She broke the contact and slapped him away with a laugh.
It was a straight put-down, and would be a blow to his pride, Sara imagined. She expected bitterness and resentment. She was surprised when she detected none.
Nox just grinned, letting it wash over him. He chuckled. That dirty laugh she liked so much.
Caught up in the middle of Nox’s winning smile, Sara laughed. For a moment, she almost managed to forget how this was her job.
Sara made an ushering sweep with her hand. She peered around.
The gaming room of Cafe MIO, lit a warm, romantic yellow, was thronging with people. They were arranged by groups in rows of cushioned sofas. Pan walked down the rows, chatting and exchanging pleasantries with the men. Her girls seemed ready. They looked fine. No one had the nervous look Pan always watched for. Pan noted with satisfaction Ivan at the table, and Nox sipping his 2nd beer. Sara, the new girl, had done her job perfectly. Pan nodded to Sara as she moved on.
Pan looked. The bar rattled with the uproar of people. Men and women were shouting and dancing. Wagers were paid out, back and forth, local currency, CCD cash, chips, coins, badges… Downstairs, one dealer was trying to get the man to pay up. Pan pushed through the oblivious, dancing men. Nine or ten spectators were gathered around the table now, and a few looked like they were ready to back the dealer up.
The man who refused to pay started shoving the dealer in the chest. They were all a lot taller than him. They were all a lot taller than Pan.
Pan cleared her throat and prepared to intervene. At that moment, the bouncer behind the dealer suddenly produced a baseball bat. It was a thick cylinder of hardwood with a metal center—solid, meaty. The man lunged forward—and stopped. The club came down near his head, which shut him up suddenly. The bouncer simply shrugged in bemusement as the man paid up.
“I hate a bad loser,” said Pan, from a few steps away. She was staring at the men surrounding the table. “This is entertainment. Sport. We come in here in the spirit of friendly competition and leave violence at the door. You’re pissed off. Well, tough. In the spirit of this place, I say take your money. We don’t want it. Your bets are wiped. Take your money. And get out.”
The bouncer tossed his baseball bat up in the air without even looking at it, and caught it again by the grip. “Well?"
The man fled. So did some of the other men. The other tables began to cheer and clap. The bouncer did a little bow. Pan was impressed. He kept control. You don’t start something like this if you can’t police it, Pan thought. First rule of showmanship.
As for letting the man go without paying?
Pan smiled at the stunned onlookers. It was all part of the show. Besides, one of her girls picked his pocket on the way out...
Sara saw Pan, far away through a sea of faces.
Sara thought she was about to get a reprimand for slapping Nox. Sometimes Pan could be a bastard disciplinarian, but only when it mattered, and it clearly didn’t matter now. Pan glanced over at Sara and raised her eyebrows in a “you never know” expression. Sara smiled to herself.
They nodded to each other. That was all that was needed. Sara saw Pan clasp hands with each of the VIP guests in turn. Sara liked Pan, and not because she was one of the most attractive things in Cafe MIO. She was good. Damn good. And she’d left a rewarding life in the palace to tend to her girls here. She was known to be fair, until she was pushed. And the man who didn’t want to pay, just pushed Pan...
Sara returned her gaze to Nox by her side. He was expressionless. Sara wondered how he was able to disguise his feelings so well. She’d have to ask him sometime. She didn’t really understand what made the man tick, but she valued his company. His tone was flippant, but his words made Sara uneasy. No one wants to get into a fight that’s already lost.
Sara stared at Nox, all the laughter gone from her eyes. “Go and do what you do. And I’ll stay here and do what I do.” she said, suddenly unsettled. “Still, the chance to take control. You had the right idea."
“Who knows why the cult want you dead. Probably doesn’t want ‘grunts' acting with initiative over and above higher ups. Well, Cafe MIO does. That’s why working here is fun. Here’s the thing. This is decision making on the ground, not where your boss sits and shouts orders at you. When you do well, you tell people you got lucky.”
Sara paused.
“Still, I don’t believe in luck. Well… I do, as it goes, but I don’t count on it. I believe we make our own luck in this city."
“Hey…” smiled Sara. “Look, Nox."
From far above, the sun had come out and the foam of clouds and lustrous mist had wafted away toward the edge. They looked up at the ceiling and saw the vast shape of the formations beyond the sun— in the suddenly gleaming light, they could see floating islands, each carrying upwards of two thousand trees.
“Look,” Sara repeated. "Pinch me. Are we flying?”
Sara could feel every organ in her torso vibrating. She loved that feeling.
Falling through the blackness.
The windows opened. Shutters peeled back along the sides of the room, letting in the immense gloominess outside. Ceiling projections began to collapse. Sara took a last, wistful look at the retreating specks of glow that twinkled out there in the dark, like stars. Lines of deck lights winked on, casting their feeble glow up through the carpeted floor.
Sara smiled reassuringly. “I feel like a million CCD bucks now. You?”
Sara