&fic;

 

Shake Loose

by sugargroupie

PG, 1899 words

Summary: maybe she'll take some of that fun to go.

Disclaimer: Not mine; O'Bannon, Henson, Kemper, et. al.

Notes: written for Resmin in the Thelma & Louise Ficathon. Spoilers up to Crichton Kicks. Thanks to StarsGoBlue for the quick beta. Mistakes are mine.

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .

Chiana's got nothing against slow. She prefers the ease of settling into her skin again after a good frell. Savoring the last sweet burst of calla berry in her mouth -- the sticky residue she licks clean from her fingers. The small gaps in situation normal when Moya is nothing but a calm and boring flight, before chaos blooms.

How it used to be, she reminds herself, and quickly rejects that trail of thought. She'd left one home to go in search of another, and there's no changing that now. She has no regrets, just plenty of time to while away. She glances around the square as people mill about and finally comes to a small refreshment house. The darkly lit room is a relief from the warm weather, and she chooses the nearest seat at the bar.

When the barkeep turns around to acknowledge her, Chiana's eyes are drawn to the markings on his arms and face. They are unfamiliar to her, and he doesn't look like any species she's seen. She wants to ask, but he cuts her off before her lips can form the words. "Help you?" he questions gruffly.

She stares at him for a microt before answering. "A fellip to start with." He fishes below and moments later a chilled bottle rattles on the counter-top. Chiana takes a long gulp, wipes her mouth with the back of her hand before continuing with, "What do you do around here for fun?"

"Depends on what you like."

She licks the edge of her mouth, grins as she takes another sip. "You just point me in the right direction and I'll see for myself."

The barkeep tells her to keep straight on the main road through town. The street has a steep incline that forms a bend on the other side. As soon as she crosses the top a cluster of nondescript dwellings enters her line of sight. It's not much to look at, but she at least wants to see the inside. As she nears the double door entrance, the din of activity hums in her ears, washes over her as she pushes the doors open.

Wide open space greets her, and she giggles in surprise. Tables line the walls and fill half the room, while the other half houses gambling stalls and hundreds of people shouting and laughing. It's the sound of a casino, the smell of it, and Chiana is grateful for such a distraction.

She lets her fingers trail the edges of the tables, but she doesn't linger. Her excitement is quickly waning when she happens upon a game that looks interesting enough to help pass the time. In the beginning she observes the other players, listens to their strategies while planning her own. She loses track of time -- thinks maybe a few arns have passed -- before deciding to play.

Then the nixa shows up and everything else turns to dren.

* * *

She'd wanted to keep her hands busy while waiting for the next transport off-planet; she'd needed to not think about finding Nerri until she found him. Instead she sought to make herself dizzy from the fast and loose at a local casino. What she'd been looking for was a temporary distraction. What she found was a temptation she simply couldn't let pass.

"Cheat proof," the dealer had said, and Chiana never could back down from a challenge. She studied each player's turn at the ion stream, a thousand different outcomes to each spin of a mercury droplet. When her turn came, she stood there for a microt and simply felt the weight of the mercury in her hands. Then she chucked it into the stream, couldn't tamp down the excitement that seemed to work its way past her throat, the nervous energy fluttering along her skin. She could barely stand still, poised to leap in celebration at the slightest provocation.

The drop of mercury cut through nothing but air, bypassing the stream to land in the shallow funnel below. Chiana didn't hesitate to grab the droplet again but the girl had been there first, long fingers clenched around the mercury she held up as if on display. As if Chiana couldn't easily have taken it back.

They stood in front of the game kiosk, ignoring the small gathering of players waiting impatiently for their turn. The gaming area was overflowing with a variety of gambling stalls, advertising ways to win money, and activities on which to spend it. But Chiana wasn't interested in those games; she'd set her sights on this one.

She's young, was Chiana's first thought. No older than me. She slinked in and blocked her path, causing the girl to frown immediately. Chiana considered touching her just to get a reaction, but decided on another tactic. She could play later. "Not your turn nixa. Hand it over."

She countered the girl's defiant shrug by moving closer; the gray girl and the -- Chiana stared at the mass of blue hair contrasting against dusky skin, the thin ridges of flesh that seemed to stretch across every dench of her body left exposed, reminding her of the barkeep. The palest eyes she had ever seen. Might've even been a pretty face underneath the grime.

Narl looked imprinted, and Chi was curious as to how far the pattern went.

The girl shook her head, refusing to back down even as she leaned back, reclaiming her space. "You lost," she said. "That makes it my turn."

Chiana softened the edges of her voice, using the distance to her advantage. She'd always had sex and violence at her immediate disposal, but this was something different. "After I'm finished."

