Standoff, page 38
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“Oh my.” Mr. Bains stared at Kadar’s tail, his expression carefully blank. “That’s quite the change, sir. If you follow me, I am sure we can work around it.”
“I have friends following us; they’ll be in soon,” Kadar said. “Would you bring them up too?”
“Of course, please follow me.”
We followed Mr. Bains up a neat set of stairs, which took us inside one of the towers on OOF. I’d had no idea we were even that high or that far away from the helo towers.
Once we were at the top, the stairs opened onto a stunning balcony. “This is amazing,” I said, looking at the stars and the oceanfront, a soft, sea salt breeze drifting towards me. Noting the flowers that were dotted around, I took in their scent—fruity, not overpowering. Enhanced by the salt, it made for a wonderous smell that tickled my nose.
“It’s a very nice spot,” Kadar said and dreamily looked around.
“I can’t argue there at all.” At the center of the spacious balcony sat an elegant table, hand crafted from rich mahogany and topped with a crystal-clear glass surface. Surrounding it were rich red cushioned chairs, each one with detailed birds adorning their backs. They were a far cry from the utilitarian benches in our mess halls.
“Please,” Mr. Bains said humbly, with a slight bow. He moved to the table, fussing around with one of the chairs. There was a quiet hum, and the sweet scent of burning wood wafted through the air. When he stepped back, the chair’s backrest had large, clean notch towards the bottom, starting at the outer edge and extending about two-thirds of the way into the middle. I was taken aback that he’d butcher a chair obviously worth more than a month or year’s wages.
A testament to Silao’s family prowess, Apex said.
“Ah. Well, you can add that to the bill Mr. Bains,” said Silao sheepishly as he sat, sliding his tail into the notch and tucking it under the seat so that it wouldn’t get stepped on.
“Certainly sir,” replied Mr. Bains graciously as he gestured for me to take a seat beside Silao.
I made to do so, gently running a hand over the bird. It reminded me of— “A Loretta?” I asked Mr. Bains.
“You are correct, you know your species.”
“Saw it on a helo,” I said, to Silao’s raised eyebrow.
Mr. Bains poured some water for us both; it clouded the glass instantly. I shivered at it without even touching it, knowing how cold that had to be. “We have a fine selection of wines to accompany any meal tonight, if you would like to see our list?”
Silao shook his head. “Four of your finest Jim’s whiskey chasers with pints of dentale beer. Add a beaker of alabasta alcoholic fruit cocktail and several of your appetizers to start, please.”
“Excellent choices,” Mr. Bains said. He dipped his head and left.
It wasn’t too much longer before he returned with our drinks and Malaki and Justin, who were both a little pink in the face.
“Get caught?” Kadar asked as they sat and edged their chairs in a bit closer.
“Yes,” Malaki laughed, but she was glowing. “There was a party that walked around the corner.”
“Then I’m glad we left and didn’t get caught with you.”
We settled into a good cadence with each other, talking. With them, the exhaustion I felt melted away. “The drinks are enhanced,” Kadar said. “Only the best here, but I thought we could all do with that boost.”
Gods, how much do these things cost?
You don’t want to know, Apex chuckled. When the rest of the drinks and starters arrived, I was blown away. Mr. Bains and his server laid the table with several small dishes I’d never even heard of before, let alone seen. Smells I couldn’t identify rose from the steaming dishes, and my mouth watered.
“Is this all real food?” Justin asked.
Kadar raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you think?”
Justin whistled. The waiters left, and Silao motioned for us to help ourselves.
I picked up a spoon and took a scoop of rice and fish, with a lavish addition of sauce at the side. I took a bite and groaned as my tastebuds just melted.
“I’ve never had anything like this,” I said. “Ever.”
Kadar smiled and ate before he spoke. “My pleasure; I’m glad I could bring you here.”
The whole meal was leagues above what we’d had at my birthday. Every morsel was divine. The alcohol, the meat, the potatoes and vegetables, everything on the plate was heaven. It melted on the tip of your tongue, crunched where it was supposed to, and exploded with flavor. Even the others dug in with a relish. They may have grown up with money, but since joining M-Corp, they’d been eating the same diet of protein-and-supplement slop as me. Every now and then, Silao would glance toward the staircase, as if checking to see if it was still there. I wondered if he was waiting for more delicious food to appear.
When I was too full to eat any more, I sat back, listening to the piped music streaming through tiny speakers on the walls and watched Malaki struggle with the last few morsels of her food.
“What’s wrong?” Justin asked, and he put a hand on hers as she prodded the last few bites.
“I’m stuffed,” she said sadly.
“So don’t eat anymore,” Justin laughed at her.
“No way, I am finishing every tiny bite.” She grinned and stabbed a piece of meat and potato.
“I don’t blame you,” I stated. “That was the finest meal I’ve ever had in my entire life.”
“Me too,” Justin admitted. “You really brought us to a bonanza of a place.”
“Not many come here,” Kadar admitted. “It’s very exclusive.”
“Then how come you got through the door?” I quipped.
He shook his head. “I’ve never met anyone who researches as shite as you do.”
