Lacuna

Chapter 14

"I don't think so," Kahli said. "I don't do adventuring."

"You've done more adventuring since you got here than anyone else I know."

"I don't think I'd call it adventuring," she said. "More like being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Happy accidents."

"I'm just lucky the worst I came across were a pack of rats."

Sam laughed. "After all that training you've done with Django? I think you could stand up to a lot more than that."

"You would be unwise to put that kind of faith in me."

"Nah," Sam said. "I usually have a good feeling about people. Just you wait. I told ya this would be Arlo's year, didn't I? Let's see what happens in the fall when he goes to take the test again."

"Alright," Kahli said. "We'll talk about this again in the fall when Arlo fails and you don't need me."

Sam laughed. "Deal." She reached out to the nearby table and grabbed a deck of cards. She smiled slyly at Kahli. "Are you a betting woman?"

If Kahli was good at one thing, it was cards. Over the years, she and her aunt had played many rounds of every card game imaginable. When she was younger, it was easy, childhood games, but as she got older, her aunt taught her the ways of playing her opponents instead of her cards.

To say her aunt had a slight gambling addiction might have been an exaggeration. There were many nights where her girl friends came over, and they sat around the patio table in the hot, dry nights on the back deck in the light of the bug zapper, cigarettes between their fingers and booze on their breath. They laughed loudly as the cards were passed, and coins clanged together as they were tossed into the center before being greedily swiped away by the winner.

Kahli didn't understand it as a child, but in her teenage years, she had learned to keep up with the women, even surprising them from time to time and cleaning their pockets.

Sam wasn't her aunt, but she was good enough to challenge even Kahli, and the hours of the afternoon quickly disappeared as they laughed and joked and gambled playfully. When Remington stepped in that evening, they convinced him to join, but he quickly grew sour when he realized both women were wiping him clean, and the game soon ended with him pouting in a chair.

It was nearing midnight when Arlo returned from his patrol, and he was surprised to see the building occupied when he entered. Three bodies occupied the two couches. On one, Remington was stretched out, his leg draped over the arm, a snore escaping his throat. The other was occupied by Kahli and Sam, each sleeping against an arm, their legs stretched out on top of one another. Sam mumbled in her sleep, stretched her arms, and turned over.

Arlo looked wide-eyed at the sight before him for a moment, then his brows furrowed. "They have their own houses, right?" he said out loud to himself.

Sam woke briefly at his voice. "I'm off duty," she muttered.

"Go home."

"Mm. Couch is comfy."

"Yes," Remington spoke up. "Please stop talking and let me sleep. It's been a long day."

"You have a bed," Arlo pointed out.

"We can cuddle."

Sam snickered. "Shh. Don't wake Kahli."

"Why is she here?"

"Some of us like her," Sam said.

"I tried, Arlo," Remington said. "They tried to paint my nails."

"They succeeded, I see."

Remington sighed. "I don't want to talk about it. It was a dark time in my past."

"You're next, Arlo," Kahli muttered as she started to wake.

"Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged," Sam said with a grin.

"This isn't a slumber party."

"It is," Sam said. "We already had a pillow fight and wrote in our diaries."

"This was not what I signed up for," Arlo muttered.

*****

Remington was gone the next morning on patrol, but to Arlo's dismay, Kahli and Sam remained, their giggles waking him. He trudged out of his room to stare at them angrily, but this only caused them to giggle further.

"Don't you have something better to do?" he sneered.

"Someone's not a morning person," Kahli muttered.

"Oh, I am when it's not being ruined by whatever this is."

"Rude," Sam said.

Kahli smiled sheepishly and held a cup of coffee up. "I brought fuel."

Arlo hesitated, then sighed. "Okay. You are forgiven." He took the mug and sat with them.

"Aw, poor baby," Sam said. "Did little Arlo not get enough beauty sleep?"

Arlo flipped his hair dramatically. "No," he said. "Thanks to you, I'm gonna have bags under my eyes. How will I ever be able to step out into public?"

"Make up," Kahli said. "It does wonders."

"Yeah," Sam scoffed. "It almost makes you look human."

"Hey!" Kahli barked. "You weren't supposed to tell everyone!"

"Are you a troll, then?" Arlo asked as he sipped his coffee.

"Worse," Kahli teased. "I'm... the Boogeyman!"

Arlo blinked at her, then smiled. "You're weird."

Kahli blushed and pulled her gaze away. "That's probably why my father ran off," she said with a grin. "Fuck this crazy train."

Sam giggled. "I like it," she said. "How do I get on board?"

"Tickets ain't free," Kahli said.

Arlo snorted, and Kahli sneered at him.

"Shut up! That's not what I meant!"

Sam laughed. "Oh, man, you make it so easy."

"See if I buy you losers coffee again," Kahli muttered.

"Oh, no, what ever will I do?" Sam said playfully. "Probably just buy myself coffee with all the money I won off of ya."

"It was a draw," Kahli barked.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Next time I'll win."

"You wish." Kahli grinned at her and stood. "I gotta get home. Smell ya later, kids."

She hadn't expected to spend the night there, and she knew she'd have hungry animals waiting when she got home. She left Sam and Arlo alone and hurried through town, pausing only when Nora caught her attention in the plaza.

"Hey, Kahli," she said with a warm smile. "Everything okay?"

"Sure," Kahli said. "Why?"

"Oh. I just saw you coming from the Civil Corps."

Kahli hesitated. "Oh, yeah," she started. "I was hanging out with Sam last night and... well we were drinking and passed out."

"Oh." She was quiet for a moment, then her smile returned. "Are they trying to recruit you over there?"

"Ha, yeah, something like that, I guess."

"Well, they'll need the help when..." She hesitated and frowned. "Would you really consider joining them?"

"I don't think so," Kahli said.

Nora nodded. "It's dangerous work." She forced a smile. "Well, anyway. It's good to see you. Don't lose yourself in your work like higgins."

Kahli's lips pressed together. "I'll try not to." She smiled and hurried out of the plaza. She was certain now that Nora had feelings for Arlo. She hurried home, eager to busy herself with work for the next several years instead of thinking about Arlo and Nora together.