Dirty Dealings
{5.15.22} Loe and Raveki have more fun negotiating than they really should. Candlario is an unfortunate (or fortunate?) spectator
** Thanks to Loe for putting out loud and 'murmured' poses together. I stole this!
The Lucky Seven, Ista Weyr
The main, double doors that lead in to the tavern are, as a rule, left open, leading into the wide main room of the tavern. Directly across from the entrance, stretched across the long back wall, stands the focus of the room, indeed the entire building; the bar is made of a deep, red-brown wood and polished to a heady shine and behind it shelves stand with rows of clean glasses and tankards of all sizes and shapes. To the left of the bar is a staircase that allows access to a mundane upper story, a single hall lined with modest rooms for rent, and to the right is an arched doorway leading to a darker gaming room. But most of the action happens out in the middle, in among the haphazardly arranged tables and their allotted chairs. Though there are a few feminine touches draped around, a sage green curtain here or a coral red tablecloth there, when the tall room is filled with people there is no mistaking the testosterone-driven atmosphere of the place.
It's a usual afternoon at Ista. The humidity isn't so bad today, partially cleared off by a good, stiff breeze that makes the canopy of jungle trees sway over the clearing of the Lucky Seven. Loe's been sitting at a table for a little while, sipping a tall glass of water as she reads over notes and lists and whatever else she does with all those papers. Her brow furrows once in a while, but for the most part her work seems to be going well, evidenced by papers getting shuffled to the bottom of the stack.
The wind is enough that when Raveki gets basically blown in, hair a tousled mess and skirt whipping around her legs, she pauses long enough to pull them shut. It leaves the room noticeably darker in spite of the windows and glows, but at least it cuts the breeze. Long fingers run through dark waves, neatening her hair into its usual carefully disheveled state as she moves toward the bar. Her progress pauses at Loe's table and she tsks softly, tapping a finger beside the tall glass. "Please tell me that is straight vodka and not water again."
Loe lifts her eyes from her page only a fraction of a beat after she starts to lift her head. Her smirk is already in place, a small, mostly-friendly thing. "Water," she disappoints. "You should try it. Far more thirst-quenching." With a small incline of her head to the empty chair across from her and the lift of her eyebrow asks the question before her mouth does. "Want to grab a glass of your own and sit?" And no, she doesn't mean in general, she means there across from her. "I've been thinking about something."
Teeth brush Raveki's lower lip as she takes stock of the bar. Not too busy, several girls on the floor... she nods. No other response but that little inclination of her head, and then she goes to fetch her own glass of water. She adds a twist of lime to it, and saunters back over to settle both her glass and herself at the table. "I drink water. Just not usually in a /bar/." One finger slides through the new condensation on the glass and her eyes flick up to Loe. "Are you ever not thinking?"
"I should have asked for lime," Loe grins, her eyes on that sliver of fruit as if it's a green stroke of genius. "I like it here during the day. It's away from everything. Pretty quiet. Plenty of room to spread out." Which she sort of has. A large portion of the table is taken up by slates and papers and her therefore empty bag. She just smiles for Raveki's question, taking it as rhetorical. "I'm not sure who to speak with, really. I have an idea for... an event of sorts. Which I believe could be of some profit to the Seven." She waits then to find out if Vek really is the person to talk to, picking up her water to take a sip through the straw she didn't forget to request.
Long fingers silde into Raveki's tall glass and she pulls out the lime. It sits there in her palm, resting in its own little puddle as she offers it with a smirk. "You want it?" Her tone is doubtful, but amused as the quirk of her lips. One dark brow slides upward at the statement which is really a question, and she settles back in her seat, upturned hand still hovering over the ordered chaos on the table. "I'd be happy to hear your idea," she answers. Or maybe I should say replies, since it's not really an answer to the question Loe didn't exactly ask. SHe does have Vek's interest though.
Fingers. In the glass. Loe's brows pop up again, a bit of disbelief and amusment mingled in her smile. "Really?" There's a beat as she considers it. "Sure." Then the lime is plucked from Vek's hand and dropped in Loe's own drink. She wipes her wet hand on her pants--its just water. "So, I'm thinking of someone that could possibly generate a bit of a crowd. A crowd that will no doubt be wanting drinks. And hopefully once they have drinks, they'll forget when to stop. Since you happen to have drinks on hand here... Here would be a logical choice. It could mean a slower night at the tables." She'll be honest about that, upfront. And also upfront: "I'm looking to keep my involvement somewhat discreet."
