Prompt #2: Tea Time’s Over
Firelight twinkled orange in her glass of red wine, creating an array that occasionally crackled enough to catch her face. Her hands were folded on the desk in front of her, expression a mask of calm hiding the disappointment and anger writhing beneath. Over the cycles she had developed her mother’s piercing stare that could speak a thousand words without breathing a single one of them. Their client stared at her, his arms crossed over his chest. “Unfortunately, my endeavor did not go as well as we had planned, Miss Tyra.” Her pointer finger lightly tapped on the knuckles of her other hand and she made a ‘tsk’ clicking sound with her tongue against her teeth. Her green eyes watched him visibly flinch at the sound. “I understand that you’re disappointed at hearing the news, but as you can see, I don’t necessarily have my, ah, dodos in a row, as you will.” Eyes narrowed and her hands separated, one making a fist. A hand was laid on her shoulder. “Sooo...what you’re saying is that we’re not gonna be getting paid.” Maxwell had a brow raised. The Midlander was beginning to sweat. “Um...well, something like that--” “We had a deal, Damien.” Tyra sat back, fists still clenched in her lap now as she watched him shift nervously in his seat while reaching for his tea. “I know we did, but this isn’t--” His voice was cut off as Maxwell pulled his gun from his holster, pointing it at the Hyur, “Tea time’s over. Pay us or we walk.” Tyra slowly reached forward then for her wine glass, taking a sip as Damien’s gaze focused on the barrel of the gun. “I don’t have the funds, I’m sorry.” Tyra put her glass back down and pulled a green orb out of her pocket, watching it glow a faint teal color. She tossed it up and down a couple times and then looked to him, shrugging, and smugly put it back into her pocket. She stood from her chair and waved over her shoulder while turning for the door. “We can find another buyer,” Maxwell shrugged, “Come on, let’s go.” “Wait, I’ll--I’ll think of something!” She glanced over her shoulder at him, a dangerous glare from the mute that caused a chill to ride down Damien’s spine. She turned back for the door as she lifted up her hand with only her middle finger raised to head for the door. The relic hunters left with their prize without another word. @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast