Baz's Bazaar
Posted on Tue Jan 17th, 2023 @ 8:47am by Commander Arianna Frost & Lieutenant Colonel Storr Garlake & Lieutenant JG Jaya Maera Garlake
5,858 words; about a 29 minute read
Mission:
Season 1 Interlude II (E5.5)
Location: Somewhere on Risa
Timeline: ID 4
It had been a couple of hours since the insane spa fiasco, and the administrative team had returned to their huts. Arianna, Storr, and Jaya had arranged to have dinner a couple of hours later - enough for the married couple to have some time to themselves before doing their friend a favor and taking her out to dinner.
For her part, Arianna locked herself in her room and had a long shower before taking a few moments to relax and then getting ready. Her hair had the beach wave effect to her, rather than her usual straight bob, and she wore a breezy, purple summer dress and was, of course, barefoot. She would milk the opportunity as long as she could.
As she exited her room, she made a beeline straight for Storr and Jaya's room, avoiding any and all possible eyes, and knocked on the door.
Jaya answered first, dressed in a lavender sari with crimson strokes brushed across it. Her eyes were painted in similar themes, particularly the crimson eyeshadow whose wings stretched toward her bare temples. The smoky mascara offset the brightness but still made her eyes pop through it all. Her two-tone lipstick of dark cobalt and bright fuchsia somehow made the mess of color across the rest of her face strike a balance. And the glitter. It reflected every color of the rainbow from her head.
"Hi, Ari!" Jaya beamed. "I saw this in one of the adverts! Storr hasn't seen it yet. What do you think?" She dipped her knees and swayed back and forth with the exuberance of a young lady on her way to a ball.
Was this how men felt when women asked them how they looked? Arianna couldn't help but wonder, and she couldn't help but feel severely underdressed in her outfit, with mascara and plain lip balm on.
Aha!
"You know, I never thought someone could pull off that much color, but damn, you wear it gloriously, my friend." Words spilled out of Ari's mouth, punctuated by a big friendly grin.
Jaya's eyes turned wide in mock offense. "Ari! You hate it! Why not say so?" And then she started giggling fiercely as she tapped the bald crown of her head. The garish makeup vanished, leaving behind Jaya's usual understated application. "One of the shops had a temporary tattoo like the ones you showed me. I tried them all just to see the look on your face, and it was worth it!"
Arianna shook her head and laughed softly, "you ass!" She said and broke into a fit of giggles herself. "Tell you what, though," Frost continued as she managed to catch a breath, "those are some good tough stickers. They've really perfected the art over the centuries."
"Yes, but shhh!" Jaya held a finger to her own lips and pressed two against Ari's before she tapped the top of her head again. The overdone painted look returned to before. "Oh, Storr! Ari is here. Are you ready?!"
"Born ready!" came Storr's booming voice, preceding him just barely from the living room. He wore a pair of knee-length seersucker shorts and a breezy, unbuttoned blue tropical panel Gubayara. He strode into the room with a wide smile on his face, a breeze blowing in his hair, sunglasses hanging from his pocket, and a smile that looked like the cat that ate the canary. "How are my two favorite wome...". The last word didn't finish and trailed off like the last drop of soup from a spoon tilted too much to the side. "Uhhm...Jaya..err...how's my sugar cookie?" His eyes cut from the Deltan to Ari, pleading for help, though not knowing what the solution he needed from her could possibly be.
Arianna grinned, giving Storr a nod, "well at least I'm someone's favorite." Then she looked over at Jaya and bit back a snort. "Like I said, I think only Jaya can pull off that much colour. Don't you agree?" The question was clearly aimed at Storr.
"I'm fantastic!" Jaya grinned and swayed back and forth, beaming ear to ear at Storr. Then she launched the loaded question. "How do I look?"
The Commandant's blood ran cold in his veins. The eternal man trap...he was sure that-at some point-Mark Antony, Don Juan, Romeo, and Henry VIII all faced this fearful moment. Now he, joining that long line of lovers of women, found himself ensnared. A Kobayashi Maru of the heart.