For just an instant suprise registers on Raveki's face, brows up and lashes flashing wide as Loe takes the lime. Quick as a wink her features are schooled back into a lazy grin, but her eyes can't help but follow the lime's descent into the glass. She leaves her hand wet, using it to lift her glass for a sip. Dark eyes stay fixed on Loe as she sets the glass back down, a knowing glint in their darkness. "Why not the Sandbar? Unless this is the sort of thing our kind of crowd might enjoy more." She does end by waving dismissively at the discreet bit, allowing, "Of course, always," to keep from getting bogged down in the more obvious details.
"A number of reasons," Loe starts in quite readily. Surely she noted the moment of surprise, the handwave, but those things aren't as interesting as the details of her own project. "The location is one reason. Like I mentioned, the Seven is secluded, separate. It's your yard I'm after; it would be easier to section off than the beach. And yes, I believe it's more suited to your clientele. This event would be more up your alley than the Sandbar, though it will probably draw plenty of dockhands and sailors anyway. I'd like to stage a prizefight in your clearing."
The forthcoming details bring Raveki forward like Loe's words are a magnet. She ends up leaning elbows onto the tabletop, chin propped in one hand and lashes narrowed. "A prizefight. In 'my' clearing?" A sound, halfway between a 'huh' and a single note of laughter, escapes berry-stained lips and Raveki tosses back a gulp of water like it's something far stronger. "You gonna charge us less rent since you'll be using the space too then?" It's a bit short, this question, but to an observant person the wheels are visibly ticking over in her head. The new clientele, the drinks to be sold, marks to be made
Loe eases in a little closer too, no elbows on the table though, largely just the turn of her head, the slightly sidelong glance under an arched brow. "No, I don't think so," she answers about the rent, sweet and warm and wry. There's an excited shine in her eyes. "I rather thought the extra business might be boon enough to make it worthwhile for you girls. Men all riled up, wanting to drink." Or wanting other things, but Loe doesn't mention that.
Chin still propped, Raveki swirls her water with the free hand. The body language is loose but her eyes are nothing but sharp. "Always with the thinking, hmm? This is another reason you should do something other than water." It's almost a purr, and one finger taps the side of the glass. Tick, tick, tick, the gears turn over in her head. "And you're providing the fighters, someone to work the door? Are sisters taking bets? There are only so many of us you know."
If the Seven was a bit more populated, this might be exactly the sort of thing to get a little wayward attention from roving male eyes. The blonde headwoman, the dark-haired barmaid, leaning toward each other over a table of drinks with their languid, relaxed body-language and their intent eyes. Those onlookers would probably imagine a different converation is happening. One that's more about naked than about organization and negotiation. "Yes, I'm prepared to handle almost everything else. I have someone lined up to deal with the betting, some people to approach about the security and someone to referee the fights themselves. I'm looking into having a healer on hand. It will all be taken care of. All I'd ask of you is that you sell you drinks as you would any other night. And... perhaps one other thing."
The best thing about those mislaid assumptions, is that while the content of the conversation has nothing to do with naked, the intensity and the high from this sort of flirtation can be just as much fun. One long finger circles the rim of Raveki's half empty glass, giving her eyes something to fasten on for a beat. "One other thing, of course. There's always a catch." Up come dark eyes, veiled by lowered lashes. "Right up until you said that it was sounding like a decent-" she breaks off then, thoughtful frown appearing out of nowhere. "Are you working with that kid too? That... Saiyah girl?"
"Well, I would hope that for the other thing we could work out some arrangement perhaps. Something to make it-" Loe breaks off too as Raveki's question sinks in. She doesn't frown like her companion does, but her eyebrows twitch together, confused and curious. "Saiyah? What about Saiyah? The one with the big brother?" Loe's arms bend out a little, a hint of a muscle-man pose meant to explain what kind of 'big' she's talking about.
Raveki nods, then again at the pose. "Yeah, she asked me to watch for good fighters." The space between them decreases marginally as her arms fold down on the table and she shifts her chair up against the table. "Maybe she's wanting fighters for something else, which might be something to-" she breaks off again, shaking her head with a flash of sheepishness across her features. "Which might be something you don't need to worry about. Sorry, continue. The other thing?"
"She asked you to watch for... good..." Loe just repeats it back, though the words get more halted as she speaks, like the little hitches in her brain are coming out audibly as each new question pops up. She doesn't ask all those questions, though, just: "That's all she said? Just... watch for good fighters?" Her eyes taking in the sheepishness, she gives Vek a moment unwatched and focuses on her glass instead, taking another long sip. "The other thing, I'm still puzzling out, I think." She thinks. Which makes her flash a slow, private-joke sort of smirk across the table. "I know, I know." More drinking, less thinking.
