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Odd that he felt more like shaking the man's hand than ever. The aerial assault had been well coordinated and deadly.
"Don't let the rationing fool you", Starguide added. "This is a profound creche. You never hear a Hisser, unless you're riding a desk at GHQ. We run our own lives. We get..."
A rattlesnake-decorated arm cut him off as the singer wrapped herself around Valentine's back.
"We've got a first timer here tonight, named..."
"Max", Hornbreed supplied.
She hopped up and planted her thong-divided buttocks on the bar table, planting her sandaled foot firmly on Valentine's crotch. Valentine watched her eyeballs rattle around and decided she was a little stoned. "Let's rass it for the Circus' newest hero, Max.
"From the rigs of Catalina
To the shoals of Mississippi
We shall fight for mankind's uplift
To Earth's glorious destiny
"In our fight for truth and justice
And to keep our conscience clean
We will always follow orders
of the Saviors of Our Dream".
Cheering broke out at the end of the song and Valentine reached up for a kiss, lifting her leg out of the way. He used the leverage to throw her slight body over his shoulder.
"I'm taking her up", he called to the crowd, heading for the stairs.
"Hit that silk hard!" a drunk in the crowd shouted.
"My set's not over, you bastard", the singer yelled, punching him in the small of the back.
Two pipeline-armed men in leather vests, probably bouncers, appeared at the front of the crowd, but no call for assistance came.
He slapped one tan buttock in return. "She'll be back after a brief intermission", Valentine said as he took the first steps, to cheering approval.
He paused at the top of the stairs. A hallway led to a marked washroom and several doors. He tried the nearest door; it wasn't locked.
A big, cushioned wooden lounge chair and a double bed almost filled the little paneled room. Sponge-painted clouds gave the room a nursery feel. He found a light switch. A single bulb in an orange and blue Chinese lantern gave the room a grotto glow. There was a rag rug on the floor, and a pair of towels next to a washbasin and an empty pitcher on a little shelf.
The band had already transitioned into a dance number. Muffled percussion and guitar rose through the floor.
"Classy", Valentine said. He dumped the singer on the bed.
"Fucker!" she protested. "You could ask a..."
"I will", Valentine said. "What's your name?"
She sat up and kicked off her sandals. "Gide. Be careful with my face, okay? Rough stuff will mess up the makeup". She took off the bikini top. "I know it's traditional to keep the pants as a souvenir, but these were..."
"Gide, you can keep them on". Valentine sat in the chair. "I just want to talk".
She flopped back against the wall, extracted a hand-rolled from her hairdo. "What, like dirty?"
"No. One of those songs, the one about the attic, it struck me as odd. Aren't you afraid of saying stuff like that?"
