A transvestite witch and a con artist walk into a bar...

[tlazolpapalotl]

Who: Lord Fanny and Saffron
What: A warden and inmate getting to know each other.
Where: The pub.
When: Today.
Warnings: Probably none

Comments

[call_me_saffron]

"Something stiff."

Saffron's voice was wry; what she really wanted was something strong enough to knock out a horse. Instead she settled for asking her warden to get her a whiskey before taking a glance around at their surroundings. She had a feeling that her first few days on the barge might have been a bit more palatable had she had access to this place.

[tlazolpapalotl]

Fanny returned after a moment with a glass of dry vermouth on the rocks for herself and a whiskey for Saffron, quietly filing away the choice for reference later. She sat down and folded her hands neatly on the table.

"So tell me a little bit about yourself, darling. Or," a thoughtful pause, "would you rather I go first?"

[call_me_saffron]

Saffron took her drink and waved her free hand in a non-committal gesture.

"Go ahead. I don't really have much to tell."

[tlazolpapalotl]

Fanny gave her a raised-eyebrow "oh, really," look, but smiled pleasantly. "Very well then. Well, I'm from Rio de Janeiro, a city on what I think they call in your time 'the Earth that was', am I correct? Not a luxurious upbringing; quite the contrary. But I took the opportunities I had and I've lived these last few years in England and America." Pause. "And I'm a witch, darling. Learned it at my grandmother's knee."

[call_me_saffron]

"A witch? Now there's something you don't see every day." Saffron raised an eyebrow and looked Fanny over with interest. "So, what? You ride a broomstick? Got any warts hiding under your make-up?"

[tlazolpapalotl]

"Warts? Heaven forbid, darling," Fanny replied with a laugh. "And no broomsticks either. Very old magic, this. And I'm more than a little psychic too." She leaned forward slightly. "I could, for example, take your hand right now and pick out anything you didn't quite feel like telling me. But I won't, because that isn't fair." She sat back, still smiling. "And it's more interesting to hear how you tell it."

[call_me_saffron]

Saffron ran her finger absently around the room of her drink and gave a shrug. Her eyes never left those of her warden.

"I was a bad girl, I died, I came here." The redhead stopped and took a sip of her drink, savouring the taste awhile before setting the glass back down again. "My story's hardly any more interesting than anyone else's."

[tlazolpapalotl]

"Bad how, darling?" Fanny asked, her tone perfectly gentle. She was watching Saffron carefully as well, each movement and fleeting expression.

[call_me_saffron]

Jutting her chin, Saffron shook her head and spoke coolly. "If you're looking for an insight into how my mind works," she said, "you're out of luck."

[tlazolpapalotl]

"No need to be so defensive, darling," Fanny said, sounding for all the world as if her own feelings were hurt (just a bit) by Saffron's resistance. "I'm simply interested in your side of the story is all. I've got a file, of course, but it's no substitute for a genuine point of view."

[call_me_saffron]

"I didn't get to where I am today by opening myself up to people," Saffron snapped. A moment later her face darkened and it seemed a realisation had occurred to her. "But I suppose 'where I am' isn't the most ideal position, is it?"

She was silent for a moment then, nursing her glass in one hand and brushing her fingers absently over her collarbone with the other, as if she were lost in thought.

"I am-was-a con artist," she said eventually. "But I'm sure my file already enlightened you about that. I manipulated a lot of people to get what I wanted. Friendship never meant much to me." She looked up suddenly, meeting Fanny's eyes. "Still doesn't."

[tlazolpapalotl]

A little smile. "No, you're rather a hard case, aren't you, my dear? Tough as nails but soft when you need to be, is that it?" Fanny took a long sip of her drink, regarding Saffron thoughtfully. "How badly do you want to get out of here, darling?"

[call_me_saffron]

Saffron shrugged. "That depends. What do I have to look forward to when I get out?" She scoffed. "Somehow I doubt the big guy in charge brought me here just so that I can 'redeem' myself and go back to my old lifestyle."

[tlazolpapalotl]

"Lots of choices, so I'm told," Lord Fanny replied. "Some people go back to where they came from and start over. Some get the Admiral to drop them off somewhere completely new. But the whole point, darling, is to be able to make a fresh start as a better person."

[call_me_saffron]

Saffron rolled her eyes. She couldn't keep the hint of bitterness out of her voice when she spoke, however, which made it rather unconvincing.

"Assuming I want to be a better person. I had a pretty good life going for myself, did my file tell you that?" she snapped, setting her glass down angrily.

Looking away, she folded her arms across her chest in an unconsciously defensive gesture.

[tlazolpapalotl]

"Was it really that good?" Fanny asked. "Always on the move, always making sure you wouldn't be found out? Discovering, perhaps, that the universe was a much smaller place than you perhaps realised?" Fanny shook her head. "You're clearly a very intelligent woman. Talented, driven. Surely there must be another way you can used those gifts."