The frown is back, though the line of her mouth is more frustrated than thoughtful. Each little hitch on Loe's part earns a tiny nod from Raveki, like she's following those popping thought bubbles. "Yeah, that and to watch for 'anything interesting'. It was all rather odd to be honest, but if you toss marks at me... I'm probably not going to ask." She shrugs, "And maybe that was her point." Puzzling that other thing is far more interesting though so Vek just lets out a slow breath as if clearing mind and lungs at once, and she settles back in her chair. "A hint, a clue? Maybe I can help with the figuring out?" A girl comes up to offer more drinks, but she gets waved away before she even gets close, leaving them in their little bubble of space.
"Did she also ask you not to say anything?" Loe guesses, putting on a touch of a 'oh, oops' expression that quickly sinks back into her usual smirk. She's teasing, jovial about it, though her green eyes are still caculating. "Or does discretion not apply there?" Double meaning in that. She drinks again. "The lime is good." While Vek might chase the other girl away, Loe lifts her glass to her. "More water? With lime?" Then she turns back to Raveki. Another beat passes while she licks her lips and thinks, but finally. "I don't want know that I want to put the all prize money up myself. Perhaps in the future, if this is a success. But if I do it now I doubt I'll walk away with much of a profit, if any. Not after everyone else gets their share."
It is afternoon, and for once the double doors are closed against the brisk wind blowing through the jungle today. Raveki and Loe are sitting at a table that is covered in various paper, slates, and two glasses of water. The table surrounding them are empty, leaving them in a little quiet circle. Raveki allows a brief chuckle of appreciation for Loe's 'oops' expression, but then she just slowly shakes her head. Her words are purposefully lowered beneath the clink of glasses and the low murmur of other conversations, leaving her words unheard. Her posture is inclined toward Loe, but her body is loose and languid, almost too casual.
After the chuckle, "Actually she didn't. Eyes and ears open yes, mouth closed no. Not that I'm going to go chatting up every person who sets foot in here, but-" A little flick of the fingers toward Loe sums up all that she doesn't say. Her eyes slide upward then, toward the rooms that lie above. "You talking prize /money/, or just a contribution to the prize in general." A sly smile slinks across her mouth and her tone deepens a bit. "Either way, I might be able to help. Good customer relations I suppose."
Loe sits there, her finger now flicking up and down the side of a wet and nearly empty glass. It only adds to that flirtatious air, that these two girls are in the middle of something. The blonde nods to the first of the things Raveki has to say. It's what comes after that makes her eyes brighter; her mouth opens before it's taken by another wicked smile and she nearly writhes in her seat, a twist of her hips moving her just a little closer. It's probably a good thing there's a table between them. Or not, depending on one's point of view. Loe starts to murmur back, the quickness of her words making her tone no less sultry to out-of-luck eavesdroppers.
And in that sultry tone, she marvels. "That is brilliant." She doesn't even have to say what, surely Vek knows what she's just suggested. "Would that be enough of a draw, do you think? A win? Would it put you out less that way than if we just laid marks out for the prize?"'.
C'mon, really? Is that sort of whisper-whisper sort of thing going to not draw attention. Candlario comes wandering in, out of the heat and has a look around the place on his way to no-where in particular. A stop to order a beer is first and then he turns to take in the bar and the people. His gaze passes over Leo and Raveki and then away but whoa. A blink and he looks back and just can't help watch as he takes a decidedly slow drink of the beer. "shards and shell..." a small breath but he's not going to intrude--yet.
Raveki opens her mouth to speak but pauses as one of the sisters comes up to refill the pair of water glasses and put down a little dish of limes. She's gone just as quickly as she came and without a word, which makes Raveki give a little nod of approval. It's back to Loe then, and a smile stretches slow and predatory across her mouth. The energy nearly crackles, whatever flirtation or negotiation is taking place in murmured phrases seems to be growing to a head. She lifts one shoulder in a non-committal kind of shrug, takes a lime and slowly squeezes it into her glass as she replies, then chuckles a low note of amusement at her own words. Whether it's a blessing or a curse, she's too involved to notice the entrance of yet another man, or an additional pair of eyes on her and her companion.
Vek's tone is sultry by nature, that deeper tone and slightly husky quality making it almost inevitable, but it's liquid heat now. A squeeze of lime, and her response, "Maybe half and half? You put in marks, I put in the winner's choice of girl. It's putting out either way, but there are more marks to be pocketed my way, I think."
