Mobsters? In *my* fancy party?

Denise didn't like Suren quite as much as Neva, mostly because she could tell he *could* be a nice guy but his service with her was always more perfunctory. Ander had said it was probably because he always knew what to expect in terms of tip but, especially at a party like this, she was sure it was also because there were prettier girls around. Mostly, though, it was the guys who were coming to the bar to get drinks for their dates, so she was hoping she wouldn't have to wait too long before getting her order filled.

And, surprisingly, there was a familiar face lounging at the bar enjoying a drink of her own, smiling after some gentleman who was returning to his table.

Denise grinned, happy to see someone she knew in the see of posh strangers. "Hi miss Zola!"

Zola wore a sleek black dress, adorned by a few shiny red beadwork roses.  The long fringe might have made the dress seem half modest if she'd been standing but, sitting at the bar with her legs crossed, it was easy to see it was quite short.  Her face was framed by a black bob wig, her lips their habitual bright red.  Turning to see who greeted her, she smiled and moved her fancy cigarette holder out of the way.  

"Hey kid, didn't expect to see you in here.  You or your boss friends with the big star?"

"Yeah!" Denise's starstruck grin hadn't faded, even though they'd been there for an hour or so already. "Ander does - he knows *everyone*!" She paused, realizing she might be exaggerating a little. "Well, everyone who's a Rat, anyway."

"Yeah?  A real mover and shaker then."  She took a short drag from her glossy black cigarette holder and exhaled toward the bar. "Lotta bigwigs in the city... maybe being from the smallest House has helped him out there; fewer to keep track of.  Not as spread out too, I think?  You know there wasn't one House Rat kid in my academy in Ariège until I was ten or so?"

"Oh yeah!" Denise grinned. "Most don't like to stray too far, ya know? Gotta stick together 'n all..."

"Yeah, I mean, what's the point of friends, family and house if you don't look out for each other? But there's something to be said about spreading your tendrils out into the world." She gestured across the lounge at Bright, chatting with another of Orlan's entourage. "My new friend, M. Rionet," she continued affectionately, "might be better to introduce me to the big star than our dear Hugo."

Denise nodded, following Zola's gaze.  Probably if he was a Rionet he was super posh, plus related to Channel Sylvia some how.  "Friend?" she asked.

"M. Rionet's friends convinced him to pay us a visit... he'd not been to the Cabaret in some time. Luckily, I was in good form that night... " She swung her cigarette holder over the bar and reached out for her glass. "He sent flowers to my dressing room, so I went out to have a drink with him... and then we spent the evening getting to know each other." She took a sip of her bright red cocktail to help hide any saucy grin that might come unbidden.

"Awwww," Denise grinned, "That kinda friend, eh?" In the back of her mind she could hear Ander's comment about how Orlan should date a nice Rat girl. Maybe that applied to the Rionets, too, though they were nobles and maybe none of the rules applied. And she didn't think Zola was talking about *dating* exactly, anyway. "That's keen. I bet he can introduce you to lots of darb folks!"

Bright managed to detach himself from the conversation he'd been caught up in, and made his way across the room to the bar where Zola sat, speaking with a young woman whom he didn't recognize. "Can I get you another of those?" he asked gallantly, gesturing to Zola's half-empty drink. "And something for your friend, perhaps?" he added with a smile to the tall, unfamiliar girl.

"Hey fella," she said, giving him a smile, "that sounds swell. This gal here's Denise Murodea." She introduced the pair, gesturing with her cigarette holder. "Denise, Bright Rionet. We were just talking about you, in case you were wondering why you ears were burning."

"All good, I hope!" he said cheerfully as he flagged down Suren to order a round of drinks. "Or should I leave, so you can go back to dishing the dirt about me?" he added with a wink to Zola.

Denise felt unaccountably nervous when Bright first came over, like he would somehow know she didn't reaaaaaaally belong there, but he seemed nice enough, so she smiled, though a bit nervously, when Zola introduced her. When Suren looked their way, she raised her hand, thinking for a moment she might actually have a chance to place an order for her table, but he just nodded to Bright and went about mixing another one of whatever Miss Zola was drinking. She shot him an annoyed look that he either didn't notice or ignored, but smiled almost apologetically at Bright. "Um, thanks! Um...All good!"

"Glad to hear it," said Bright. "So, what brings you here?" he asked Denise, trying to figure out who she was with, and whether he ought to recognize the surname. "It's a pleasure to meet you, of course," he added, so hopefully she wouldn't feel like he was putting her too much on the spot.

"Oh! you too!"  Denise grinned at that, but it didn't seem like she was supposed to shake his hand or anything, so she didn't offer.  "I'm just um.... my boss went to school with um... Orlan, is all," She said, with a small nod to her table, unable to hide her general awe.  "We just came by to meet 'im, but then he said we should stay!"

Bright glanced over in the direction Denise indicated, and things became somewhat clearer for him. If she was with the Mala Tajna, and they were friends with Orlan, then that explained what she was doing here. "He's a very welcoming fellow," he said, turning back to them. "I don't know him all that well myself yet, but he's certainly fun to party with."

"Oh yeah! This is great!" She felt like maybe she was grinning a bit like an idiot and not being very cool, but it was all very exciting - so much so that she almost missed Suren placing three glasses of, well, it looked like whatever Zola was drinking, up on the bar beside them. "Hey!" she called out, leaning over before he could get away again. "I need another round for the table. Please?"

"That was two whiskeys, neat, and a pink gin fizz for the lady?" Suren double-checked. "And... is that one okay with you, or did you want another beer?"

Denise nodded at the order, eyeing the fancy red thing with interest. "Oh I'm good, thanks!"

Zola chuckled at Denise's uncertain look. "It's called a Cherry Blossom. And it might be a bit fruitier than your usual." She took one of the cocktail glasses by the stem and passed it to Bright. Meeting his gaze, she continued. "It's one of my favourites... but then, I like sweet things." She smiled at him saucily and turned back to finish off her last drink and set it aside.

"Some things that are a bit fruitier than your usual can be a wonderful surprise," Bright said with a grin, sipping his drink innocently.

Denise glanced between Zola and Bright, sensing that there was something going on that was over her head. They seemed content to make eyes at each other for the moment, so she picked up the remaining beverage and tried a sip. It was the sweetest drink she'd ever tried, that was for sure - delicious! She took another longer sip, and could already feel the heat of it hitting her stomach, for all its sweetness. "Mmm..." It was very cold from all the ice, which was probably good, or she'd have drunk it too fast.

Zola rolled her eyes goodnaturedly at Bright's pun. "I suppose I'll have to introduce you to some of my other fruity favourites then."

She turned back to Denise, not wanting to relegate her to third wheel before she heads off on her own. "Tasty, isn't it? It's no soft drink, for sure, but it sure beats a lot of the paint thinner you can find behind a bar."

Denise nodded taking another sip. "Cherry blossom eh? I'll have to remember, next time I'm out on my own!"

Her train of thought was interrupted by Suren setting her order up on the bar, and her realization that there was no way she could carry it all at once. After a brief hesitation, she set her own drink down. Well, Ander was the boss, and she had a vague notion that you were supposed to serve ladies first, for fancy manners. She grabbed one of the whiskeys and the drink for Helgea, pink and fizzy as ordered. "Um." She glanced at Zola, who didn't seem to be going anywhere for the moment. "Do you mind just watchin' those for just a minute? I'll be right back."

"Here, I can give you a hand," Bright offered, setting his own drink down beside Zola and picking up the remaining two beverages. "Just over there, right?" he said, nodding to where Ander's party was seated. It would be polite, in any case, to say hello to M. Suterre.