The circus artist absent-mindedly tries to calm the cat down by petting her. "Shh, shh," he admonishes. He waves a hand in front of The Guy's face, eliciting no response. He slowly walks back towards his companions.
"Uh... I was just ready to leave," he announces. "Shall we go?" In a whisper, he adds: "Somehow, I don't feel like explaining to the authorities how this guy stopped breathing while we were here. I'll bet Ben agrees with me?"
Kaila takes a harder look at the guy behind the counter. Taking a spoon from one of the tables, she uses it to reach over and tap the guy on the shoulder. "You guys, anyone in the resteraunt might say we were the last ones to talk to this guy. Aw, hell!"
As soon as Kitty touches Guy with the spoon his mouth falls open - far more open than it should. Slack jawed open. Really loose open.
Dead open.
The chest neither rises nor falls, but sound issues from the mouth, accompanied by a trickle of viscous, lime green fluid (it's about the consistency of really thick snot, but the color of lime jello).
"Come to the House," the dead mouth groans, "We need you. Come to the House. We need you. Come to the House."
Guy's body leans sideways and topples over, knocking a tub of expresso glasses over to shatter on the floor with a resounding crash on the way down. Patrons of the cafe turn and stare at Kitty the way patrons always do, eyes drawn by the sound of breaking crockery to see who has made a boo boo. Fortunately the body is, for the moment, hidden behind the counter.
"We need you." the corpse continues, "Come to the House. We need you...."
Kitty stands there in a fit, mumbling, "House, house, what bloody house? House? house? Shit!" she says loudly; then, shutting her mouth quietly she walks over to Li not to cause a scene. "I need to get back to the dojo I just came from, quickly, we need to leave this scene quickly anyways."
Leo turns back towards Kitty who is still at the counter, surprised by her sudden change of heart about leaving the premises. She looks pretty stunned by whatever she is seeing behind the counter. Never a man to let self-preservation or sanity win over chivalry, Leo drops the cat and walks back towards his friend. "What's the matter," he whispers, "are you all right?"
Then he sees The Guy's body, now slumped behind the counter, still talking and oozing green slime. "Goddamn!" exclaims Leo, who rarely - if ever - uses expletives. "That's... that's... I saw that on TV but..."
His head whips back to stare at Kaila for a second, then he grabs her by the arm and steps back. "I wouldn't get close!" he hisses.
Kitty speaks with Leo quietly "Yeah, I'm ok... I... I... just need to get back to the dojo quick. Wait!"
Leo lets her go (not that he could hold on to her if she didn't want him to!) and continues to step back. "Non, non, non." he whispers to himself. "Pas maintenant1..."
She rushes to the phone and dials the number of Kuan Tun's academy. The telephone rings twice at the other end, then there is a click
"HEY LAAAAAAAARRY!" a recorded voice (obviously Norbert's) bellows into
her ear, "YOU'VE REACHED MY MACHINE CUZ I'M FEELIN' MEAN AND I'M SPOILIN'
FER A FIGHT LIKE A CREATURE OF THE NIGHT SO YA SPEAK INTO THE PHONE WHEN
YA HEAR THE CORNY TONE AND MAYBE I'LL CALL YA BACK BUT I MIGHT LEAVE YA
ALONE! I SAY HEY! HEY! OMPH, BREAK IT DOWN NOW (good
god!) WELL IT'LL BE TO LATE TO FLEE DOWN AT MY ACADEMY IF YA COME DOWN
FOR A LESSON YOU'LL FIND OUT I AIN'T JUST MESSIN CUZ I PROMISE FROM THE
START TO TEACH YOU SOME MARTIAL ART
AN' IF FOLK BE MESSIN' WIT' YOU YOU CAN JUST TAKE THEM APART!
I SAY HEY! HEY! YEOW BABY BREAK IT DOWN NOW! (huh!)"
*BEEP*
Leo steps all the way back to the table where Li, Ghishu, Ben and Bruce are still sitting or standing, bemused. "Uh, guys?" he says tentatively. He keeps glancing from them to the counter hiding the body, and back again. "The guy is dead, but... oozing green slime like on the X-Files. And I hate to say it, but he's still talking, or at least there still a voice coming from his body -- his lips are definitely not moving anymore."