The distraction of another sister there to fill the glasses and hand over fresh limes offer Loe a good chance to ease back in her seat, offer a few obvious pleasanties to their waterbearer and also grin slyly across the table. The extra distance doesn't make that crackle of energy any less and the blonde seems to be thoroughly enjoying the enthusiasm displayed by her companion. Her smile is hardly any less that of a cat with cream. The question she asks is a simple one, still too low to be audble outside their circle of empty tables. Loe lifts one eyebrow in a curious arch.
The question is this: "How much is a girl worth?"
Candlario frowns as a younger man takes up a spot besides him and starts gawking like a school-kid at the women. It's one thing for him to watch all glassy-eyed, but when you bring in the youthful-red-headed-sidekick, the show is done. "Listen kid. I'm sure your mom is /real/ proud of you coming into the big-boy bar, but maybe you should give the women some privacy." There's a squeak from the lad as he guides him away, taking his beer with him.
Raveki seems to be mulling this over, taking more time than she really should as she swirls the lime around in her glass. Her answer is as brief as the question, a bit louder so the word "mark" is audible, though unsurprising. Something about a large dark-skinned man manhandling a younger lad across the floor of the seven catches her notice and she sits a bit straighter, arching a brow. "Everything OK there, gentlemen?" She has completely missed everything leading up to the situation, so her voice is polite if a bit cool, and followed by an apologetic flick of eyes Loe's way.
That equally quick answer is, "Depends, but around 1/2 mark for the most part."
Loe's brows lift just a little more when Raveki's answer comes. It's not an 'oh really' look, but its definitely information she finds interesting. Her own response is equally quiet, but confident enough to make her smirk again. And then her companion's attention has turned to the two men and Loe's eyes cut in their direction, perhaps a little irritated that they're distracting Raveki, though the dark-haired girl gets only a forgiving smile for her silent apology. Loe's next words are barely audible, but it might be possible to make out, "Do they need a room together?" She notes the larger man's ushering of the younger one with a curious and perhaps slightly disapproving eye.
To Raveki, "I'm sure we can work something out."
Candlario looks up from having a few quiet words of his own to the pale looking lad and his smile is easy and casual. "Oh, the lad just thought he saw a crawlie. I was just making sure it wasn't...poisonous." He claps the lad on the shoulder, "c'mon, I'll get you another drink. You had quite a fright there." The big man motions for the girls to nevermind what he's doing while heading back to the bar. Any disapproval goes on behind his back while he pays for another round of drinks.
Utter disbelief colors Raveki's expression, a frown and a purse of lips, but since the pale lad is all in once piece she just turns her attention back to Loe. "Damn crawlies," she mumbles as her frown is replaced with a small smirk. "Normally, yes, but I'll throw that in unless he wants an alternate location." Having spoken the words her eyes narrow a bit and the tip of her tongue plays with the point of her eye tooth. "Hmm. Probably best we just do it here, on second thought." Her reasons remain her own but aren't likely too hard to figure.
"Yeah," Loe says with a bit of a laugh. "That's not really what I meant." But it only makes her smile so much more amused as her eyes dart between Raveki and the pair of men she was actually referring to. It's the former that get her attenion in full. "I suppose you'll want to talk to the girls about everything. I can come back and we'll... massage the details." She puts her tongue to her teeth as she grins brightly and mischievously across the table, perfect awareness of what the situation has been all this while. With the negotiations at an end, she drinks again and casts a curious and uncertain eye on the men by the bar.
The lanky young man takes up the beer and he actually grins at something that Candlario murmurs to him but quickly takes his leave of the bigger man to find his own seat. Leaning against the bar now that he's all alone again, he cups a hand around the cool bottle but looks about on the verge of pushing off to go exploring, it's just the cool drink anchoring him there.
Raveki lifts her glass to her mouth and drains what remains of the water, keeping the lime out with her lips. Setting it down, she stands and offers an easy smile. "Yeah, I know. And yes I'll talk to the girls and we can get things all sorted out. Thanks for bringing it to me." She runs a hand absently through her dark hair, then glances toward the bar. "I need to go get ready to work my shift but I will find you later if you don't find me." Candlario gets a wink and a little wiggle of her fingers as she passes him on her way into the back rooms.
Loe bids Raveki farewell with just the incline of her head and the twist of her smile. And then she's alone at her table, all the fun over with and just work for entertainment. The headwoman lets out a sigh and picks up her papers again, trying to remember where she was when she initially got distracted by other things.
The waggling fingers catches Candlario attention and he sloftly lifts his chin, giving a nod in addition to a grin after Raveki. When she wanders past and off to her particular chores he lifts the beer as a sort of salute. It's not as though the tone has changed, but the view certainly has. He sips at his drink and then calls over to Loe, poor headwoman getting distracted again, "how much work can you get done in this place? Assuming that's 'work' that is."
