Page 162 of Sparktopia
“I did. I feel like you’re a tea-party kind of man.”
I just laugh. Then I get up and start taking off my battle belt. “I’m gonna jump in the shower. Could you…”
“Stand nearby and heat the water for you?” She’s got a wild grin on her face. And if we had gotten past this preliminary pointalready, I’d just attack her right now. Throw her down on that bed and make her squeal.
But… we’re not there yet. So I just shrug. “If you don’t mind.”
She gets up, walks over to the shower, turns the water on, and then turns her back to me. “Hurry up then, get in.”
I strip and do as I’m told. But the whole time I’m washing up, I’m staring at her cyan-blue hand, a little bit mesmerized by the swirls of patterns on her skin. They’re pulsating tonight. Like they’ve got energy to burn.
“So tell me about these people we’re having dinner with?”
“Stayn is a friend.”
“This is the one who sent you to find me down in the lower levels?”
“Yes. He’s the patrol chief. He’s got a nice family, though. A wife and three daughters.”
“You know them well?”
“Yes. I’ve spent the holidays with them every year since I arrived in Tau City. And odd dinners in between. Like this one. This is actually my payment for going to find you. He promised me a dinner.”
“And that’s the one you forgot about because I was in the health center?”
“Yes.” I’m done now, so I turn the water off. By the time I open the curtain and pull a towel off the shelf, she’s already walking away.
I don’t go out wet. Instead, I dress. I don’t wear fancy clothes. I don’t even own fancy clothes. But I’ve a lot to choose from because apparently someone did laundry while I was at work. I already know that Rodge is billing me for all these expenses, but I ask anyway. Just to see if she’s figured it out. “You did laundry?”
“Oh, yeah. You don’t mind, right? Prisha came down and asked for it. She said she was gonna put it in with another load.”
I’m not sure what to make of this answer. So I pull a shirt on and go back out to the main room. “How are we paying for it?”
“Oh, she said it was a gift from Rodge.”
I grab my boots and sit down on the chair. “Why the hell is he giving us free laundry services?”
Clara doesn’t seem to understand how dear this service is. Because she just shrugs and changes the subject. “Should I change? Or is this dress good?”
“It’s good.” I smile at her. “But I told him you’re a vagabond girl. So maybe add some layers. Like Anneeta dresses. To make it all eccentric and shit.”
“A vagabond girl?” She tilts her head at me.
“Yeah.” But this one word comes out with a really big, stupid grin. Because she’s so damn delightful. “It’s a term we use to describe… free-spirts of the female persuasion. Girls who like to travel and have experiences instead of settling down with a man.”
Clara turns to her little chest of drawers and takes out some very long, beige-colored socks. She sits on the bed and starts rolling them up her legs, all the way over her knees. “Hmm. Travel wasn’t a thing where I come from. How will I make conversation? What should I talk about?”
“Just make it up.”
“But how? I haven’t been anywhere.”
“Neither have they. They’re all born in Tau City. Tau City is a place you go, it’s not a place you leave. Everyone wants to live here. They don’t travel much. But if you’re worried about it, talk about the traditional cities. The closed ones with strict gods. Like Zeta and Rho. When we get into the Canal District, I’ll get a phone and you can look at some pics to get an idea. Just… whatever you do, donotlight up with spark.”
“They’ve never been to those cities?”
“No. You need permits.”
“So how the hell did I get there?”