He shakes his head, and his hands ball into fists. "I think we should... we should go home... I mean we should get out of here. If it's an illness, I sure hope it was contagious, since we just ate this guy's cooking; and if it's something else... I don't wanna know too much about it." He urgently gestures towards the door. Then he remembers the other, scattered patrons and takes a look around to see their reactions.
Ben glances around to see if anybody else in the cafe has noticed the green slime oozing, talking corpse yet. "Damned cat lover," he curses. "Got exactly what he deserved. Leo's probably right though, we should get the hell outa here. Nice and calm," he says. "Not like we're runnin' from anything."
At Ben's behest, Leo, Ghishu, Li, and Bruce begin acting like patrons who are done with dinner and preparing to depart, while Kitty moves to the phone and begins dialing. All is going well, with the group making enough noise to cover up the repeated request to "Come to the House. We need you," still emanating from behind the counter and hurriedly performing mundane tasks like leaving money on the table and pushing in their chairs, when across the restaurant another patron - a stringy haired thin fellow who would look vaguely like Jesus if he wasn't wearing gothic attire and sporting a ring through his nose, rises from his table, stretches, snatches up his mug, and heads for the counter, obviously aiming to get a refill!
Kitty walks casually away from the phone and casually as she can out the door, nodding to her friends, in a whispered voice: "Better us gone and him finding it."
"Yep," agrees Ben. "Just keep walking," he says quietly. "Whatever happens, don't look back."
Leo's own attempt at casualness is marred by the sweat breaking on his brow, his jerky motions, and his repeatedly shaking his head, whispering "Non, non, non, non, NON!" He finally steps out too hurriedly, preceding his companions -- even Kitty and Li, all chivalry momentarily forgotten. He is holding his stomach, as if he was going to be sick.
"I, uh... Get some air!" he sort of explains. Once outside, he doesn't wait (or stop to be sick, if that was the intent) but starts walking towards the cab in rapid steps, still holding his stomach.
Ben, Li, Ghishu, Bruce, and Kitty all manage to make it out of the cafe with greater or lesser degrees of nonchalance. Only Leo (the one professional performer in the group) fails to pull off the charade, staggering through the cafe like a drunk and bumping into a couple of tables in the process. Nevertheless he reaches the door just as Gothic Jesus gets to the counter. Gothic Jesus peers over the counter (and presumably at what the remains of Expresso Guy and the green jello), turns to face the door and, as Leo staggers out, exclaims in a loud voice "Oh my god! They've killed Kenny!"
Kitty follows behind Leo and tried to offer a shoulder of support. Praying to the gods that he doesn't get sick on her, she says in a quiet tone, "Leo, walk it out, buddy, take deep breaths. Are you ok? Let's get out of here?" She then opens the door for Leo and the rest of the group.
The door to the Breakneck closes before any discussion of the the matrimonial state of the parents of any member of the party can be discussed, but through the window those not too nauseous to be completely disinterested (i.e., everyone but Leo) can see the heads of other patrons turning in their direction. Li's cab is still parked where it was before. Sally, however, has departed long since.
Leo closes his eyes and takes a deep breath - then his eyes pop open and he straightens up. All his muscles seem to relax suddenly - and those who hadn't noticed until now because he's so skinny realise he has a LOT of muscles. He shakes his head and attempts a smile. "Yeah, I'm OK," he says, "much better..."
He turns towards Kitty just in time to see her dash into an alley.
"What are you... Kitty?" he calls. He starts walking towards
the alley. Just as suddenly, a large Siberian tiger comes bounding
out of the alley, carrying... Nah, couldn't be?...
The beast disappears down a side street, vaguely in the direction of Kuan Tun's Black Belt Academy.
"HEY!! No, wait!!!" Leo calls, too late. He turns back towards Ben, Bruce, Ghishu and Li. "Was that what -- who I think it was?" he asks. Back in the Breakneck, the patrons are starting to stare at them. Leo gestures towards the cab. "Why don't we continue moving?" he suggests.
"Good idea," calls Ben who, having declined to stop and gawk at the big cat, is already climbing into the backseat of the Dart.
Leo grabs Bruce's arm to urge forward as well and follows Ben into the backseat of the Dodge Dart, leaving the front seat for Ghishu. "Li," he says, "let's get out of here!" He points down the street, in the direction they arrived from. "Kitty was insisting on going back to Kuan Tun's, and that tiger... Well, never mind what I think of the tiger. Let's go!"