"You look...you look like you're ready for a night as a clow...I mean night on the town!" Storr bumbled, his inner voice momentarily becoming an outer one. FRAK! he thought, smiling while everything in him wanted to scream and run away. How could he have let that slip? "So, shall we?" He said, offering an arm to each woman as if his answer was both sufficient and final. Cool...act cool...
Jaya set her jaw in mock offense and folded her arms. "Ready for a night as a what? Something that rhymes with town?" She looked at Ari. "What starts with clow- and rhymes with 'town'?"
Arianna elbowed Storr and laughed, "funsies, which we are about to miss if we don't get going." She said to Jaya, "you can punish your husband later; now, let's get food and alcohol. We need it."
"Mhm, and now I will make you suffer, too," Jaya said. "Later. When you least expect it." And then, after tapping her forehead and making the horrendous makeup disappear in the blink of an eye, she stuck her tongue out at them both.
Frost chuckled, "I would be disappointed if you didn't, my friend."
Storr audibly sighed at the return of Jaya's more demure appearance. He smiled at her whimsical glance and, though he should have been more silent, didn't really feel that he could dig his hole any deeper. In for a penny, in for a pound...
Jaya gave him a pinch beneath his fifth rib, one of the few places she could make him squirm without violating public decency guidelines. "I heard that."
The marine couldn't help but let out a chuckle as he gently hip-checked his wife, giving her a side smile. Frak, he loved her so much...
Whilst the name of the seaside restaurant indicated that they were serving more middle eastern food, the restaurant turned out to be one that truly catered to a variety of cuisine and libation from various corners of the galaxy, and it was run by a crooked-toothed Englishman with a penchant for artistic holo-photography. It lent itself to a stylish and quirky design of the place itself, where you could sit at a luxurious table by the seaside or at a wooden, rustic bench or low seated ottomans accompanied by appropriate tables. And if you wanted to dance, the band would play any kind of tune you desired, and you could dance the night away under the light decorated trees or the stars themselves.
"Definitely not what I thought it would be, but I kinda dig it." Arianna nodded as the trio arrived at their destination.
"Yes, because it caters to drunk people," Jaya teased. "But all the smells are making me nauseous and starving at the same time, so let's grab a seat!"
Garlake wasn't about to argue; he was ravenous himself. Decisions confronted him immediately. Table? Booth? Bench? Lying? The last one likely was the most comfortable for Jaya, so he said as much to the host who led them away. The three exited the main structure and were ushered under a pergola with semi-sheer, white lace curtains flowing down two of the sides lazily, fluttering in the breeze, while the curtains on the other two sides were pulled back by hooks to allow an unobstructed view of the shore. Sumptuous blue with white and white with blue trimmed pillows of varying size and firmness were heaped into the corner where the two extended curtains met, while a low, teak table filled most of the center space. A thick, white shag carpet covered the entire floor and was somehow sand-free. Will the wonders of modern technology never cease? he thought to himself with a chuckle. Truth be told, he hated sand, but whatever forcefield magic they were using here, he approved.
The Commandant moved to the apex and spread a few pillows to his left and right before taking his place with a satisfied grunt. As the cooling sea breeze battled the still-warm air, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the salt and cooked food. Not bad. Not bad at all...
"This reminds me of Seyalia," said Jaya. "Delta IV," she added for Ari's benefit. "I grew up on Seyann, one of the moons, which is absolutely gorgeous in its own way, but it doesn't have the oceans of the planet. Not like this..." She looked out over the surf and smiled serenely, perhaps for the first time since they'd arrived.
Arianna also sat down, arranging her dress to accommodate her sitting on a soft pillow on the floor, cross-legged. The light breeze danced through her hair. "Reminds me of Australia, beaches, and alcoves too many to count, each with its own beauty. My dad's side of the family came from the very south, from Victoria; he's still got cousins down there. It was gorgeous, but this is next level," she said, looking over at her two friends. "I'm glad I ended up here with you guys. Despite all the shit I brought with me."
Storr laced his hands behind his head as he looked to his left and right, admiring the view close and afar. "My family visited Cape Town several times, but I'm much more of a hills, plains, and jungle man myself."
