"Right, fine," Rally said to the vid-link. "We'll be right there."
The security officer disappeared from the vid-screen as Rally muttered about a lost day of business.
"I'll get the sundress," Shanti said with a smile.
Vivian looked up and watched her sister move into their room to go through her exhaustive collection of clothes.
"Shouldn't we be worried that she had clothes picked out to make her look 'innocent and harmless' for these things?" she asked.
Rally didn't react to that joke as she usually did, instead giving Shanti a serious look before responding.
"Only if she goes out looking for these things," Rally said finally. "Anyway, we'll be gone for a while, take care of yourself. You know the deal."
"Yeah," Vivi said. "I might go shopping or see if there are any races on at the Dugout."
"Try to stay away from public places until this Drazi thing is taken care of," Rally said.
"I'll try," Vivi said casually.
It wasn't long afterward that found Vivi buying a pack of gum in the market of Red Sector as she started to wander towards the Dugout. She plopped one of the sticks of gum into her mouth and started chewing.
Vivi stopped as she watched a number of people in distinctive black clothing passing through the market on the way to Brown Sector past her. She stepped aside as they passed her, curious as to who exactly they might be.
As they moved past, one brushed accidentally against her, and reflexively closed her hand around their arm for just a brief moment.
Usually, she didn't get much of a reading from people, though she still preferred not to touch. However, she could immediately tell that there objects that she could read off within the dark-suited men and women.
A flood of images pushed through her mind until she broke off and stepped away, breathing heavily as several people turned to look at her, confused. Among them were two of the black-robed men.
One of the primary images she'd run across was that of several alien...things performing surgery on the man whose arm she had clutched.
Cybernetics and prosthetics. Some close to the skin, it was the only explanation she had for such a burst of imagery.
"Excuse me, Miss," the technomage said with a simple and polite tone of voice before starting to turn away.
"What are the Shadows," she asked reflexively.
She could never help herself from asking at least one question to clarify what she'd just seen. No matter how much it made her stand out.
Every Technomage within earshot of her quiet question paused and turned to face her.
"Curious," a female technomage said with an arched eyebrow.
Then the lot of them simply turned away and continued walking toward Brown Sector.
Vivi looked around at the technomages as they walked past her, watching her carefully.
"The hell was that all about?" Vivian asked as the group finally left.
She moved carefully out of the area and moved to enter the Dugout, hoping to forget the encounter, and the somewhat horrific images she'd caught from the man, with a few hours of NASCAR.
"Ah, good morning, Vivi," one of the waiters said, recognizing her. "Where's Rally?"
"She's having to clean up a mess right now," Vivi said. "Can I have a soda?"
"Certainly, be right back," the waiter said with a smile.
Vivian turned to watch the TV and then frowned as she felt someone sit down, uninvited at the table with her.
"Good morning," a strangely accented voice said.
Vivian turned to see a middle-aged Centauri looking at her with an appraising set of eyes.
"Umm, morning," Vivian said. "Who are you?"
"My name is Londo Mollari," the Centauri said with an engaging smile. "That was an interesting bit of business with the technomages outside."
"Technomages?" Vivi asked before realizing what he was talking about. "You mean the people in black?"
"Yes, that would be them," Londo said, nodding. "A most infuriating people. I've been trying to arrange a meeting with them since they started coming aboard yesterday and all I've received is abuse. You whisper something and suddenly a number of them are giving you a very close inspection. I find this very interesting, don't you?"
"Not really," Vivi said. "I just asked a simple question."
"Interesting, again," Londo said. "Perhaps you might enlighten me as to what this question was, yes?"
"I asked them what the 'Shadows' are," Vivi said. "Do you know anything about it?"
"Shadows?" Londo responded. "I tend not to worry about shadows unless there are people with knives hiding in them. I wonder what interests the Technomages have in such a mundane and boring subject. Perhaps they have a secret interest in shadow puppetry that we'd never heard of before."
He took a deep breath.
"I can just see it now," Londo continued. "Two mysterious and powerful technomages dressed in concealing black clothing to hide them from the audience as they manipulate a jumble of wooden toys on strings re-enacting some bizarrely low brow comedy routine involving much use of profane and childish language."
Vivian laughed at the way the alien was carrying on.
"So, what prompted you to ask about Shadows anyway?" Londo asked. "Unless you have some secret interest in shadow puppetry as well."
"No," Vivi said, turning nervous as the questions turned a bit more probing.
She looked up as the waiter brought her a glass of soda and tried to look away from the Centauri and his bizarre way of bringing down defenses.
"No? No what?" Londo asked. "Where I come from, it is polite for a child to respond to her elders. What prompted you to ask such a question?"
"I guess I just thought I heard one of them talk about shadows," Vivi said without turning to look at Londo.
"Indeed, it would fit their overdramatic sense of style," Londo said with a sigh. "Curious that they would have an interest in you, still. What did you say your name was?"
"I...didn't," Vivi said, nervously.
"Yes, I don't believe you did," Londo said with a smile as he stood up. "Well, feel free to pique my interest again sometime, but I must be off. Ambassadorial duties and such. Someone has to tell the League of Non-Aligned Worlds that their sense of fashion is terribly out of date."
That made Vivian laugh again as Londo walked out of the room.
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(Posted Mon, 10 May 2010 02:15)
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