I shrugged and glanced at Malaki. “Did you ever do any digging on his sorry ass?”
With one last effort, Malaki shoved the last piece of meat in her mouth, chewed it slowly, swallowed it down, and then took a drink of Justin’s wine. “I never saw the need. The things we need to know, you’ve told us. Your skills stand out on their own.”
“This particular restaurant belongs to my brother,” Kadar said with a wave of his hand.
“Particular…as in there’s more of them?”
“We own the franchise. Our family breeds, feeds, and raises every single thing on the plates you just ate.”
“Holy crap, you raise livestock? Real animals?” Malaki asked, her eyes widening.
“Yeah, none of the synth stuff Sinnisters’ grows. There’s no better place to see and know the food you are putting on your plates than if it is all grown by yourself and not outsourced.”
“That does make sense,” I said and took another drink.
“On that note,” Kadar rubbed his neck and groaned. “I have no doubt my brother has been told I’m here.”
“Do you want to leave?” Justin cast him a glance.
Kadar lowered his head, and his cheeks pinked. “I haven’t spoken to any of them…since the mission went badly.”
“Ahh,” I said and lowered my head. No wonder he’d seemed tense.
“Haven’t spoken to us indeed,” a voice from the top of the stairs announced.
“Shit,” Kadar cursed under his breath. “He was faster than I thought he would be.”
“That’s your brother?” I asked and cast the young man heading our way another good glance.
“Yes, one of many.”
“How many?” Malaki asked.
“Seven,” Kadar said with a sigh.
The young man stopped before us and beamed. You could really tell he was Kadar’s brother. They looked so similar, same cheekbones and nose, though I couldn’t place whether he was younger or older.
“Not going to come to greet me?” the young man puzzled.
Kadar sucked in a breath. “Cal, a few things have happened since I last spoke to you.”
“Get off your ass and come here,” Cal ordered.
He was older, for sure older—he demanded his brother’s respect.
Kadar slipped out of his chair carefully and went to his brother. They hugged each other tightly, and then Cal let out a, “What the fuck.”
“Can we grab a bottle of Mino and talk?” Kadar said, his voice low.
His brother literally spun him around to take in the tail that adorned his brother’s backside. Then he started to laugh. “I knew you were odd,” he said. “But I’d no idea you were this odd. Some kind of new mod? Never seen this before, where—”
I stood up on the defensive, but I wasn’t the only one. Justin had risen from his chair just as quickly.
“Hold on, guys,” Kadar said, raising a hand to stay our retorts. As Malaki stood, he added hastily, “Gals.” He turned to his brother and faced him head-on. “There’s no one odder than you, you fucker. Now go get that Mino and let’s chat.”
Cal rubbed his face. “I hope it’s a good story. The only Mino I have is a hundred years old.”
“I know.” Silao smiled. “Believe me, it’s a good story.”
“Are you even allowed to talk about it?” Malaki asked him as Cal hesitated slightly, then turned.
“I don’t get a choice, do I?” Kadar said, watching his brother walk away. When he’d gone, he sighed and looked to us. “You can go if you wish. We might be here a few more hours yet.”
“If you don’t mind,” I said, “I want to stay.”
“Me too,” Justin said, lightly clapping him on the arm. “We’re not leaving you with family when it’s obvious there’s a little strain there.”
Malaki moved in to hug him. “We all have our crosses to bear. You brought us here knowing he might turn up. You expected this.”
Kadar nodded awkwardly over Malaki’s shoulder at Justin. “I didn’t know how else I could talk to them. This, this is—”
I put my arms around the both of them, and Justin then did the same. “We’re in it together. Through all trials and tribulations, and if that means we must stand together against the family that thinks we’re odd, then so be it.”
Kadar sucked in a breath and squeezed us all. “You’re the best, you know that? All of you.”
We stayed for more than a couple of hours. Cal listened with a poker face as we explained the croba mission to him. When Silao and Justin detailed the attack on their helo and how close Silao had come to losing his life, he closed his eyes as if in pain, but stayed silent as they continued.
When all had been said, he got on his knees in front of his younger brother, lifting his chin to stare deeply into his eyes. They could have been DM-ing, but something made me think they weren’t. It was gentle and intimate, something I hadn’t been expecting, given how tense and uncomfortable Silao had been. But Cal’s love and concern for his brother were clear, and I felt a surge of respect.
After a moment, Kadar sank to the floor in front of his brother with a sob, wrapping his arms around Cal.
“You should have sent a message,” Cal said. “You know there’s nothing I would not do for you, right?”
“I know.” Kadar buried his head in his brother’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” Cal looked at me, holding his arm out and turning his wrist to me.
I put my wrist to his and accepted his contact card, passing mine to him also. “If you need to,” he said. “Day or night.”
“Same,” I replied.
“We need some sleep,” Silao said and pushed back from him. It had been hours talking, and it was now three in the morning.
Cal moved with him, and we took it as our leaving cue too. A young woman waited at the desk downstairs, but she looked like we’d woken her as we came down. “Sorry,” I said to her. “We should have left hours ago.”
“As long as I get the overtime,” she said. “It’s worth it. I hope you enjoyed your stay.”
“Of course.”