"Yeah, just make sure you keep your swinging to the vines there, Tarzan." Jaya came him a playfully indignant look that soon turned to self-doubt. "Did I say that right? Tarzan?" She gave Ari the same coyly challenging expression. "I'm sure you can help me tease my husband if I didn't get it right."
The Afrikaner couldn't help but chuckle under his breath. He and Jaya's conversation about the earlier spa hijinks had been slightly contentious initially, but being the Deltan that she was (and completely convinced of Storr's fidelity, integrity, and honesty), she had obviously felt that joking was already on the table.
Ari caught the undertones there. So, Storr had told her, and she was having a lark about it. Good.
"Oh yeah," Frost nodded with a chuckle, though the look in her eyes was apologetic. "Mind you, in his defense, Tarzan is totally into Bagheera," she pointed to Jaya, "because Jane is lame, and Bagheera is awesome. Queen of Sheba," she pointed to herself, "just happened to be in the vicinity while Tarzan was trying to find Bagheera. This Queen's gifts are for someone else." Ari finished off with a grin and an internal cringe.
"DO NOT GO THERE!" She told herself.
Storr guffawed, his peals of laughter competing with the high tide's surf slowly moving towards the beach. He put an arm around both women at his sides and gave them a powerful hug. "I'm glad Tarzan, Bagheera, and Jane can all enjoy each other's company," Garlake said with a smile. He usually wasn't one for double entendres or hidden meanings but figured that the night was young. "But I think you're mixing The Jungle Book with Tarzan, unless you're saying you're the supple black leopard here," he said with a devious smile and wink at the Intelligence officer.
The wait staff appeared with complimentary bread, crackers, biscuits, and assorted jams and sauces in which to dip them. "Hello and good evening!" exclaimed a very cheery bald man of dark complexion. "I am happy to be your culinary guide in the exquisite journey of delights that is Baz's Everyfood Bazaar! Do we know where we would like to begin?" he asked with a clap of his hands.
"Let's start with one of everything," Jaya suggested. "Don't worry about it being too much -- Storr eats like a replicator's reclamation cycle, and I am eating for four, so I can have Ari's leftovers as sloppy seconds."
Thankfully Storr didn't have a drink, or it would have been spit out all over the waiter. She wasn't wrong about his appetite, but...he looked at Jaya and snaked his hand lower from her waist to give her a pinch on the backside. She was definitely feeling her oats (even before the drinks had arrived), and while he was already at an eight out of ten from her pheromones, he felt like they were sprinting rather than managing their endurance for the marathon that this meal should be.
Arianna blinked and looked over at Jaya with incredulity for a moment before looking back at the waiter. "Uh, yeah, we're treating ourselves tonight." She said to the waiter.
If the man had any confusion, he did not show it. "Most excellent, and would you like our libation list, or do you have a preference?"
"I'll start with your naughtiest mojito, but bring us a list anyway?" She looked over at the Garlakes.
"What is it in the air that is making today this utterly ridiculous?" Ari couldn't help but wonder. "Definitely going to need alcohol."
Storr spoke up next. "If you have any Witblits, I'd appreciate some, though Umqombothi works as well. Barring either of those, a gin and tonic will hit the spot. Hendricks. With a cucumber." After ordering, he chanced a look at Ari, who returned his gaze with something approximating how he likely would have felt in her position. Perhaps the Commandant had gotten used to the ridiculous and incredibly sexually-charged situations he had been in over the last couple of years, but a moment of clarity made him realize that he and Jaya were likely on three levels higher than the beautiful Australian.
"Arianna," he said, bending his head down towards the Commander so close that his temple almost touched hers and lowering his voice to barely above a whisper. "The pregnancy's making Jaya a bit bosbefok. Things might...okay, are quite charged here. Before the liquid courage starts flowing, know that Jaya and I love each other, Deltan...err, expression can be far more licentious than we humans are used to, we both really like you, and if you ever feel like things are getting a bit...out of your comfort zone, no harm or foul in saying something or getting up and finding a better place to be." His roguish smile was only semi-practiced, and he didn't quite mean for it to come out at this particular place and time, but here they were.
Frost chuckled, "it's not my first rodeo, Storr, but thank you for your words," she said, leaning forward to take a slice of cheese and dipped it into a red sauce of sorts. "You guys are not going to spring a threesome idea at me, are you?" Red-coated cheese met mouth. A chew and a swallow later, "I love you guys, but as I said, this Queen's gifts are for someone else, and I'm not ashamed to admit that, whether he wants them or not."
She said as she readjusted a little so that she could better face both of them and gain some space. It was both for her benefit as it was for Storr's. With how charged the two were, she wanted to avoid further temptation and keep the lines clear. While sure, she'd had a few dalliances in the past - her emotions were never involved. When they were, however, Ari was all in and most unwilling to share.
"And of course, if you tell him that, I will have my revenge and will employ all of my years of tradecraft to execute said revenge," Ari added with a grin before taking another bite of the red-coated cheese.
Storr immediately sat ramrod straight and turned a shade redder than the sauce on the table. "I..err...wasn't...umm...ahh..." he stammered, looking like the proverbial fish out of water. Garlake looked around in a panic and grabbed a slice of cheese before stuffing it into his mouth and chewing robotically. Following it with a giant swig of water, he exhaled slowly and leaned back into the pillows, closing his eyes. Sure, there was teasing, but he hadn't realized how truly far things had gotten, and Frost's words had caught him completely off-guard. Sure, it put the thought in his head for a brief moment, and as a healthy, red-blooded man, it caused some stirrings, but he banished it before chuckling and wrapping Jaya in a half bearhug. "Well, this Tarzan is a one-Jane man," he said, smooching his bride's cheek before laying back in his pillows. His heartbeat slowed to normal, and he smiled as the wind caught his hair and beard.
"Besides," he continued lazily, "things are already crowded with the 5 of us."
Jaya rested her chin in her hand and gave them both a smarmy smile. Clearly, she had enjoyed every shred of the past few minutes. "If you two apes are finished playing grabass, can we finally get some food? I am literally starving."
"Ooga booga!" Storr intimated with a laugh, complete with armpit scratching. Funnily enough, he probably was the only person here that had actually seen a monkey. "I could eat the south end of a northbound horse as well...let's eat!"
"Yes, we all know where your mouth tends to roam," Jaya said, throwing a teasing wink at Ari. "Or at least I presume we all do now."
"Haven't heard any complaints yet," he mumbled, stuffing another slice of cheese with red sauce in his mouth.
The food started arriving moments later, much to everyone's relief. Arianna let out a breath of relief and focused on the delicacies placed before them. "Oh my god, is that kangaroo?" She asked of the server.
The young Risan man nodded with a charming smile, a soft, black curl dancing over his forehead. "Yes, ma'am. Grown on Driaan, freshly off the transport yesterday."
Frost grinned, "bloody ripper!" She grabbed a plate and helped herself to a sizzling kangaroo steak. "You guys have got to try this. It's just like the original Australian one, just homegrown on Driaan. They're the second largest export of kanga meat in the Federation."
Storr admitted to himself that he'd never tried the beast. Tasted like Water Buffalo. Or chicken.
"Kanga... roo?" Jaya sampled the word before taking a bite of the steak. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her face. "That is good!"
The server grinned and bowed out, returning to the kitchen to bring more food.
"If you liked that, you'll love kanga bangers and mash." Ari grinned, knowing how much Jaya loved that food.
After another few bites, Ari looked at her two friends, "how are you two doing...given our...recent developments?"
"Trying to change the things I can and accept the things I can't," Jaya replied. "Like with Cal. His rehabilitation has been at warp speed. I'm not sure if there's been anything like it. Seeing him get reinstated was a bright light in a dark time."
Garlake ran a hand idly through his beard at the mention of Cal and again thought back to his discussion with Akiva. His wife's comment did not inspire confidence in the two men's decision.
