It's a smart tactic, one that makes Jenny smile a little. She carefully fingers the edge of the bauble, looking at it curiously and catching the reflection of the two men from the corner of her eye.

"What do you think it's for?"

"I think it's an eye mirror. -- Yes, see the little comb?" She moves one finger along the edge of the disc, and slides free a cunningly concealed comb barely the length of her fingertip. "It's for eyebrows."

In all the time she had spent travelling around the universe, such a device had never caught Jenny's attention before. Her brows furrowed.

"That's pointless!"

She grins. "No, hon. Just very, very decadent."

And adds in an undertone: "See the turn-off just ahead? Let's slip out that way and see if the gentlemen follow us."

She looked carefully in the direction in which Cavilo indicated. The pathway seemed empty enough, with very few beings wandering towards what seemed to be the wash closet.

"We will confront them if they follow, yeah?"

"Oh yes." Cavilo's fingers trace the edge of her belt, and she smiles.

"You up for it?"

Jenny giggles. "Do you have to ask?"

Her smile deepens. "That's my girl."

There's only one stall between them and the turn-off, selling fried something-or-other on sticks. They slip through the little cluster of people surrounding it, and turn down the corridor.

It's completely empty, at the moment.

For the moment. But seconds after they wander through, the tell-tale shadows of followers peaks into the entrance. Jenny reaches down towards her hip, where a small laser pistol hangs.

Just in case. She'll give them the chance to talk first.

As the men approach, she glances quickly at Cavilo - wanting approval to make the first move.

All right; let's just see.

She gives Jenny a quick nod, stepping back to stand unobtrusively by the wall.

Nod noticed, Jenny turns her attention back to the men. Best to play innocent first. "Hello!"

One of the men, a shorter and rounder humanoid in the lead, nods in return. His partner winks.

Edited 2009-08-25 02:33 am (UTC)

Cavilo's face is close to expressionless, and she's holding very still.

"What brings you two lovely ladies to Stationside?" the taller one asks, with a slow insinuating smile. "Looking for company?"

She keeps her friendly smile plastered in place. Appearances can be deceiving, especially, Jenny's found, in her own case. She also shakes her head.

"Just out for some shopping," she answers. "I have a boyfriend back home. So does Lara."

And yet, the man doesn't quite believe her. His eyes roam over Lara's body, then Jenny's. "That so?"

Cavilo folds her arms, one hand wrapped around the opposite elbow, the other running along the low neckline of her jumpsuit as though nervous.

"Positive cads they must be," the shorter man says, shaking his head in a slow deliberate parody of disapproval, "to leave their ladies all on their lonesome. Especially in a rough place like this."

She couldn't play dumb when every centimeter of her wanted a sharp response to his insinuations. Bart was anything but a cad and everyone ought to know that in Jenny's opinion.

After taking a deep breath to calm down, Jenny crossed her arms over her head and shook her head. "It's cause they know we can take care of ourselves."

"That's right," says Cavilo, speaking for the first time, her voice sharp.

The taller man glances at her, and his smile widens. "Not so well as we could take care of you, pretty."

Her frown deepened as she glowered at the man.

"Don't say that."

He laughs. "Straight to business then, is it? I like that."

And abruptly, he's holding a knife.

Cavilo's eyes flicker to Jenny for a second, then go back to the blade.

"You really don't want to do that," Jenny warns, unconsciously falling into a defensive stance. Her hand moved down towards her waist, where a small laser gun sat on her hip.

"I don't?" the man with the knife asks mockingly, sizing up Jenny with a condescending leer. "Baby, this is going to be taking candy from a baby."

"You've got one chance to leave us alone," Cavilo says, keeping her tone sharp and defensive.

The shorter one laughs. "Now what kind of men would we be," he asks rhetorically, "if we left you all alone?"

His eyes roam speculatively from one to the other. "But we might," he adds, "if you're very nice to us first. That bracelet," pointing to the silvery one on Cavilo's wrist, "I'll have that, for starters."

Jenny braced herself, quietly undoing the safety of her gun.

"No."

Cavilo gathers both hands to her chest, one hand covering the other wrist protectively.

She darts a look at Jenny -- ready?

Jenny gives the smallest of nods, one that you'd have to be paying close attention to notice. One of the men stumbles closer, ready to lunge.

But Jenny's faster. In one fell swoop, her gun is out and pointed and a well aimed laser beam hits the lunging man in the knee. He crumples to the ground, cursing loudly. His companion, meanwhile, freezes in his path - suddenly unsure of what to do.

As the first man goes down, Cavilo's hands move smoothly from their protective clutch to a firing stance, drawing the little disruptor pistol from its bodice holster and firing.

The other man's split second of freezing is all she needs. The crackling blue nimbus flares around his head for a moment, lifting his hair in a curling halo, and then drops him to the ground.

Jenny watches wide eyed. Ignoring the man groaning in pain, she stares at Cavilo's gun.

"Where'd you get that, Lara?"

And where can I find one?