** Thanks to Loe for putting out loud and 'murmured' poses together. I stole this!
The Lucky Seven, Ista Weyr
The main, double doors that lead in to the tavern are, as a rule, left open, leading into the wide main room of the tavern. Directly across from the entrance, stretched across the long back wall, stands the focus of the room, indeed the entire building; the bar is made of a deep, red-brown wood and polished to a heady shine and behind it shelves stand with rows of clean glasses and tankards of all sizes and shapes. To the left of the bar is a staircase that allows access to a mundane upper story, a single hall lined with modest rooms for rent, and to the right is an arched doorway leading to a darker gaming room. But most of the action happens out in the middle, in among the haphazardly arranged tables and their allotted chairs. Though there are a few feminine touches draped around, a sage green curtain here or a coral red tablecloth there, when the tall room is filled with people there is no mistaking the testosterone-driven atmosphere of the place.
It's a usual afternoon at Ista. The humidity isn't so bad today, partially cleared off by a good, stiff breeze that makes the canopy of jungle trees sway over the clearing of the Lucky Seven. Loe's been sitting at a table for a little while, sipping a tall glass of water as she reads over notes and lists and whatever else she does with all those papers. Her brow furrows once in a while, but for the most part her work seems to be going well, evidenced by papers getting shuffled to the bottom of the stack.
The wind is enough that when Raveki gets basically blown in, hair a tousled mess and skirt whipping around her legs, she pauses long enough to pull them shut. It leaves the room noticeably darker in spite of the windows and glows, but at least it cuts the breeze. Long fingers run through dark waves, neatening her hair into its usual carefully disheveled state as she moves toward the bar. Her progress pauses at Loe's table and she tsks softly, tapping a finger beside the tall glass. "Please tell me that is straight vodka and not water again."
Loe lifts her eyes from her page only a fraction of a beat after she starts to lift her head. Her smirk is already in place, a small, mostly-friendly thing. "Water," she disappoints. "You should try it. Far more thirst-quenching." With a small incline of her head to the empty chair across from her and the lift of her eyebrow asks the question before her mouth does. "Want to grab a glass of your own and sit?" And no, she doesn't mean in general, she means there across from her. "I've been thinking about something."
Teeth brush Raveki's lower lip as she takes stock of the bar. Not too busy, several girls on the floor... she nods. No other response but that little inclination of her head, and then she goes to fetch her own glass of water. She adds a twist of lime to it, and saunters back over to settle both her glass and herself at the table. "I drink water. Just not usually in a /bar/." One finger slides through the new condensation on the glass and her eyes flick up to Loe. "Are you ever not thinking?"
"I should have asked for lime," Loe grins, her eyes on that sliver of fruit as if it's a green stroke of genius. "I like it here during the day. It's away from everything. Pretty quiet. Plenty of room to spread out." Which she sort of has. A large portion of the table is taken up by slates and papers and her therefore empty bag. She just smiles for Raveki's question, taking it as rhetorical. "I'm not sure who to speak with, really. I have an idea for... an event of sorts. Which I believe could be of some profit to the Seven." She waits then to find out if Vek really is the person to talk to, picking up her water to take a sip through the straw she didn't forget to request.
Long fingers silde into Raveki's tall glass and she pulls out the lime. It sits there in her palm, resting in its own little puddle as she offers it with a smirk. "You want it?" Her tone is doubtful, but amused as the quirk of her lips. One dark brow slides upward at the statement which is really a question, and she settles back in her seat, upturned hand still hovering over the ordered chaos on the table. "I'd be happy to hear your idea," she answers. Or maybe I should say replies, since it's not really an answer to the question Loe didn't exactly ask. SHe does have Vek's interest though.
Fingers. In the glass. Loe's brows pop up again, a bit of disbelief and amusment mingled in her smile. "Really?" There's a beat as she considers it. "Sure." Then the lime is plucked from Vek's hand and dropped in Loe's own drink. She wipes her wet hand on her pants--its just water. "So, I'm thinking of someone that could possibly generate a bit of a crowd. A crowd that will no doubt be wanting drinks. And hopefully once they have drinks, they'll forget when to stop. Since you happen to have drinks on hand here... Here would be a logical choice. It could mean a slower night at the tables." She'll be honest about that, upfront. And also upfront: "I'm looking to keep my involvement somewhat discreet."