"We're doing great," he said, addressing the other possible meaning behind the Commander's statement. "The pregnancy is going along well, though I'm afraid that Jaya's appetite is nearing my own." He winked at the Deltan and took his last bite of Kangaroo. Two could tease.
Ari nodded and reached for another plate for what looked like hasperat, or something very similar. "You've done good work with Cal." She took a bite of the rolled-up doughy item, "mm, nice." Then a slight pause before she continued, "we may need his services...for our side project, I mean."
At first, Jaya's general defensiveness of her star patient came to the forefront. "I should hope not!" But when the inescapable memories of the horrible revelations they'd been burdened with came rushing back to her, there was reluctant agreement. "But... you may be right."
Arianna nodded and took another bite of the insidiously spicy dish, which made her eyes water. She then took a sip of her mojito before continuing. She looked between the two for a moment, trying to decide whether to bring the subject up again. When she'd originally told Jaya the night before they discovered the butler war crimes , it mattered much less than it did now, almost a week later. Then it was just a likely crazy suspicion and nothing else, now it brought a horrifying new depth to what they had discovered.
Visibly stiffening, Jaya hid her unease behind a sip from her drink. Deltan gestation meant she metabolized food and drink far faster than humans, resulting in higher tolerances and shorter pregnancies. In this case, her Seabreeze was a cover against what would come next.
"Storr..." She finally began. "I..." she took another sip, "there was one thing I didn't mention in our project meeting. Something that I suspect will affect Akiva more than the rest of us, devastatingly so, if I manage to prove it. I haven't said anything to him yet, because it's crazy in the best circumstance...and Jaya pretty much said it's more likely to be a delusion than the truth. When Jaya and I spoke about it, it was just a wild theory...now though...it being true is so much more." Arianna said, heart thundering in her chest. "If it's true, Akiva will need you two, his closest friends, to help him deal with it."
The Afrikaner's eyes narrowed. The shift from joviality to business was abrupt, and it sounded like there was a very large, unwelcome surprise on the other side of this exchange. "Go on..."
Where does one begin to lay out such a crazy theory?
"Just as I originally caught Vokau, Teejay's brother, Taskmaster showed up to back me up." She began, laying out the familiar information first. As I looked over at him, and for a moment, I didn't see Taskmaster...I saw Akiva. Then he spoke and broke my confusion. I thought it a figment of my imagination at first - but as time moved on, I began comparing them...in my talks with Akiva, during assignments and briefings with Taskmaster. The more I compare the more similarities I saw."
She began, then took a long sip of her drink, "by similarities I mean familial similarities. Almost as if they were related. Now I know his brother is officially dead and I know my feelings for Akiva are clouding my judgement, but my gut feeling is telling me there is more information out there. Taskmaster is so deeply buried in the system that there are tripwires around his file and official information that I can't just access it without tripping alarms."
Ari reached over and took another bite of the 'hasperat', "what makes me think there is more there is the name Omri showing up related to me and Memory Theta. I've twice been told of Omri Shaw as an important figure in this cloud and one not working for the good side. I'm pretty sure it's an alias, and I'm looking for a visual reference to see if I can make the connection. I'm also working on a play to get a DNA sample from Taskmaster directly and to get a familial sample from Akiva's side for correlation. And...I'm hoping to God I'm wrong, and it's just a delusion..." The last sentence she spoke she was mostly focused on Jaya.
"Now just hold the phone," Storr said, the bite of Australian marsupial going dry in his mouth, "are you really trying to tell me that you think the Taskmaster, evil incarnate in the intelligence system that has eyes and ears everywhere, who's five steps ahead of us at all times and has murdered countless beings across this galaxy for his machinations, is the dead brother that Akiva had mentioned to me no more than once in the entire time I've known him?!"
Arianna refocused on Storr with a sigh and let the silence speak. She had to admit that the second time, the theory sounded even more crazy, even to her who was born on a planet where paranoia goes hand in hand with breathing. She had little to no evidence, what she had was circumstantial at the longest stretch and even then...who would believe it? It's what made it perfect to mask the truth. Except...was there a truth? Or was this just crazy thinking of a woman finding reason after reason to stay way, to hold back. Ari had to wonder if she was pursuing this for the truth or to protect herself?
