I Went Down (NaNoWriMo Read-Along)

9 Dapper Jack

They were back at Minnie’s. Dapper Jack slouched in his chair, which was wooden and uncushioned and not nearly as nice as the plush options at the Hotel di Ferello or some of the other establishments he frequented in Jimmy’s company. Not that he had any need for the luxury of a soft chair. He was still young.  It was just nice to have the option, and with the loss, temporary though it might be, of the option of Hotel di Ferello, he could surely miss it.

Jimmy, of course, didn’t seem to care about the chairs. He was in a fine fettle, for he had spent the afternoon with the young diva of the day and was now surrounded by his own men in a place that he owned, in practice if not in name. Most importantly, it was a safe house. First, it was a building without a cellar, for Minnie’s was so close to the edge of the Torgove that any lower level would have been a de facto underground lake. Second, Jimmy had a strong and absolute trust in Calstin Delanton, who was at his usual spot by the bar, overseeing his little domain. Cal had come to the mouth on one of the first rail lines to cross the Plain of Angiers, and yet, it was said that he had never stepped foot on a train, or even on the tram cars that criss-crossed the city and its canals. The story rumoured among the Plainsmen was that a train had killed his lover, somewhere out on the Plains. Jimmy liked the story, and it made him feel that he had a steady ally in Cal.

But there were many ways that a man’s lover could die on the eve of his departure to a new life in a new land, and Jack had less faith in the love of a Plainsman for a Pelago businessman than Jimmy Primrose did. He still wondered about the man’s reasons for being at the Hotel di Ferello so quickly after the explosion.

Howser was telling a terrible joke that had everyone else snickering when Jimmy tapped on Jack’s arm and pointed to one of the chorus girls. “Who’s that one, with the curly hair?”

Dapper Jack shrugged. “I haven’t seen her before.”

“She was at Bellea’s this afternoon. Cute little thing, and with a bit of spunk.”

Dapper Jack looked at the girl. Minnie’s hadn’t started a new show in a while and all the girls were still clad in their feathers. The pink plumes were vibrant against her skin as she danced. She was obviously Ibai, but mostly she just looked young.

He lifted a finger and caught the eye of one of the waiters. “Who’s the Ibai girl?”

“Her name is Emiliana Josephine, sir.”

“Yes, that was it,” said Jimmy Primrose. “Ask her to come by when the number’s over.”

“Yes, sir.” The young man took the opportunity to collect a few of the empty glasses from the table and trotted away to speak to Cal. The business manager bent his head to hear the message then straightened up and sent another emissary backstage.

In due time the girl appeared beside the table. Her cheeks were flushed, perhaps from the excitement of the performance, or from the novelty of being called to Jimmy Primrose’s side. She had traded the feathers on her body for a pale green dressing gown which she tried to hold closed while she executed an awkward curtsy. The blush might have been a reaction to the weight of the men’s eyes on her body.

“So,” said Jimmy, “here you are, singing in the city already.”

“I learned all the songs in a week,” she said proudly.

“Then you’re a very smart girl, aren’t you?” Jimmy said. “Come closer, Emiliana.” She took a small step and he held out his hand. After a moment she set her small hand in his palm and he drew her wrist to his face. “Aren’t you wearing the perfume?”

“I was saving it for a special occasion.”

“What’s the point of having nice things if you don’t use them?” Jimmy released her hand. “You should wear it.”