Gin Mills and the Goods

A Problem

By the time Beatrix is on her second drink, Tedros knows basically everything about everyone in the club.

After the show, he and the rest of the flappers had changed and headed out to the bar for a drink as the club wound down for the night, leaving a much quieter, less rowdy bar for them to sit in.

"Sometimes we go out still in costume, but I figured you'd not wanna do that tonight." Kiko had said to him as they'd traipsed out of Beatrix's dressing room.

"That's Captain Manders." Beatrix is saying from over the top of her glass. "He's a total sap, but apparently he could singlehandedly keep us in business, the amount he drinks. He's here almost every night..."

Kiko peers at the man with interest.

"He buys the pricey stuff, right?"

"Yeah." Beatrix grins. "Real considerate of him."

Tedros isn't actually drinking anything- mostly, he's just listening to the three girls gossiping, and trying to ignore the constant thrum of anxiety in his chest, that he's had since the very second Nicola turned to him earlier on. He's not been able to get rid of it since, and-

He realises the other three are staring at him and starts, but luckily, they're not waiting for a response, just scrutinising.

"-they've got a fella at Bartleby's, and he's nice enough, but apparently he's a flour-lover and dances like he's bent." Says Reena thoughtfully. "Teddy is good at make-up though, and you're probably a better dancer, aren't you?"

Tedros makes a vague noise of agreement, knowing that she's not really wanting an answer. He's right- Reena looks satisfied and gets a refill on her drink.

Beatrix raises her eyebrows.

"I guess the boss doesn't care too much for Bartleby's, huh? Who's running it now?"

"Radley." Replies Kiko promptly. "He's not actually any good at gettin' or organisin' any performers, mind, but he sells the drink well enough, and people will go just for that, right?"

The girls make noises of agreement. Beatrix catches Tedros's confused expression and her eyes widen.

"Ohhh, you don't know about the boss?"

"...I've been here for less than a week." Tedros reminds them. He hardly knows anyone, apart from Sophie, Chaddick, the other flappers, and Silkima in the kitchen, who'd aggressively declared that he was too skinny and piled him with food.

"She hasn't been in town, I suppose, you won't have met her yet..." muses Reena. "Well, we actually don't know a lot about her either, gotta say. She's Sophie's sister, though they don't look anything alike, so I'm not sure they're actually related by blood, but, whatever. She owns this club, Gavaldon, Bartley's, and Graves, plus another few I don't remember... but we don't see her too often, she's pretty elusive. When we do, though, we really gotta make sure everything's runnin' right."

"What if it's not?" asks Tedros. Beatrix grins.

"Never happened yet, baby. Say what you want 'bout Sophie- and I do, regularly- but she knows how to run a show. Or maybe she just knows how to impress her sister, because I don't think you can actually run a show effectively, and also be such a shit singer."

Tedros blinks at her. Beatrix nods, grinning.

"Oh, yeah, one time she got bent at Christmas and got up on one of the tables-"

"And now, I'm scarred for life." Interrupts Reena, apparently not wanting to relieve that particular event. Kiko, who has been looking around anxiously this whole time, apparently in case the not-currently-present Sophie came swooping down upon them to enact vengeance, now leaps in to change the subject;