She couldn't quite decide yet, but she would find out either way. It got too important not to know.
"While I stand by my original assessment that this may only be a subconscious attempt for Ari to place distance between herself and Akiva..." Jaya paused in order to make eye contact with the both of them, "... I agree that nothing should be taken for certain when it comes to... to the situation we're in. If Ari's hunch is still burning in her mind, then we shouldn't ignore that." Her mouth pursed ever so slightly as if resisting a smirk. "Even if the real burning issue is further south than her mind."
Storr chuckled, speared the last piece of Australian bushmeat off the plate, and popped it in his mouth. "Well," he said in between bites, "it's just conjecture and has no bearing on anything at this point though I'll file it away and pray to God that it's not true." Sliding his fork onto the now-empty plate, he leaned back with a satisfied smile and looked up at the stars glinting through the pergola's slats, the warm, salty breeze again catching his hair. "It's times like these that truly make a man thankful for the blessings in his life."
Arianna nodded as she reached over and grabbed a bowl of vegetabley-mix. "So, are you guys having the bubbies at Overwatch or will you go elsewhere...Earth?"
"Yes, Earth," Storr said definitively, his eyes still closed. "We're going back on the family land there in South Africa...my mother is beyond excited, and my sister is coming down from Rhodesia with her boy and girl. It'll be quite the straat-braai."
"I'm not sure what that means but if it involves more of your mother's cooking, then I am beyond excited," Jaya said. "Our visit there for the wedding was one of the first times I had braised meat and I have been dreaming about it ever since."
Ari grinned, washing the bite down with another mojito, "that sounds wonderful. Straat-braai?" She asked, hoping she didn't stumble too much with pronunciation. "Also, is there any specific cultural gifting the favorite aunty is meant to be doing? My two cultural backgrounds are probably very different from yours."
Storr chuckled. "It's like a big block party. Concerning gifts, I was thinking something along the lines of baby's first Ka-Bar..." He knew it was coming, but the elbow Jaya jabbed into his side still surprised him in its quickness.
Having abandoned her utensils to better engorge herself with both hands, Jaya simply nodded through a mouthful that made both cheeks bulge.
Ari chuckled observing Jaya, "I don't speak pregnant Deltan, I'm afraid." She said as she looked over at Storr.
It took several gulps to swallow her food, but Jaya managed. "Births are a little different among Deltans. Babies are not presented publicly because there is no place for them in public." The topic was quite delicate, so Jaya chose her words carefully. "Infants, children, even adolescents are kept sequestered among their guardians until they are developed enough to enter Deltan society as adults. We have never waged war among our own people, but what Deltans who have walked a path of destruction were often prematurely introduced to everything it means to be Deltan." Jaya twisted her mouth for the distaste she found there. "Not exactly great dinner conversation. Just, suffice it to say, a monogamous bond is rare enough among my people that nobody will think twice for us to follow any of Storr's traditions with the babies."
Arianna nodded, "hey I mentioned dead men walking, so we're all good." She said with a shrug. "So, what are you two up to after this? I promise I'm not hitching a ride with you to that too."
"I don't know yet," Jaya said. "There are a lot of local attractions like parasailing and freediving that aren't exactly options for me in my condition." She entwined her slender fingers around Storr's meaty hand. "But I'm sure we'll think of something." The Commandant waggled his eyebrows in reply.
Arianna nodded, "well Iiii have a date!" She said as she took fried pastry-wrapped morsel.
The Afrikaner's eyebrows stopped their waggling to move into a quirk. "Oh," Storr asked, truly interested, "and who might the lucky man be?"
"Ooooh..." Jaya cooed with a teasing expression. "Is it anybody we know?"
Ari chuckled, "Not as such, but he's picking me up soon." She said and took a bite, "you know the old saying, when on Risa do what the Risans do."
She hated lying to her friends, but everyone needed to play their part perfectly. Sure the outcome would likely come back to bite her in the ass, especially if Akiva found out. No, not if. When. But it needed to be done this way. For the greater good, some sacrifices needed to be done, right?
