bed.”
Brill made one of her mmm-hmm sounds.
Beverly just grinned at nothing in particular.
I looked up at Brill and realized she did not have a necklace on. Her throat and upper chest were spectacular on their own, but I thought it could use something to focus attention. I reached back and untied the leather thong and stripped off my green stone.
“Come down here!” I told her.
Bev and I were both astonished when she did just that, leaning down so I could tie the thong around her neck. It took me a couple of tries, but I finally got it where I thought it would do the most good.
“Is this one of the stones you got on Margary?” she asked, reaching up to touch it with her fingertips.
“Yup,” I said. It was about all I could say because it was stunning. The rawness of the leather and the simplicity of the green stone centered just below her collarbone was like a target. The green stone and the red jacket played off each other making each color look just that little bit richer for being together.
“It’s still warm. “You’ve been wearing it all day?”
“Yeah,” I said.
Bev winked at me.
Finally everybody got off the ship and we headed for the lift. Bev and I took up station on either side of Brill. Bev in her leathers, looked like she would eat the next three men alive and they would love every bite. Brill had on her red jacket, while I sported my pink shirt and olive coat. We formed up in a kind of parade formation with some of the crew ahead and some behind. I spotted Rebecca Saltzman out front walking with Mitch Fitzroy. I never appreciated Rebecca’s ability to really slink. The genetic legacy of heavy-G did not seem to bother her stride one bit and I appreciated it in detail for several moments. I looked over my shoulder and saw Tabitha had her own little escort flotilla bringing up the rear with Sean on one side and Arvid on the other. All three of them looked like they were locked and loaded. Whoever that trio tangoed with was in for a hell of a dance. I started counting heads and realized we had almost half the crew in that one group.
I laughed softly.
“What?” Brill asked without looking down.
“Talk about your extended family,” I said.
Beverly chimed in with, “I was thinking dysfunctional, myself. I think every one of us is crazed.”
“Dysfunctional, no. Crazed, definitely. Every last one of us,” I told her.
We managed to get everybody on the big lift and went down in a single group. When the doors opened to the heat and moisture of the oh-two deck, we streamed off the lift in a herd. The corridors were not crowded. It was still relatively early, but the groups of people who were there parted in front of us and we sailed past.
When we got to Jump! the group broke up into table-sized bunches, some people choosing to pull tables together, others simply settling in threes and fours. The waitresses were kept hopping for a few ticks while everybody got drinks and the evening began to ramp up. Pip sat with Bev, Brill and me at a four-top and I looked around to see if I could see anybody familiar.
Brill leaned over to me and said, “The Hedley is getting underway in a couple of stans. Al’s not here.”
“Yeah, I know. I looked it up earlier. The Sigler left, too, so I’m safe from whats-his-name.” I winked at her. “I’m just getting a feel for the room.”
Pip laughed. “A feel for the room? You planning on moving in?”
“No, I just wanna see how the people are grouping up.”
Brill didn’t look comfortable and I asked, “Are you okay?”
She shrugged. “I don’t do well on these last night outings. Everybody seems so desperate.” She laughed self-consciously.
I looked at Bev who gave me a little shrug.
I turned back to Brill and said, “Do something for me?”
She barked a short laugh. “You mean something else? I’m already out, wearing the clothes you asked for, and I’ve got your stone around my neck. What more do you want?”
“Close your eyes. I’m going to whisper a word in your ear. Hold it in your mind. Then finish your drink before you open your eyes.”
She looked at me like I was crazy, but she closed her eyes. I leaned into her ear, savoring the scent of her under the ship’s shampoo and soap and whispered. She giggled, but she finished her drink before opening her eyes.
“Now what’s that supposed to do?” she asked.
“Maybe nothing. But you gotta believe,” I told her and grinned.
Pip looked at me funny then but he didn’t say anything.
Beverly shot me with an expression that asked, “What the hell are you up to?” I just shrugged and waited.
The waitress came back then and put a drink in front of Brill.
“But I didn’t order—” she started to say.
The waitress pointed toward the bar. “It’s from the gentleman over there.”
We all looked and saw a nice-looking guy in a leather jacket and pullover. He raised his glass in silent toast.
Beverly ducked her head a little bit when she saw him and started to giggle. “The guy in the jacket?” she asked from behind a hand.
The waitress nodded. “Yup. That’s him.” She continued on to deliver an order to the next table.
Brill leaned into Beverly and asked, “You know him?”
“Oh, yeah,” Bev said with an emphatic nod of her head. “You should go over and thank him for the drink.”
“Really?” Brill said and looked again. He still smiled at her, waiting for her reaction.
“Oh, yeah,” Bev said again.
Brill looked puzzled and shrugged. “If you’re setting me up, Beverly Arith, I will make you suffer in ways you cannot possibly fathom,” she said darkly.
“You already do, hon,” Bev assured her with a smile so warm, two of the ice cubes in my drink melted.
“And I should go thank him for the drink?” she asked again.
Bev nodded very solemnly. “You’ll thank me tomorrow.”
The way she said it made even Pip blush.
Brill looked at me and I just said, “Remember the word.”
She made up her mind stood up. I was so proud of her because she did not just stand—she really stood. Not the usual Brill stoop so she did not bang her head, but straight, tall, and proud like that day we sailed into Chez Henri. She picked up her drink and sashayed over to where he waited. As she approached, he slid off the stool and dropped almost to the level of the bar, but held a stool for her before getting back on his own.
I looked at Beverly and asked, “You sent her off to thank a midget?”
“He’s not that short. The angle and standing next to Brill makes it look worse than it is. He’s about a meter and a quarter. A little more maybe.”
“But you know how sensitive she is about her height…”
“Oh, I don’t think height is going to be an issue tonight,” she said softly with a peculiar emphasis on the word height.
Pip was leaning in on the conversation, too. “Why not?” he asked.
Bev shrugged. “What he lacks in height, he more than makes up for in length and width,” she said with an evil grin. I thought Pip might swallow his tongue at that, but when she added, “And he can lick his own eyebrows.” I was very glad I did not have a mouthful of my drink.
I turned to her. “You are evil.”
“Thanks,” she said smugly.
“I think you guys are becoming a corrupting influence on Ish. He’s change a lot since leaving the galley.”
Bev and I looked at each other and shrugged. “We try,” she said. “As much as we can.”