{lisa}
lisa took another sip of whatever cheap liquor Vira had procured, letting the burn distract her from the absolute clusterfuck this evening was becoming. The door to the back room hung slightly open, fragnts of conversation drifting out between Vira's increasingly handsy attempts at seduction.
[Info first, sex later,] she reminded herself as Vira's fingers traced patterns on her thigh. [You're here to investigate arson and murder, not get laid. Well, not yet.]
"... can't wait forever..." Koros's voice carried through the gap. "... humans need to learn..."
[Yeah, I bet you've got lots to teach us about burning people alive, you fuck.]
But, despite the simring rage, she kept her expression interested, engaged, and focused entirely on Vira even as she strained to hear more. The woman's hands were getting progressively more adventurous, clearly ready to repeat so of their previous... encounters.
"You keep looking over there," Vira noted, following lisa's gaze to the door. "Not that interested in my company tonight?"
[Shit.]
"Just curious," lisa shrugged, leaning into Vira's touch to sell the lie. "You ntioned your brother has etings here sotis, right?"
"Mm." Vira's hand slid higher. Vira looked away for a mont. It seed she was hesitant for a second before she asked, "want to et him? He's always looking for new recruits. Especially pretty ones."
[Oh you have no idea how much I want to et him.]
"I don't know..." lisa bit her lip, playing hesitant. "Your brother sounds kind of intense."
"He is." Vira's voice carried an edge now. "And... well, don't get wrong, I think all this revolutionary stuff is ridiculous, but if you wanna maybe sit in on a eting or two, I'm sure I could convince him."
Through the door, lisa caught another snippet: "... next target will send a real ssage..."
[Yeah, I bet it will. Right up until I send you a ssage about why trying to kill my family was a really bad idea.]
"Well..." lisa turned to face Vira fully, channeling her inner Margaret. "If you really think he'd let ..."
"I do." Vira stood, reluctantly pulling lisa up with her. "Co on."
[Oh honey,] lisa thought as she let herself be led toward the back room. [You have no idea what I'm involved in.]
Vira pushed open the back room's door, her hand still lingering on lisa's lower back. The touch felt possessive, protective even – like Vira was already regretting bringing her new fuck-buddy into her brother's world of revolutionary bullshit.
[Aw, that's actually kind of sweet,] lisa thought. [Sha I'm here to possibly murder him.]
The room stank of cheap tobacco and cheaper ale. Five nim sat around a scarred wooden table, all of them looking up as the door opened. Koros dominated the gathering – broader than the others, with that particular intensity in his eyes that scread 'I have great ideas about setting things on fire.'
[There you are...]
"Brother," Vira said, her voice carrying none of the warmth it had held at the bar. "This is lanie. She's... interested in what we're doing here."
Koros's eyes raked over lisa, lingering on curves that definitely weren't hidden by her chosen outfit. His expression shifted from mild annoyance to interest.
[That's right,] lisa thought. [Another stupid nim girl ready to be radicalized.]
"Is she now?" Koros leaned back, gesturing to an empty chair. "Well then, lanie. Tell us what brings you to our little gathering."
Vira's hand tightened briefly on lisa's back before falling away. A warning? A promise? Hard to tell.
[Ti to find out exactly what you're planning next,] lisa thought, taking the offered seat. [And then we'll see just how fireproof you really are.]
"Well," she said, letting her voice carry just the right mix of anger and uncertainty, "I heard you were planning to make so real changes around here..."
---
{Vira}
Vira watched her silver-haired mistake bat her eyes at Koros like he'd invented sex. Which, given how thoroughly lanie had demonstrated her knowledge of that particular subject over the last few days, seed pretty fucking unlikely.
"It's just..." lanie's voice wavered perfectly. "I've seen so much. Humans treating us like we're nothing, you know? And, I was wondering if I could get involved at all, but..."
[Oh for fuck's sake,] Vira thought, watching her brother lean forward with interest. [Two days ago you were screaming my na in bed, behind this bar, and now you're what, ready to join the revolution?]
She couldn't watch this. Couldn't stand here while the girl she'd been fucking stupid looked at her idiot brother like he had all the answers in the world to... everything.
"Getting more drinks," she announced to no one in particular, already heading for the door.
Behind her, lanie was saying sothing about "making real change" in that breathy voice that usually preceded soone getting their clothes torn off.
[Fantastic,] Vira thought, closing the door maybe a bit harder than necessary. [My brother's about to recruit my new favorite fuck buddy into his stupid crusade.]
She made her way back to the bar, where the elderly bartender was already pouring her usual.
"What's wrong?" he asked, sliding the drink over. "Worried your new girl's gonna get swept away by revolutionary fervor?"
"Fuck off, Tam."
"Hey, at least she's not the one who suggested attending the eting." He shrugged. "You did that all on your own."
[Yeah,] Vira thought, downing her drink in one go. [Because I'm a fucking idiot who thought maybe if she got involved in Koros's bullshit, she'd stick around longer.]
Yeah, she pretty much instantly regretted this choice.
From the back room ca the sound of lanie's laughter. That sa laugh that usually accompanied fingers finding interesting places. Now aid at whatever stupid shit Koros was saying about human oppression.
[Well,] Vira thought, gesturing for another drink, [at least soone's having fun tonight.]
Though given how this evening was going, she was probably going to need a lot more alcohol to forget the sight of lanie making those kinds of eyes at Koros.
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