The Drearies

Seth sat at the outside bar of The Portcullis and lamented his fate.  The only silver lining he’d seen all day was that The Portcullis served Two Ravens mead, and he was in a drinking mood.  Aside from taking Talia’s death harder than he would have anticipated, he needed to seem vulnerable tonight.  That was going to be his only edge.

He’d brought Tanith with him, for a number of reasons.  He’d told her that it was because he owed her a drink for nursing him back to health, but while the real reason was related, that wasn’t quite it.  Also, tonight was going to be delicate, and, aside from the two of them, the rest of the crew just didn’t do delicate.

“This place is beautiful” Tanith hissed, scanning the patio.  Overhead, grape vines and strings of white lights wove through the latticework.  Low, comfortable chairs surrounded rich wooden tables, projecting an atmosphere of intimacy, fantasy and class. 

The Portcullis catered to the higher echelon of the goth culture of New York.  Baroque paintings, mahogany furniture lined with velvet and leather, and slow, sensual music made the bar the perfect retreat from sweaty, crowded clubs.  You went to clubs to find someone to fuck.  You went to The Portcullis to make connections and try to improve your social standing in the community.  Some people said they went there to relax, but most of them were lying.  It’s hard to relax with so many catty people scrutinizing each other.

Seth was nervous for a completely different reason, and apparently it showed.

“What’s up, Elf?  You aren’t your normal, obnoxious self.  Not that I’m complaining…” Tanith smiled at him.  He was sure she meant it to be warm, but a Visral’s smile is unnerving in any context.  “This isn’t just about Talia, is it?”

Seth sighed, glad his worried look had gotten her attention.  “I’m hoping to talk to someone, who may or may not show up, and who may or may not want to see me dead.  This person may or may not have information on what happened to Talia, and even if they do, may or may not give it to me, regardless of how much I’m willing to do in return.  All I know for sure, is that this person could have me killed in a moment.”

Tanith eyed Seth for a moment.  “Would this happen to be an ex-girlfriend?”

Seth’s eye widened with genuine surprise.  “How’d you guess?”

Tanith laughed quietly and took a sip of her drink.  “Gimme a little credit, boy.  I’ve lived in the same house as you for almost two years.  And furthermore, I’m a woman.  An outright enemy, you’d be nothing but confidence and high-spirits.  I figured it had to be more complicated, someone you may still care about.  Plus, I can smell anxiety mixed with the slightest bit of sexual arousal coming off of you.  I’d been wondering if you were going to try to get a sympathy lay out of me.  I’m relieved to find out you’re just scared for your life.”  She winked at him.

Seth grunted and smiled a bit, looking into his drink.

“So what’s she like?”

Seth’s voice dropped low as he saw her come through the door.  “Complicated…”

The Drearies stepped out of the main bar and onto the patio.  Immediately, the slightest scent of lavender and honeysuckle filled the air as the six women moved about.  To the untrained eye, they looked identical, but Seth knew otherwise.  It was a trick popularized by a singer back in the eighties, working on the concept that if you get similar looking women and do their hair, make-up and clothing exactly alike, you won’t be able to tell the difference. 

In all fairness, most people couldn’t tell the difference, aside from the hair and eye color.  Six girls, six colors.  Tonight, they all wore their hair long with Betty Page bangs, fishnets, lace gloves and black vinyl baby-doll dresses, cut high enough to show a flirtatious amount of black silk panties were one of them to bend over.  Six beautiful, curvaceous porcelain dolls with the glint of cruel intelligence in their eyes.  Individually, any of the girls would be a knockout.  Together, they were almost overwhelming.  They exuded aloofness and inapproachability.  With their mocking smiles and wandering gazes, they were obviously not looking for new friends.

After a moment spent surveying the room, the Drearies, in unison, opened their box purses and pulled out six clove cigarettes, placed them between six sets of ruby lips, and lit.  Without a word, the group split in half as three went to claim seats on the dais, and three went to claim drinks.

“They’re so quiet,” Tanith whispered.

“They’re psychics.  The only noise they ever make amongst each other is laughter,” Seth grimly replied.

Sable, Jade and Violet walked up to the bar, right next to Seth.

“Seth.  It’s been a while,” Sable said, not even looking in his direction.

“The years find you unchanged, I’m sure.” Subtly cutting words from Violet’s mouth, as if it mattered.

Jade fished in her purse for money.  “Assholes can’t change their spots.  Or is that leopards?”

Sable turned to look at Seth, her completely black eyes cold.  “Regardless, I’m sure it applies.”

Seth put on a smile of transparently false bravado.  “I never…”

“Claimed to be anything you aren’t,” Sable finished for him.  “Tired line, Seth.  Blue doesn’t want to talk to you.”

“It’s very important.  If it weren’t, I wouldn’t risk your collective wrath.  You should know that much.”  Seth looked seriously into Sable’s eyes as he focused his thoughts.  He saw Jade’s green eyes gazing intently at Tanith.

“This is my associate Tanith.  She isn’t here for business.”

The ladies’ eyebrows raised in unison as Violet spoke.  “We care?”  It was disconcerting, the way the ladies shared the same facial expression regardless of who was speaking.

“I’d like to speak with Blue.  In private.”  The Drearies laughed.

After a moment’s reflection, Jade spoke up.  “She’ll speak with you.  But you should know better than to hope for privacy.”

The ladies collected their drinks and began to head towards the raised dais to join Scarlet and Pearl.  Blue was already walking towards the upper deck.

“Wish me luck,” Seth said to Tanith as he stood with his drink to follow her.

“Don’t die.”