Li dodges around to the front of the Dart with uncanny agility, and manages to snake a hand in through the door even as she opens it to slap the meter to the "on" position the instant Ben's but hits the back seat. Leo and Bruce also pile into the back, and Ghishu gets into the front.
While everyone is getting their seating arranged, getting doors closed, and getting junk moved around in the back seat so that it actually fits three people, Gothic Jesus bursts out of the front doors of the Breakneck.
"HEY YOU!" he shouts, "GET YOUR ASSES BACK IN HERE AND FIX ME A TRIPLE SHOT MEXICAN MOCHA BLANCA, DEEP, WITH WHIPPED CREAM AND A SHOT OF RASPBERRY SYRUP!" He brandishes a huge 40 oz. ceramic mug as if it were a gun. "I HAVEN'T GOT ALL DAY! I'M AN ARTIST!"
The car doors slam and Li, completely unaffected by the rantings of the Starver before the group says, "Kuan Tun's then?" She steps on the gas, revving the engine for emphasis. As Li awaits an answer to her question (and the meter keeps running) Gothic Jesus approaches the vehicle.
"GODDAMN IT!" he shouts. "DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME? I SAID THAT I AM AN ARTIST! DO YOU IDIOTS KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? IT MEANS THAT I PRODUCE ART! THAT WHICH DEFINES OUR VERY SOCIETY! THAT WHICH REPRESENTS, IN DISTILLED FORM, ALL THAT WE ARE WHILE YET EXPLORING THAT WHICH WE MAY BE! EVERYTHING YOU DO IN YOUR TAWDRY FUCKING EXISTENCE YOU DO ENTIRELY TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY OF ARTISTS WHO STAND AT THE PINNACLE OF SOCIETY, CREATING, SHAPING, AND MOLDING THE SOCIETY IN WHICH YOU EXIST! DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA HOW TOUGH THAT IS? DON'T YOU REALIZE THAT IN PURSUIT OF THIS GREAT AND IMPORTANT QUEST FOR ALL MANKIND I HAVE HAD TO SACRIFICE? TO SUFFER? AND NOW YOU'VE GONE AND KILLED THE FUCKING BARRISTA AND I CAN'T EVEN HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE? ITS TOO MUCH I TELL YOU! TOO MUCH! NOW GET YOUR ASSES BACK IN HERE AND GET BEHIND THE COUNTER, I'M GOING INTO CAFFEINE WITHDRAWAL!"
As Gothic Jesus begins to scream and the others decide whether Li should move the cab or not Bruce pokes his head out of the window and smiles at the man. "Aye Mate. If you ask me, you've 'ad enough caffeine. Maybe you should start drinkin' bee-a."
"Kuan Tun's?" asks Li again, still unperterbed.
"Yes, Li. Please get us to Kuan Tun's. And I'd suggest you'd do it fast. Kitty seemed to be in a hurry to get there for some reason," Ghishu says.
Upon receiving confirmation, Li tromps down on the accelerator, sending
Gothic Jesus, and several nearby pedestrians, scurrying out of the way
as the Dart roars up onto the sidewalk! Gothic Jesus, still determined
to get his coffee, screams after the departing cab "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO
FINISH MY TWICE LIFESIZE ABSTRACT REPRESENTATION OF THE SPICE GIRLS DONE
IN MASHED POTATOES, CORNSTARCH, AND LACQUER WITHOUT COFFEEEEEEEE?" and
then he is gone as the cab shoots off the sidewalk and onto Bilge street.
Li pops open the glove compartment (causing a rain of junk to cascade onto
Ghishu's lap), deftly snags a pipe and some tobacco out of the plummeting
debris, tamps in some tobacco while driving with her knees, and lights
up, filling the cab with the aromatic burnt hemp smell of pot (OK, it
wasn't tobacco - but I had to keep the suspense for that extra sentence
- Ed).
"$5.50," she says, "or do you want me to wait? I ain't going to transport no Siberian tiger, by the way - the upholstery is bad enough as it is!"
Ben climbs out of the cab and stands in the street a few seconds taking in a couple lungfulls of air to clear his head. Leaving the others to pay the fare, he starts walking cautiously towards Kuan's, looking around for tigers or any other trouble that might be lurking about.
Ghishu searches through his pockets for a short time and then comes up with his portion of the cab fare. "We have to find some alternative means of transportation soon," he comments as he leaves the cab. "I'll call you later, Li," he says to the driver, "take care".
