Caria bolted upright. Dozing at the desk? Getting old she mocked herself. The night's financials blinked insistently, right where she'd left them. Solves the mystery of what put me to sleep, Caria grimaced. Wouldn't that just figure? Find refuge in Poerv's jungle only to die of boredom. "Enough," she muttered, shutting her office screen down.
Reluctant accountant or not, Caria had the gist. Copious red ink. Relatively at least. Once the number would have been a pittance. Those resources, however, remained tucked away on the opposite end of the planet. Safe, but inaccessible. How's Wazzawy faring in the big city without me, she wondered. Caria allowed a moment of appreciation for her most reliable friend. Come to think of it, she smirked, her only friend.
A creak in the floor jolted Caria to attention. Back straightening, she reached for her concealed weapon. The movement's practiced ease belying her quickening pulse. "Caria!" She heard a familiar voice call as Tiley burst into the office. Pulling her hand back, Caria relaxed. Somewhat. Old habits died hard she'd found.
"I finished shutting down the place, but figured I'd come up and check the damage before going home," Tiley explained.
"Concerned for our economic health?"
"Didn't feel like a great night. Commercially speaking."
"Sure," she acknowledged, "but can you put a price on ambience like this?"
"Actually that's sort of what I wanted to talk about."
"Not again."
"If you'd just think about it from the standpoint..."
"Stupidest idea I've ever heard."
"Nonsense," Tiley offered good naturedly. "Sometimes even a bar needs brightening. Although I do enjoy the whole dark cave motif. Besides, I've had worse ideas. Remember when that big fucker started making trouble, so I decided to hit him? You know, scars and tattoos. What was his name again? Martan? Moron?"
"Ugly Morkan?" Caria recalled, smiling in spite of herself. "Good point. That was stupider."
"You got that right. My jaw still hurts when it rains."
"Well you shouldn't have led with your face."
"But that's my best part."
"If you say so."
"Hey, I was defending your honor."
Caria rolled her eyes. "Nice sentiment, but I don't need your protection from frontier bar ownership travails. Thankfully. I've seen you fight. Just have to continue taking care of myself, I'm afraid. Ugly Morkan or no."
"Maybe, but he also disrespected the bar."
"I thought it was a dark cave."
"Well..."
"Relax, I don't care. Incidentally, I know it's really not that nice. As an inanimate object, though, it's not particularly susceptible to emotional trauma, so fighting for its respect..."
"You never appreciate anything."
"I appreciate lots of things. Like how our exceedingly humid climate leaves local dining and entertainment options particularly ill-suited for large open air areas. Especially those requiring unfeasible cost outlays. I also appreciate paying people to help run my business. As opposed to, say, wasting my time with preposterous, if novel, redecorating advice."
"Just suggesting some possible improvements," Tiley relented.
"Look at those big, sad, eyes. I could almost feel bad for you. Almost."
"If you wanted to make it up to me..."
"Speaking of things which will never happen."
"A man can dream, can't he?"
"About me fraternizing with the help? Seems bad for business. And we've got enough problems on that front anyway."
"What about my problems? Starting with a broken heart."
"You'll get over it. You always do."
"This is completely different. I think I might die without you."
"Goodnight, Tiley."
Watching his back amble off, Caria contemplated. An uncovered terrace. On the edge of a rainforest. For this dingy, booze soaked hole in the wall. She shook her head. He was a decent enough worker all things considered. Aside from the occasional moonstruck stare. Easy enough for Caria to tolerate. In the jungles of Poerv, urban or otherwise, she'd learned to take what she could get.
*
Heather tried to remember a more humiliating moment. Nothing came to mind. New lifetime best, she decided. How mortifying. A female voice too! Why did that make everything worse? The woman probably thinks I'm a complete lunatic. Not to mention a nymphomaniac. Who reacts to imprisonment with a screaming orgasm? On the floor no less. Ashamed at her display, Heather couldn't bear speaking.
"Tough day, right?" The mystery woman broke the silence.
"Oh God," Heather stammered back, trying not to cry with minimal success.
"Just stay relaxed. Don't freak out or anything," she soothed.
"Don't freak out? Easy for you to say!"
"No, I mean that's the key. Nothing happens as long as you can keep calm."
"Who are you?" Heather asked, suddenly suspicious.
"We're the same. They took me too," the girl inhaled deeply. "Just stay composed, okay?"
"Sorry. I didn't mean to insinuate. This must sound crazy, but I can't even control whatever is happening to me. Normally..."
"It's not your fault. They're doing this to us somehow. The less time we spend thinking about that, the better. So let's pick any other topic. Have you got a name?"
"Does this really seem like a time for small talk?"
"Avoiding further unpleasantness requires relaxing. Unless you wish to repeat THAT experience. If once was enough, though, just introduce yourself."
"How can I trust you?"
"With your name? Is it hard to pronounce or something?"
"No, I mean how can I... never mind. Heather Olson. My name is Heather Olson."
"Lisa Zhu. Wish I could say it was nice to meet you."
"Yeah, my mom always talks about meeting new friends, but I doubt this is what she meant."
"Not quite summer camp for sure."
"Oh I don't know. Some of those girls were pretty vicious."
Both women giggled. "Wow. I haven't even smiled since... Nothing like some shared existential dread to really bond people apparently," Lisa joked, and they laughed together again.
Maybe, Heather hoped, the woman would provide some answers now. "What's with the dark? Is the power out or something?"
Lisa audibly sighed. "No, I think they want it like this."
"They? You mean aliens, right?"
"Who else?"
"I'd always hoped it was just rumors. A conspiracy theory. But those bastards really are grabbing people."
"Seems that way."
Heather found the tone more arch than strictly necessary. Let it go, the blonde decided. She wasn't exactly swimming in allies at the moment. "Have you seen them? Talked to anyone? What do they want?"
"I... They don't... Look... Let's just sit here quietly, ok? Fighting back is pointless. I've already tried. Plenty. Same ending every time too. No offense, but I'm just really not in the mood for another orgasm right now."
"Now you've got back-up, though, we could..."
"You seem like a nice girl Heather, but there's some things you don't understand."