For just an instant suprise registers on Raveki's face, brows up and lashes flashing wide as Loe takes the lime. Quick as a wink her features are schooled back into a lazy grin, but her eyes can't help but follow the lime's descent into the glass. She leaves her hand wet, using it to lift her glass for a sip. Dark eyes stay fixed on Loe as she sets the glass back down, a knowing glint in their darkness. "Why not the Sandbar? Unless this is the sort of thing our kind of crowd might enjoy more." She does end by waving dismissively at the discreet bit, allowing, "Of course, always," to keep from getting bogged down in the more obvious details.
"A number of reasons," Loe starts in quite readily. Surely she noted the moment of surprise, the handwave, but those things aren't as interesting as the details of her own project. "The location is one reason. Like I mentioned, the Seven is secluded, separate. It's your yard I'm after; it would be easier to section off than the beach. And yes, I believe it's more suited to your clientele. This event would be more up your alley than the Sandbar, though it will probably draw plenty of dockhands and sailors anyway. I'd like to stage a prizefight in your clearing."
The forthcoming details bring Raveki forward like Loe's words are a magnet. She ends up leaning elbows onto the tabletop, chin propped in one hand and lashes narrowed. "A prizefight. In 'my' clearing?" A sound, halfway between a 'huh' and a single note of laughter, escapes berry-stained lips and Raveki tosses back a gulp of water like it's something far stronger. "You gonna charge us less rent since you'll be using the space too then?" It's a bit short, this question, but to an observant person the wheels are visibly ticking over in her head. The new clientele, the drinks to be sold, marks to be made
Loe eases in a little closer too, no elbows on the table though, largely just the turn of her head, the slightly sidelong glance under an arched brow. "No, I don't think so," she answers about the rent, sweet and warm and wry. There's an excited shine in her eyes. "I rather thought the extra business might be boon enough to make it worthwhile for you girls. Men all riled up, wanting to drink." Or wanting other things, but Loe doesn't mention that.
Chin still propped, Raveki swirls her water with the free hand. The body language is loose but her eyes are nothing but sharp. "Always with the thinking, hmm? This is another reason you should do something other than water." It's almost a purr, and one finger taps the side of the glass. Tick, tick, tick, the gears turn over in her head. "And you're providing the fighters, someone to work the door? Are sisters taking bets? There are only so many of us you know."
If the Seven was a bit more populated, this might be exactly the sort of thing to get a little wayward attention from roving male eyes. The blonde headwoman, the dark-haired barmaid, leaning toward each other over a table of drinks with their languid, relaxed body-language and their intent eyes. Those onlookers would probably imagine a different converation is happening. One that's more about naked than about organization and negotiation. "Yes, I'm prepared to handle almost everything else. I have someone lined up to deal with the betting, some people to approach about the security and someone to referee the fights themselves. I'm looking into having a healer on hand. It will all be taken care of. All I'd ask of you is that you sell you drinks as you would any other night. And... perhaps one other thing."
The best thing about those mislaid assumptions, is that while the content of the conversation has nothing to do with naked, the intensity and the high from this sort of flirtation can be just as much fun. One long finger circles the rim of Raveki's half empty glass, giving her eyes something to fasten on for a beat. "One other thing, of course. There's always a catch." Up come dark eyes, veiled by lowered lashes. "Right up until you said that it was sounding like a decent-" she breaks off then, thoughtful frown appearing out of nowhere. "Are you working with that kid too? That... Saiyah girl?"
"Well, I would hope that for the other thing we could work out some arrangement perhaps. Something to make it-" Loe breaks off too as Raveki's question sinks in. She doesn't frown like her companion does, but her eyebrows twitch together, confused and curious. "Saiyah? What about Saiyah? The one with the big brother?" Loe's arms bend out a little, a hint of a muscle-man pose meant to explain what kind of 'big' she's talking about.
Raveki nods, then again at the pose. "Yeah, she asked me to watch for good fighters." The space between them decreases marginally as her arms fold down on the table and she shifts her chair up against the table. "Maybe she's wanting fighters for something else, which might be something to-" she breaks off again, shaking her head with a flash of sheepishness across her features. "Which might be something you don't need to worry about. Sorry, continue. The other thing?"
"She asked you to watch for... good..." Loe just repeats it back, though the words get more halted as she speaks, like the little hitches in her brain are coming out audibly as each new question pops up. She doesn't ask all those questions, though, just: "That's all she said? Just... watch for good fighters?" Her eyes taking in the sheepishness, she gives Vek a moment unwatched and focuses on her glass instead, taking another long sip. "The other thing, I'm still puzzling out, I think." She thinks. Which makes her flash a slow, private-joke sort of smirk across the table. "I know, I know." More drinking, less thinking.