After checking that there's no problem with Leo and Bruce, he heads towards the front door or Kuan Tun's.
Kitty stampers out of the dojo door, huffing and puffing slightly. "Holy cow, did you see that creature running around in the streets? Had to follow the damn thing half a mile before it dropped the bag it stole from me."
"Yeah, sure," says Ben, not believing a word of it. "So, what was the emergency? Why'd we come back here? No, let me guess. You needed an advance on yer first check so ya could pay cab fare. Right?"
Looking placidly at Ben, Kitty comments, "Hey when weird crap like that sputters out a message at the cafe, IT MIGHT BE SMART to follow advice. That gurgling corpse said house... Do you think it might have meant our living arrangements?"
"Hmmm. If the talkin' corpse was a message, and if that message was meant for you, I would think that 'house' would most likely be referin' to the hotel." Ben shakes his head in disgust. "I suppose this means another cab ride."
"Well, Ben, it didn't actually say a name, do you want me to go back and have a conversation with it?" retorts Kitty, beginning to feel irate. She looks at her wallet and then the cab and mutters, "Yeah, right!" and starts walking towards the hotel.
Meanwhile, Leo frowns when Bruce, Ghishu and he are left to turn their pockets for change (and finding more lint than currency). He calls at Ben's receding back: "Hey, Ben! You forgot to pay your share!"
"Just cover it," calls Ben without turning around. "I'll pay ya back."
"With what?" asks Leo. "We're all broke here, remember? We're barely covering our shares as it is!"
Ben stomps back to the taxi, obviously pissed off. "Yer tryin' ta tell me that you just spent god knows how much money on an extravagant lunch and now ya can't cover a five doller cab fare?" He pulls out a couple of dollars and passes it to Li. "I'm beginning ta remember why I hate burgers so much."
Leo's face is beginning to redden a little. "You're trying to tell me I should save on my lunches AFTER paying for the first round, in case someone might want to stiff me with the cab fare?" he retorts.
"No, what I'm trying to say is that you should'nt be spending money you don't have. Riding all over town in a cab. Buying expensive lunches. Offering reward money. How the hell are you gonna buy your next meal, or pay for your next hotel bill? Besides, I don't recall saying I ever wanted to come back to Kuan's. Am I expected to ride where ever it is you want to go and pick up a share of the fare? I've got to take a cab, and even though I'm not going anywhere near your destination, why don't you come along and pay for half the ride. Is that the way it is?"
Leo glowers. "Hey, I'm not the one riding along in cabs I have no intention to pay for, without mentioning it to my fellow travelers. Next time, try asking first, or just don't get in."
"As I recall, I was the first one in. Next time, you either find yer own damn cab or walk."
There is an interesting fact regarding Li's Dodge Dart. It has had some modifications made to the original factory model. One of the most important is that in addition to the wimpy little electric horn Li has had a very large air horn from a very large truck installed under the hood (efforts to install an air raid siren have, to this point failed). There's a little compressor, a lot like the ones used in step vans - that powers it up for a three second burst.
A damned loud three second burst.
In its wake, Li opens up the car door and vaults onto the hood, hissing and spitting. She squats like a malevolent oriental gargoyle, staring at Leo, Ben, and Kitty.
"You all stupid burger! It only $1.10 each! Maybe you forget but you not all get into cab to come to Kuan Tun's. You get into cab to get away from other matter! You - SHUT UP BACK THERE, ASSHOLE!" Li turns and screams at a small car behind her, which is honking vigorously. She then turns back to the trio in front of Kuan Tun's.
"You all stupid! I don't know why I tell you - it not my job! Just because burger have powerful chi and cute butt, just because one burger gonna keep my bed warm tonight and power up my chakkras, I tell you this! You better start makin' friends faster than you makin' enemies stupid burgers, or you gonna die! YOU!" she points a bony arm at Ben. "Maybe you got more money than these stupid burger, but maybe they got something you don't! You do what she do?" pointing at Kitty. "No? Maybe be nice surprise to have around sometime, eh? YOU!" pointing at Kitty. "You think you not take cab back to hotel, eh? You know where hotel is? You know how get there? You STUPID, STUPID burger you think you walk through Four Points, through Justice. Maybe you hot shit on mat, but maybe you need someone know something about this town show you where it safe before you go walking around alone! YOU!" pointing at Leo, "beats me what you good at but you be good at something, who knows? But you want to find pretty lady? You not going to do it alone. If she want you to find her she woulda left you NOTE!"
Li hops off the hood. "FINISH! ALL BURGER BACK IN CAB! Li take all Burger back to nice, safe, hotel in Sunken where Burger can enjoy nice tasty meals and figure out how to pay hotel tabs. No charge to Burger! Li take quiet burger with big chi home tonight, NO ARGUE! Now get in cab!"
"Well, isn't this a basket of stinking roses!" is the only comment Kitty makes as she gets back in Mama Li's cab. A polite "Thank you" escapes towards Li. She gets in the cab, seats herself and looks down at her shorts, picking imaginary lint off of them.
Realising with Ben and Li's behaviour that the situation has past the line and ventured into absurdity, Leo shrugs and shakes his head. He looks at Ghishu, Kitty and Bruce.
"Well, it's only about 3:30," he comments. "Maybe Ghishu and Bruce might be able to find a job at Myron's. I guess we should have stayed on the Plaza," he flicks a glance at Ben then looks back at the others, but with Kitty running here I think most of us were worried. Anyways, Myron's Gym is on the Plaza, if you guys wanna try that. If we want to stay away from that area, there's an employment agency in Golden, called 'Deadly Temptations', where we might all want to go, except for Kitty of course.
"And then there's the Black Death Theater Troup here in Flowers on Varicose Lane, which I probably ought to check out." He turns to Li. "You're wearing their shirt, so I'm guessing you're a fan," he says. "How are they? And would they hire someone like Serena -- or like me?"
"Hold on," says Ben. "Now, you might see tryin' ta cram six people into a Dodge Dart as an opportunity ta practice yer art, but I want no part of it. Maybe Li can call us a second cab. It might be best if we split up anyway. Leo, you can take Crocodile Dundee and the kid job hunting. Kitty and I can head back to the hotel. There's still the matter of the talkin' corpse and whether or not that message was meant for one of us."
Leo nods, recognising the judiciousness of Ben's words. "True," he agrees, "it'd be a heck of a ride in there." He looks at Kitty to see her reaction to Ben's suggestion, then back at Li, waiting for any comments on the Black Death Theater Troup.
Crossing her arms and looking down at the floor, Kitty comments. "Ben's right. If that message was meant for any one of us, Marda and Sam could be in trouble. You guys go find a job, I want to return to the hotel."
Leo frowns, trying to recall the corpse's strange voice. "I gotta tell you, guys," he says slowly, "I have a bad feeling about this one. I don't think the voice meant our house. Maybe I've just read too much scifi, but... I don't think it was friendly. I mean, who wants to end up dead and oozing green jello?"
"Got the t-shirt at a second hand shop in the Ramble," Li replies to Leo's earlier question. "You think I got time to check out every two bit group of starvers who appear on the theater scene? If you want to go to Vericose Lane, say so and get in the cab, but I'm not takin' you there for free. You want to ride free? Li will take you to the hotel. You want to take a tour of Flowers trying to find some group of actors named after the worst plague ever to hit Europe, then the meter is running!"
Without another word, Leo gets in the cab.
"Why all burger so DETERMINED to get themselves killed!" Li laments. For once she doesn't hop in and slap the meter down. "Hey, burger!" she yells instead, directing herself at Leo, "When you see can marked 'poison', you think to yourself 'Wonder what it tastes like? Think I'll drink some and find out'? No? When you see road sign that say 'Stop', you think to yourself 'Wonder what would happen if I didn't?' and keep driving? No?"
She throws her hands up into the air, as if beseeching heaven, "So why when you see theater group named after horrible plague do you want right now to go there? You not have enough trouble in one day maybe? You all chip in $10.00 on a pool to see who die first and your time commin' up?"
She hops off the hood of the car onto the sidewalk, then turns to face the vehicle. "Hey, burger with cute butt! Ghishu! What you want to do? Go see plague troop or go back to Li's? You, kangaroo burger! What you want to do? Go see actors that make you sick, or go back to hotel?"
Ghishu looks at Ben and then at Leo. "I promised Leo I'll help him," he explains, "so I guess I'm going to the theater. Though I tend to agree with Li that if a theater is called 'Black Death Theater Troupe' it doesn't make a good first impression."