When the girl smiled, arrogance and joy lighting her eyes, it transformed her entire face. She brought her arm up to take aim and Chiana felt the loss of gravity as time slowed down. Her eyes felt heavy as they turned in on themselves, whispered secrets coded in her own special brand of distorted vision. This time she saw through the streams, saw where she needed to direct her aim for the particles to catch the droplet. The pattern was like a flimsy in her mind and she tracked it, turned it inside out until all she could see were invisible streams. She saw herself winning just as the young girl had.

Not how she would've preferred to beat the game, but this new way was hers to claim now.

Chiana was released from her trance by the abrupt yell of the crowd around the kiosk. She listened as the girl enthusiastically collected her winnings. Chiana wasn't completely blind, could still make out people-shapes. They bumped shoulders and Chi wrapped her fingers around a slender brown wrist, gently traced the lines of upraised skin on the girl's arm. "Hey... what's your name?"

"Why?" The question was immediate and sharp, and suddenly the girl didn't seem so young anymore. Chiana could relate.

"'Cause I wanna know." Silence. But the girl hadn't walked away and that was something. So she gave a little first and hoped the girl reciprocated. "I'm Chiana."

Movement filtered through her vision as the girl finally spoke. "Call me Neryll."

"I can do that," Chiana said with a nod. She could do a lot of things thanks to Neryll and her visions. Like win that frelling game.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" Neryll took a step back from her. Chiana wanted to laugh. The girl liked her space.

"S'nothing," she dismissed with a shrug. "I just... I have a different way of seein' things." Chiana reached for another mercury droplet and caught nothing but air. She felt Neryll's fingers graze her own as the sphere was dropped in her hand. "Thanks," she breathed. No sense in pretending she didn't need the help, and the girl was smart enough not to mention it.

Neryll gave her space this time. "I don't know too many Nebari. Do they all see the way you do?"

Chiana curled her lips in distaste. "Nah. I'm special." And she let the mercury fly; found she didn't mind not being able to see it catch in the stream. The crowd's reaction was enough. Neryll touched her again and yelled, "You won!"

"Yeah!" Chiana leapt then, laughter and bravado shaking loose from the win.

Then she thought of Rygel, of all people, and decided to play again.

* * *

Casino noise chases away her attention from the pain, gives her something to focus on as she blends into the crowd. She lets the sounds carry her across the pathway, reaches out until she makes contact with the wall, and presses herself flat against the surface.

Chiana releases a breath, sticks out her tongue and can almost curl the crowd's energy into her mouth. Maybe... maybe once the sharp edges of her headache have lessened, when she can see what's in front of her, she'll take some of that fun to go.

She thinks of the past few arns and smiles. Seven times in a row she'd won. Seven times with a lucrative payout, with Neryll's steady presence and pale eyes that widened as Chiana finally collapsed from the pain. But the girl hasn't asked questions, and Chiana doesn't need eyes to see that Neryll has secrets of her own.

Maybe she can take Neryll as her own traveling companion.

Chiana feels a hand on her shoulder, hears Neryll's voice in her ear. "I got you food and something to drink. Hungry?"

She wants to say no. She doesn't need any frelling hand-outs. But the girl has been there. Just there, not hovering about trying to fix something that's not broken. It's... nice. "Yeah."

The warm scent of yarfla drifts to her nose, makes her mouth water as Neryll pulls the bread from its wrapping. Chiana takes it in hand, takes a big bite just as Neryll whispers, "They're looking for us."

"Who?" she asks around a mouthful.

"They think we cheated."

Chiana swallows the food quickly and pushes away from the wall. "Why didn't you say that before? We gotta go!"

Neryll pushes back. "A few microts won't make a difference, Chiana."

She sounds so young. Young and stupid. "Split up," Chiana orders. "That'll make it harder for them to catch us."

Chiana shoves Neryll to the side. Her head doesn't hurt nearly as much as before, and the shapes have taken a more solid form in her eyes. Her vision is slowly coming back.

The girl falls into quick step beside her as they join the crowd. "How did you win that game?"

"Same as you."

"I only won once."

"Then I have better luck than you!" They speed up, breaking out into a run when Neryll grabs her arm. "No more questions, nixa."

*

They almost get away.

Neryll is dragged away first, using arms and legs as weapons in an effort to escape. Chiana doesn't wince as her friend is knocked unconscious; nor does she react when her pale eyes roll back as the girl falls limp.

Her memory is still not clear on some events. What she does remember are the faces of her tormentors, showing in stark relief as they'd pinned her down. A little unethical torture, nothing new, she thinks.

When Chiana finally boards a transport days later, she doesn't wonder what happened to Neryll. She's on her own again.

*

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