The Prize of Dysprosium

Chapter II: The Act of Being the Fish Caught

Alle Bronze, in the Cave of Dionysus at rush hour. Who would have ever thought? Somewhere one of the men is saying; "Is this how you treat your customers?"

I don't have time to register anything else before Alle gasps at footsteps outside.

"Please," she says and turns to Barooba. I'm not surprised, Barooba oozes so much leadership potential that in a room with her and Potentate Thelonious I might turn to her too. "Hide me. I'm begging you."

There is a heartbeat as Barooba looks down at this big-eyed child. Alle pushed aside a customer, forced her way inside and is now demanding Barooba help her. But then again, the owner of the Cave always had a soft spot for young and pretty things.

"She's a luminary," I hear myself blurt, unaware exactly what I'm doing. "I am sure she will pay you handsomely." Barooba scrunches her eyebrows, but Alle catches on immediately.
"Yes, absolutely," she says as the footsteps approach. "You will be greatly rewarded, just please, hide me. They can't know I'm the one who fled them."

Barooba takes another precious second to think, but then her head snatches up and she's staring straight at me.

"Take her to room 7," she barks. I nod and without hesitation lunge forward and grab Alle's hand. It's cool in mine, but she doesn't fight as I drag her with me downstairs, only gives off a small gasp. Behind us I hear Barooba order everybody else around, some of the information clearly also meant for me. "She has been here for an hour, she ordered one of the early openings."

"What kind of place is this!" I also hear the bald man yell. "Hiding fugitives, what is the point?"

"You can all choose any one of our girls or guys for half price," Barooba says and I don't hear if the man has an answer, because I've reached room 7. I tear open the door and drag Alle along with me. She 'oofs' as I lock after us and stand to listen. It is almost always useless listening through the doors in the Cave – customers value their privacy and we comply – but by the corners in a few of the rooms, the rooms underneath the edge of the bar, there is a small part of the ceiling grated thin. And sometimes, if I'm really quiet, I can just about catch a few faint sounds from the ground floor...

"What is this place?" Alle asks behind me and I shush her. The question makes sense though. Room 7 is the red room, which means it's pervasive color is, as one may have guessed, red. That include a red bed, red walls, red vases littering the floor, all sprouting red roses which are changed daily. Furthermore, there is a pole to the right side of the room, for the kinkier customers.

I press my hands to the corner and close my eyes, trying to concentrate on the sounds above me. And sure enough, between voicec, there is the faint but unmistakable noise of someone talking through a filter. Pacifiers.

If they get past Barooba we're sitting ducks. And they're Pacifiers, they didn't even stop to console me about my sister's death. Of course, they'll get through Barooba, even if they have to shoot her.

"Wrut," I mumble and whirl around to where Alle is standing. I can't see the color of her face in the reddish light, but I am confident she is pale as a sheet. "Get down," I say and gently push her down on the bed by the shoulders.

"What are you doing!" she hisses as I throw off my own robe and fling it into the corner before I begin taking off her cloak – yes, she's actually wearing a cloak. I decide it has been too noticeable following and stuff it underneath the bed, the same with her shoes. "Stop it!" she hisses and nearly kicks me in the face. Not good for the business.

"You want them to catch you?" I hiss back, my eyes drilling into her's.

"Obviously not," she says.