Leo rests his head against the window and shakes his head minutely. "Yeah, hotel is fine," he murmurs. "That's where I thought you were going anyway."
"Leo, I thought you were going to check those other places out and see
if you kind find more information out?" Kaila asks
She leans against the open front door, still not starting the meter. "You," she says, pointing to Kitty, "come. Here. You." now pointing at Ben. "Come. Here." In both cases she points to a spot near the cab.
"I don't know why I give advice to stupid Burger," Li says as quietly as possible over the blare of car horns. "I'm a cab driver, not a detective. I guess it because I got a crush on stupid Burger with hot butt who will dump Li next week or wind up in dumpster week after that. It's a failing of mine. But look at you all! You think what happen at Breakneck pretty strange, eh? Look at how you all react! Kitty Burger goes off 'chasing tiger'" Li snorts and rolls her eyes, "and the rest of you get here, all hot to go, and start arguing over cab fare!" she snorts again, then raises her hands. "Li not say it anyone's fault, but what if Kitty Burger in trouble? She could get killed while you all arguing over little fare! Now Li know that you mostly poor, ignorant Burger who probably lost most of your money already. >From all the stitches on kangaroo Burger he probably in debt up to his ears and have to scrounge in garbage for dinner."
Li reaches into the cab and belatedly flips on the hazard lights. Behind the cab cars are trying to back up to the nearest intersection to get out, causing an even greater traffic snarl. If this bothers Li in the slightest, she doesn't show it.
"On Al Amarja we have a saying - name for person without friends is 'corpse'. You gotta rely on others to stay safe. When Kitty Burger head off for Kuan Tun's she should say to other Burger, 'I going to Kuan Tun's, you follow.' Maybe mention something about turning into a tiger. Maybe next time remember to pack same color shirt as you wearing in duffel bag if you want to keep up lame 'chasing tiger' story. Maybe next time you have friends to carry backpack so people not make connection between tiger carrying green bag, and person wearing green bag with tooth marks five minutes later. Maybe when others get to Kuan Tun's Ben maybe-Burger be smart enough to know that Burger paranoid when poor and flip $1.00 bill on seat when he get out. Maybe Leo Burger cut Ben maybe-Burger a bit of slack cuz who knows? Maybe Ben maybe-Burger see something. Maybe he going to save Kitty Burger's life."
"Now this thing with Leo Burger wanting to go off to see Black Death. Some Burger want to go to Black Death, some Burger want to go to see if there problem with hotel. Maybe all Burger and maybe-Burger should stop a minute. There nobody spitting green Jell-O at you right now. Leo Burger tall and thin and wiry, but maybe not so good in a fight. Maybe somebody better go with Leo Burger to see Black Death Theater Troupe. Maybe couple of somebodies. Some folks want to go back to hotel. Li think that a good idea for all Burger but Leo Burger not gonna listen so Li drop it. But for hotel what people gonna go? What you gonna do when you get there? Which group take cab, and which group have to get other transportation?"
"You listen to Li now. Li want cute butted Ghishu Burger to live for at least a week. Take time to plan Burger. You just wander around and you gonna fall in a really deep hole sometime real soon, and nobody ever find you and nobody ever care. Maybe you not like one another so well, and maybe you not want to stay together, to work together later. But right now this all you got to work with."
"Now all Burger out of car - Ghishu Burger, kangaroo Burger, Leo Burger, all out of car. Li gonna drive around the block a couple of times while you decide what you doing. Li not even charge, though Li gonna go broke or get fired at this rate. You all take a minute, talk, and figure out what you gonna do. Now shoo! Shoo!."
As soon as Leo, Ghishu, and Bruce all get out of the cab, Li hops into the driver's seat and the Dart shoots away, leaving traffic behind it to begin untangling itself.
Bruce slouches against the side of the car kicking cigarette butts into the gutter. "I say we head back to the 'otel, then get us a job somewhere. I aint interested in goin' to a theatre, besides, I'm not dressed for it."
Ghishu gets out of the cab a bit disturbed by Li's monologue. "I guess she is right," he says after a couple of minutes of silence, "we were kind of losing it. We should stop for a minute and gather our thoughts." He then pauses for another minute, obviously to reorganize in his mind what he is about to say.