The frown is back, though the line of her mouth is more frustrated than thoughtful. Each little hitch on Loe's part earns a tiny nod from Raveki, like she's following those popping thought bubbles. "Yeah, that and to watch for 'anything interesting'. It was all rather odd to be honest, but if you toss marks at me... I'm probably not going to ask." She shrugs, "And maybe that was her point." Puzzling that other thing is far more interesting though so Vek just lets out a slow breath as if clearing mind and lungs at once, and she settles back in her chair. "A hint, a clue? Maybe I can help with the figuring out?" A girl comes up to offer more drinks, but she gets waved away before she even gets close, leaving them in their little bubble of space.
"Did she also ask you not to say anything?" Loe guesses, putting on a touch of a 'oh, oops' expression that quickly sinks back into her usual smirk. She's teasing, jovial about it, though her green eyes are still caculating. "Or does discretion not apply there?" Double meaning in that. She drinks again. "The lime is good." While Vek might chase the other girl away, Loe lifts her glass to her. "More water? With lime?" Then she turns back to Raveki. Another beat passes while she licks her lips and thinks, but finally. "I don't want know that I want to put the all prize money up myself. Perhaps in the future, if this is a success. But if I do it now I doubt I'll walk away with much of a profit, if any. Not after everyone else gets their share."
It is afternoon, and for once the double doors are closed against the brisk wind blowing through the jungle today. Raveki and Loe are sitting at a table that is covered in various paper, slates, and two glasses of water. The table surrounding them are empty, leaving them in a little quiet circle. Raveki allows a brief chuckle of appreciation for Loe's 'oops' expression, but then she just slowly shakes her head. Her words are purposefully lowered beneath the clink of glasses and the low murmur of other conversations, leaving her words unheard. Her posture is inclined toward Loe, but her body is loose and languid, almost too casual.
After the chuckle, "Actually she didn't. Eyes and ears open yes, mouth closed no. Not that I'm going to go chatting up every person who sets foot in here, but-" A little flick of the fingers toward Loe sums up all that she doesn't say. Her eyes slide upward then, toward the rooms that lie above. "You talking prize /money/, or just a contribution to the prize in general." A sly smile slinks across her mouth and her tone deepens a bit. "Either way, I might be able to help. Good customer relations I suppose."
Loe sits there, her finger now flicking up and down the side of a wet and nearly empty glass. It only adds to that flirtatious air, that these two girls are in the middle of something. The blonde nods to the first of the things Raveki has to say. It's what comes after that makes her eyes brighter; her mouth opens before it's taken by another wicked smile and she nearly writhes in her seat, a twist of her hips moving her just a little closer. It's probably a good thing there's a table between them. Or not, depending on one's point of view. Loe starts to murmur back, the quickness of her words making her tone no less sultry to out-of-luck eavesdroppers.
And in that sultry tone, she marvels. "That is brilliant." She doesn't even have to say what, surely Vek knows what she's just suggested. "Would that be enough of a draw, do you think? A win? Would it put you out less that way than if we just laid marks out for the prize?"'.
C'mon, really? Is that sort of whisper-whisper sort of thing going to not draw attention. Candlario comes wandering in, out of the heat and has a look around the place on his way to no-where in particular. A stop to order a beer is first and then he turns to take in the bar and the people. His gaze passes over Leo and Raveki and then away but whoa. A blink and he looks back and just can't help watch as he takes a decidedly slow drink of the beer. "shards and shell..." a small breath but he's not going to intrude--yet.
Raveki opens her mouth to speak but pauses as one of the sisters comes up to refill the pair of water glasses and put down a little dish of limes. She's gone just as quickly as she came and without a word, which makes Raveki give a little nod of approval. It's back to Loe then, and a smile stretches slow and predatory across her mouth. The energy nearly crackles, whatever flirtation or negotiation is taking place in murmured phrases seems to be growing to a head. She lifts one shoulder in a non-committal kind of shrug, takes a lime and slowly squeezes it into her glass as she replies, then chuckles a low note of amusement at her own words. Whether it's a blessing or a curse, she's too involved to notice the entrance of yet another man, or an additional pair of eyes on her and her companion.
Vek's tone is sultry by nature, that deeper tone and slightly husky quality making it almost inevitable, but it's liquid heat now. A squeeze of lime, and her response, "Maybe half and half? You put in marks, I put in the winner's choice of girl. It's putting out either way, but there are more marks to be pocketed my way, I think."
The distraction of another sister there to fill the glasses and hand over fresh limes offer Loe a good chance to ease back in her seat, offer a few obvious pleasanties to their waterbearer and also grin slyly across the table. The extra distance doesn't make that crackle of energy any less and the blonde seems to be thoroughly enjoying the enthusiasm displayed by her companion. Her smile is hardly any less that of a cat with cream. The question she asks is a simple one, still too low to be audble outside their circle of empty tables. Loe lifts one eyebrow in a curious arch.