Storr's interest turned to near inquisition as he squinted at Ari. A date was one thing, heavily intimating that she would be sleeping with the man in all manner of debauchery was another entirely, especially considering Akiva's deeply held convictions on fidelity. True, Arianna was not Akiva's but if Frost wanted to have any chance with the Captain, sleeping around like a whore was not the way to endear herself to the Hebron. A deep "hmmm" emanated in reply from his throat, not even voiced through his closed lips.
Arianna could not fight a grin and a laugh at Storr's reaction. It took her a moment or two to settle down before taking a sip of her drink. "Tell us what you really think, mate."
The Commandant let out a quick guffaw. "What?" He asked with mock incredulity. "You act like I'm an open book or something. I'll have you know I'm a master of deception and nonverbal communication." His wink sealed the deal. Storr, most definitely, was not.
Frost shook her head in amusement, "uh huh."
Before she could say more she could see in the distance a tall, tanned figure. He sported beige slacks and a white shirt of a light material, unbuttoned at the neck just enough to hint at a hairless yet very sculpted torso. He had dark brown, nearly black eyes and curly black hair just on this side of bounce and flop.
The man waved at her and grinned, his traditional ja'risia symbol slightly glistening against the lighting.
Arianna waved him over, "that's him now." She said to Storr and Jaya
Cuiter, Storr muttered under his breath as he stood. While he instantly disliked him, he wouldn't be rude, so he shook the swarthy Indian/Eastern European-looking man's hand. He also seemed to have strong Jewish features, making Garlake roll his eyes internally. If she can't get Akiva, she'll get something just like him. Women.
"Storr Garlake," the Afrikaner said in a neutral tone, very firmly clenching the man's hand in his. Storr was 6 inches taller and probably had 40 pounds of muscle on the admittedly toned Risian. "This is my wife Jaya. Please excuse her for not standing, she's pregnant with triplets."
The Risian man grinned, shaking Storr's hand firmly. "It is an absolute pleasure. I'm Matija." He said then he stepped over to the two women. He reached over and pressed a quick kiss to the back of Jaya's hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Jaya."
He gave the Deltan a wink before he straightened up and stepped over to Arianna who had gotten up too. "You look stunning, Jade."
Jade gave him a grin and a nod, "thank you, Matija."
"Ready to go?" Matija asked, glancing down at the feast before the trio, "although if you said no, I could understand...after all, this feast..." he gestured to the food and let the rest of the insinuations hang in the air.
Jade? Garlake thought, confused. Why would he have called her that...unless....Storr cut his eyes to Arianna. Why did she have to mix business with pleasure? And what kind of business, was it Castermer issue or something else? And why did she need to shag this man to make it happen?
"No, Jade, I think it's best you two go, it's obvious you have more...pressing matters to attend to." He did his best to keep his disappointment out of his voice, hopefully succeeding.
Arianna caught the micro-expressions in her friend's voice and mannerisms, "do you trust me?" She said to Storr and Jaya.
"I do," Jaya said. Then she gave Ari a playful slap on the butt. "Off with you now," she said with a wink, "and don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Hah!" Arianna chuckled, then placed a hand on Storr's shoulder. "Trust me."
Without waiting for a reply, she winked at both. "Enjoy you two, I'll see you tomorrow."
Matija grinned at the display, "pleasure to meet both of you!"
"Too doo loo!" Ari waved to the Garlakes as she and Matija passed them by and headed toward the exit.
As the dynamic duo left, Jaya shook her head after them. "That won't end well," she mumbled around a marinated morsel she was sucking off her fingertip. "But the aftermath will be fun to watch."
"Did I ever tell you you have a real sadistic streak?" her husband responded with a smirk, watching the two silhouettes disappear around a far building. Storr trusted Arianna, but he didn't like what or how it was happening. It was out of his hands and control, however, so he cast it from his mind as he smiled at his glowing Deltan bride.
"So, looks like it's just you and me, Love. Had your fill? I'm ready for a walk on the beach and to hit the sack."
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