By the time Seth got to the upper deck, Blue was already leaning on the railing, looking out over the river.  He walked up and stood beside her.  He waited.

“The snake nursed you back to health,” Blue finally said, still staring at the water.  “In her memories, you seemed at death’s door.  Somehow, you did that to yourself, though I don’t know why.  What happened, Seth?”

“It was a price I willingly paid for information.  Sadly, it wasn’t enough.  I need your help.”

Seth let his mental defenses slip a bit, hoping he only let through what he wanted to.  Hoping it looked unintentional.

“Ah.  A little girlfriend of yours ended up dead.  That seems to happen to you a lot, doesn’t it Seth?”

“That’s hardly fair.”  Seth drank deeply from his glass.

Blue erupted in angry laughter, turning to look at him.  “Who the hell are you to even think the word ‘fair’?  You’re almost fifty years old, and yet you’re still just a whining child, crying ‘cause someone took your toy away.”

“This one was different,” Seth almost whispered.  “I actually cared.  I haven’t done that in a few years.”  Seth met Blue’s gaze meaningfully.  He caught himself examining her blue within blue eyes, so different from when he knew her.

“Look, I’ve never had any illusions about myself.  I’m not a nice guy, I’m not even an alright guy.  I’m a real bastard, and a killer.  That’s one thing that I do really well.  If I can do something horrible to a few people who killed someone I cared about, then I guess I’ve done what I can.  I would have done the same for you.”  Seth turned to face the river.  “Probably still would, not that you’d need the charity.”

Blue turned to the water and fell quiet.

“Look,” Seth said.  “I’m glad you finally found a family.  That’s great for you.  I just couldn’t deal with it.  You have to appreciate how hard it is for someone on the outside to even talk to you.  I’m sure after six years you’ve realized that.  There’s no room for anyone else in your life.  So, I don’t understand how you can still be angry at me.”  He let his voice waver a bit.  “I know the rest of the girls don’t like me because of the ties we have, but I need your help.  And it’s a paying gig, I’m not trying to barter on sympathy.”

Blue was quiet for a moment.  “Fine.  We’ll do it.  And you’re right.  There is no place in my life for you, anymore.  Or anyone, I suppose.”  Seth was surprised that she elaborated to spare his feelings.  His plan had worked.  “You don’t have to worry about us trying to kill you, anymore.  You really haven’t had to for a while, anyways.  It just never came up in conversation.”  Blue held out her hand.

Seth pulled six grand out of his pocket with a data-disk and handed it to her.  “Thank you.  I mean it.  And I’m sorry to hear about Tawny and Amber.”

“They knew the risks they took.  We all do.”  Blue met Seth’s eyes again.  Despite her brave words, she obviously hurt.

“How is Amber?”

“No change.  We can’t hear her anymore, even together.  She just shut off completely after the Coben incident."

Seth nodded and lit a cigarette. 

“Take care of yourself, Seth.  We’ll be in touch.”  Blue walked away in silence, heels clicking down the stairs.

Seth finished his cigarette and flicked it towards the river.  He finished his mead and decided to get the hell out of Dodge before his luck ran out.

Tanith was watching the door as he came in and he nodded towards the exit.  She finished her drink and slithered to meet his pace.  Seth took one last look at the Drearies and saw them all looking at him as he walked.  He gave them what looked like a sad smile.

“How’d it go?” she asked.  “I saw her come back in without you and thought you might have taken a swim.”

“Let’s talk in the car.”

After Seth felt comfortable with the distance they’d gone, he allowed himself a smile and a laugh.  “For a psychic, that girl is too easy.”  He chuckled and saw Tanith giving him a blank look.  “Sorry for keeping you in the dark.  When dealing with psychics, plausible deniability is a must.  I knew they'd read you, so it was best if you thought I was nervous and emotional."

"So you were tricking me into thinking you were all sad and vulnerable?"  Tanith stiffened.

"For some girls, seeing an asshole acting vulnerable just for them is like crack.  That's one the buttons I knew I could push on Blue.  I know how to keep them out of my mind, for the most part, and she knows that.  I needed someone else there who had seen me at my worst.  Someone they felt they could accurately read.  Basically, you corroborated the story I wanted told just by virtue of being there." 

Tanith was starting to look pissed.  "So you used me and put me in a situation that, in retrospect, I really don't like.  I'm not crazy about having my mind read to begin with, but you basically planted a bunch of fake shit in there for them to see?  You are some kind of dick, you know that?"  She turned and looked out the window at the passing buildings.

Seth sighed.  "Look, I know me, and I know that I will use whatever I have to get my way, including my own pain.  Don't get me wrong, I'm very emotional about this situation.  I'm chock full of emotions.  I want to get all emotional upside someone's head, but I knew I was highlighting my sadness to get the better of the Drearies.  I was passively controlling the situation, a trick women have been using for fucking centuries, so don't think you're on the moral highground here.  What you saw and what they saw through you was the truth.  I just didn't want them seeing the fact that I was using the truth to get what I wanted."

Tanith turned back to look at him, slightly less pissed.

"People don't like the truth in the hands of an asshole.  It gets them nervous.  You're a decent person, and the truth from your mind had a lot more weight to it, with a lot fewer strings attached.  Did I use you?  Yes.  Did I lie to you?  No.  So it looks like I owe you for another one.  Let me buy you another drink."  Seth smiled smugly.

"You know what?  I think you owe me a few drinks for this," Tanith smiled back sarcastically.

"Excellent!  I have one of the most powerful groups of psychics in the city working for me, you're bent on getting drunk, plus the idea of a sympathy lay is already in your head.  Mission accomplished."