The question is this: "How much is a girl worth?"
Candlario frowns as a younger man takes up a spot besides him and starts gawking like a school-kid at the women. It's one thing for him to watch all glassy-eyed, but when you bring in the youthful-red-headed-sidekick, the show is done. "Listen kid. I'm sure your mom is /real/ proud of you coming into the big-boy bar, but maybe you should give the women some privacy." There's a squeak from the lad as he guides him away, taking his beer with him.
Raveki seems to be mulling this over, taking more time than she really should as she swirls the lime around in her glass. Her answer is as brief as the question, a bit louder so the word "mark" is audible, though unsurprising. Something about a large dark-skinned man manhandling a younger lad across the floor of the seven catches her notice and she sits a bit straighter, arching a brow. "Everything OK there, gentlemen?" She has completely missed everything leading up to the situation, so her voice is polite if a bit cool, and followed by an apologetic flick of eyes Loe's way.
That equally quick answer is, "Depends, but around 1/2 mark for the most part."
Loe's brows lift just a little more when Raveki's answer comes. It's not an 'oh really' look, but its definitely information she finds interesting. Her own response is equally quiet, but confident enough to make her smirk again. And then her companion's attention has turned to the two men and Loe's eyes cut in their direction, perhaps a little irritated that they're distracting Raveki, though the dark-haired girl gets only a forgiving smile for her silent apology. Loe's next words are barely audible, but it might be possible to make out, "Do they need a room together?" She notes the larger man's ushering of the younger one with a curious and perhaps slightly disapproving eye.
To Raveki, "I'm sure we can work something out."
Candlario looks up from having a few quiet words of his own to the pale looking lad and his smile is easy and casual. "Oh, the lad just thought he saw a crawlie. I was just making sure it wasn't...poisonous." He claps the lad on the shoulder, "c'mon, I'll get you another drink. You had quite a fright there." The big man motions for the girls to nevermind what he's doing while heading back to the bar. Any disapproval goes on behind his back while he pays for another round of drinks.
Utter disbelief colors Raveki's expression, a frown and a purse of lips, but since the pale lad is all in once piece she just turns her attention back to Loe. "Damn crawlies," she mumbles as her frown is replaced with a small smirk. "Normally, yes, but I'll throw that in unless he wants an alternate location." Having spoken the words her eyes narrow a bit and the tip of her tongue plays with the point of her eye tooth. "Hmm. Probably best we just do it here, on second thought." Her reasons remain her own but aren't likely too hard to figure.
"Yeah," Loe says with a bit of a laugh. "That's not really what I meant." But it only makes her smile so much more amused as her eyes dart between Raveki and the pair of men she was actually referring to. It's the former that get her attenion in full. "I suppose you'll want to talk to the girls about everything. I can come back and we'll... massage the details." She puts her tongue to her teeth as she grins brightly and mischievously across the table, perfect awareness of what the situation has been all this while. With the negotiations at an end, she drinks again and casts a curious and uncertain eye on the men by the bar.
The lanky young man takes up the beer and he actually grins at something that Candlario murmurs to him but quickly takes his leave of the bigger man to find his own seat. Leaning against the bar now that he's all alone again, he cups a hand around the cool bottle but looks about on the verge of pushing off to go exploring, it's just the cool drink anchoring him there.
Raveki lifts her glass to her mouth and drains what remains of the water, keeping the lime out with her lips. Setting it down, she stands and offers an easy smile. "Yeah, I know. And yes I'll talk to the girls and we can get things all sorted out. Thanks for bringing it to me." She runs a hand absently through her dark hair, then glances toward the bar. "I need to go get ready to work my shift but I will find you later if you don't find me." Candlario gets a wink and a little wiggle of her fingers as she passes him on her way into the back rooms.
Loe bids Raveki farewell with just the incline of her head and the twist of her smile. And then she's alone at her table, all the fun over with and just work for entertainment. The headwoman lets out a sigh and picks up her papers again, trying to remember where she was when she initially got distracted by other things.
The waggling fingers catches Candlario attention and he sloftly lifts his chin, giving a nod in addition to a grin after Raveki. When she wanders past and off to her particular chores he lifts the beer as a sort of salute. It's not as though the tone has changed, but the view certainly has. He sips at his drink and then calls over to Loe, poor headwoman getting distracted again, "how much work can you get done in this place? Assuming that's 'work' that is."