"I don't think that the bartender meant for us to go back to the hotel. If he did, he would have probably used the word 'home' and not 'house'. I'm not even sure that the message was meant for us. The message was very cryptic and I don't think any of us can understand it at the moment, but I have a feeling that we will understand it sometime soon. Maybe he meant for us to come to Sigourney's house? Maybe Serena is being held in some sort of a house and the corpse was relaying a massage from her? My point is that we don't know the meaning of that message at the moment and therefore shouldn't act on it. For now."
After another short pause he continues: "The Black Death Theater Troupe is also a wild shot, but I have a better feeling about it. Especially since I got this morbid feeling when I looked at Serena's picture. We might assume that she is in some sort of trouble and the name of the theater suggest that it's a good place to look for someone in trouble. The problem with that is that I don't think we'll find Serena if our search continues in this direction. She probably came here for some purpose, and there is a chance that this has to do something with her dancing, but I think it's quite slim. I think that maybe Ben can help us here. Maybe if he gets in touch with some of the people he knew he might be able to help. Finding Serena in this crazy place is like finding a needle in a haystack, but it's much easier if you know where to look."
"And Ben," he turns to face his old acquaintance, "you seemed troubled after that phone call back at the cafe. Maybe there's something we can do to help? Are you in trouble? Maybe someone you know is in trouble?"
"And last, but not least, I need a job. And I'm probably not the only one, except for Kitty. The way we spend money, we'll end up broke in a couple of days. I think that this is the most urgent task at the moment."
"Oh, and one more thing," Ghishu says to conclude, "I'd like to get some sort of a weapon. I don't like the idea of people falling dead after we talk to them. Next time it could be us. I'd feel much better if I carry something that will give me the illusion that I can protect myself."
Leo thinks about Ghishu's words for a moment. "That makes sense," he agrees. "I'm frustrated about this waste of time at the Breakneck, and worried about the horrendous bill that will be waiting for me at Ceasar's. Marda wrecked the entire, room, I mean really wrecked it.
"You're right, I need a job too. Which do you think gives us the best chance, Myron's, or Deadly Temptations? I tend to go for the latter because it could accomodate several of us, but I'll try anything. As for weapons, as I recall both addresses I saw were in Four Points Barrio. Gun Metal, and uh, Metal something, Metalworks I think. But... I don't use weapons." He spreads his arms wide. "Except for throwing knives, and C&I took those... Maybe I should replace them after all."
"Deadly Temptations is fine with me," Ghishu agrees to Leo's suggestion. "I just don't understand why everything around here has a connotation with death. We can ask Li about a weapons shop. If its on our way than we can stop there and if not we can go there afterwards".
Kitty winced at Leo's mention of their accomodations. "Oh man, the hotel room, yeah, um, I think I'll go along for the ride. I don't think I want to deal with hotel staff right now."
"If you guys are headin' for Deadly Temptations, I think I'll tag along as well," says Ben."There's someone in Golden I'd like to look up."
Li laughs merrily at the idea of heading for Deadly Temptations. "Most Burgers pretty safe there," she chortles, starting up the cab, "None have no money to get taken! Burger with money better watch out, though. They can smell money in Golden like vultures smell dead meat! As for weapons, if you want 'em you can go to four places. First, you can go to Gun Metal in Four Points. They're the best and most expensive. Second, you can go to Metalworks, also in Four Points. Cheaper, crappier, less selection. Third, you can wander the Ramble here in Flowers and maybe get lucky - no guarantees, its just a big open air market. Fourth you can go to the Brink and ask the Garbage Men - I hear they can provide you with almost anything as long as you don't mind if it smells like shit and needs to be fixed before you use it, or that you have to talk with some reeking mutant in order to get it. Now, who going in cab? I got room for four. And you want me to let you off at the gate to Golden or take you inside? If I let you off at the gate, you get in faster."
"Damn! I feel like I've been standing here a month," says Ben. "Look, there's five of us, so it's obvious that we're gonna have to split up. I don't really need to go to Deadly Temptations nor am I in need of a weapon. Right now, I just want to go back to the Hotel, maybe drink a beer, and relax. So, if you four want the cab, go ahead and take it. I'll find alternate transportation."
"Hokay maybe-Burger!" says Li as Ben begins scrutinizing traffic for another cab. "See ya!"
Ben turns left and right, surveying the street. Seeing no cabs,
other than the now departing Dart, he decides to move along. Heading
in the general direction of the Ramble while looking for a taxi, Ben is
perfectly willing to let fate decide which he should encounter first.
To Be Continued...