Kadar and Cal came down the stairs behind us, and through hushed words and another hug, they parted ways as we stepped out into the early morning night.
It was a nice walk back, and though none of us talked much, we hung close together till we got back to our hotel. There we entered our rooms, and I was asleep in seconds.
***
I was awake, showered, and dressed way before anyone else. I was starting to feel much more like myself, and it was a breath of fresh air to not be suffering from something or other. My mods and injuries had finally begun to settle.
I helped myself to a good portion of breakfast foods off the buffet downstairs before the Malaki showed her sleepy face. She yawned at me and waved as I sat; I tipped my coffee mug at her.
Moments later she sat before me with just a mug of steaming coffee for herself. “How in all of Artem can you be hungry?”
The plate of food before me was slowly being demolished, but it was slower than usual. “Habit. This is kind of disappointing though.”
She laughed. “We got super spoiled last night.”
“We really did.” I picked up the last bit of food I thought I could eat.
“Sleep okay?” she asked.
“Never heard a thing.” I smiled. “You?” I saw her face flush, though she tried to hide it with the mug. I held up a hand. “Never mind, I don’t need that info.”
Justin and Kadar joined us a moment later, and the conversation turned fast to the wedding in a few hours. We had plenty of time to dress properly and make our way over there; I wasn’t worried.
“You know much about elven politics and weddings?” I asked them.
Justin polished off a plate of scrambled eggs and coffee while Silao explained a little of their hierarchy.
“Seems pretty deep, even as much as the Techean,” Malaki said.
“In the sense they usually marry for money, power, I guess so. But they usually choose their own partners, unlike the Techean.”
That brought worry back into my mind, and Silao cringed. “Sorry Rus.”
“It’s okay,” I said, swallowing my coffee. “I wish I knew more about how I could get around the Techean customs, but it seems that no matter, even if I tried, I wouldn’t be good enough for them and Mira.”
“No,” Justin added. “You’re more than good enough for her, in some sense too good. If their council and her father can’t see that when you go to them, it is their loss.”
“Go to them?”
“You are going to visit, right?” Silao asked and looked at Malaki. “He will, right?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I need to see her again first, out of the way of trouble and all the things that surrounds us.”
“I’m sure we’ll have time for you to do that. The helo’s not moving yet.”
I sighed and buried my head in my coffee. “We should be moving now, though. I’ll get dressed. Follow me up when you’ve finished. I’ll see you back down here.”
Of course, I struggled with everything I had to put on. I just didn’t know where it all went; I’d forgotten from our original fittings. Apex was trying his best to help, but I was getting frustrated. A knock at the door had me swearing loudly at it, then it opened.
Silao stood and gave me the once-over, rolling his eyes. “You are so predictable.” He moved in fast and tugged me away from the mirror. “Let me do this.”
“I shouldn’t let anyone but servants touch me,” I said sarcastically, annoyed at that idea too.
But he did; he had my shirt unbuttoned and then re-buttoned in the right places in moments. “You’ve been doing some research on Techean customs, that’s good.”
“There’re so many things they do and don’t do. I never thought I’d be annoyed with others’ customs, but they’re…just archaic, just awful.”
Silao’s eyes hardened. “If you want me to come with you to see her father, you know I will.”
I looked into his eyes as he fastened my tie for me. “You would?”
“It’s clear how much you feel for her. How much you want to be in her life. If you want to make your legal claim, you will need—”
“Two representatives to stand with me, but it also says a family member.”
“You don’t think you can get your mom or stepfather there?”
“No.” I shook my head. “They’re stuck there…” I wanted to tell him all the whys, but I couldn’t.
“Wrist,” he said.
Without question, I gave him my wrist, and instead of fastening my cuffs, he put his wrist to mine, and I saw data transfer.
“I had to ask for this to be rushed through,” he said. “But I legally want to stand with you wherever you go.”
I looked at the information flashing across my HUD.
Tsomak Jamal Koloity and Anya Rose Korolyov are legally adopted by Navine and Lilia Silao.
“What?” I stared at the names. I had no clue who they were, but they were obviously his family.
“Navine is my great uncle over somewhere,” he said with a wave. “Check your family history.”
I’ve got it, Apex said.
What did he do?
In a roundabout way, you’re now distant cousins.
I looked back at him as he pulled my waistcoat off and gently threaded it over my arms, fastening it with the zipper, but only halfway up.
“Outer jacket,” he ordered.
I held up a hand. “Wait,” I said. “We’re cousins?”
Silao beamed. “I hope you don’t mind. It did cross a line or two.”
He pulled my jacket off its hangar, and I slipped it on.
My emotions were raw, though. “Kadar,” I said.
His eyes met mine as he smoothed down the front of my jacket with his fingers. “You look good,” he said. “Really good.”
“Kadar,” I said again my voice low.
“Yes?”
I pulled him to me and squeezed tightly. “You know where my parents are then, and what they’re doing?”
“I got that call earlier.” He pushed back a little and, pulling a tissue out of his top pocket, dabbed at my eyes. “It’s pretty damn clear none of this is normal, but I won’t question you. My door is always open when you or Justin want to talk.”
