'Oh, you are, you are_one of our most popular musicians among the nonhumans, that's a fact.' He continued to smile, and she waited with growing impatience for him to get to the point. What was he after? Did he want to know why she, a human musician, should be so popular among those who were not of her race? Was he going to challenge her and demand that she reveal her true identity?
He just waited, and finally she came up with another short answer for him. 'That's what they tell me.' She shrugged again, trying to appear modest.
'Well, they tell you true.' He nodded like the child's toy they called a 'head-bobber,' still giving her that silly smile.
I know that Deliambrens have a hard time relating to humans and their emotions, but this is ridiculous. I can see why he has Kyran acting as manager here most of the time. He doesn't know the first thing about interacting with us. I know he can't be stupid, but he certainly projects himself as a prime silly ass.
Of course, he could be trying to soften her up for the confrontation. He could be hoping to make her think he was an idiot so that she would underestimate him and let something slip.
Well, if that was what he was waiting for, he'd be here until the building fell to pieces around him.
'Yes, they tell you true,' he said, head still bobbing vigorously. 'So I'm going to have to move you. Oak Grove isn't big enough, and some of the customers can't get up all those stairs, anyway. I want you down here, on the ground floor. Silas wants to join the dinner-to-midnight dance group, they want to have him, and that frees up the Rainbow, and that's where I want you.'
The Rainbow? her mind babbled. The biggest performance room in Freehold? Me? Take over from Silas? Me?
As she sat there in stunned silence, he added, as if in afterthought, 'Oh_and you'll be getting what Silas was, if that's all right. Two Royals a night?'
Two_two Royals? Me? Nightingale? Has he got the right person?
'Oh, that's quite fine,' she replied in a daze, and he reached his hand across the desk. Thank you. Thank you very much!' Without thinking, she leaned forward to take it as a token of her acceptance.
'Done then. We'll see you down here tomorrow night, then, Lyrebird.' He took her hand, shook it once, awkwardly, and let it go. Then he waved his hands at her as she continued to sit there blinking, shooing her playfully out the door. 'You need sleep, if you're going to open in the Rainbow tomorrow, my lady. Off with you.'
She rose, opened the door in a daze, and walked back out into the noise and the music.
The Rainbow? It was the biggest performance room in Freehold! The only other venue larger was the dance floor itself. Silas was another human_or so he claimed_with an inhumanly beautiful face and body, a waist-length mane of golden curls, and a voice like strong bronze, powerful and compelling. Silas liked to display that body in clothing much like Tyladen had worn that first day, except that Silas' skintight garments were real leather. He was extremely popular with both male and female customers, and by reputation, distributed his favors equally between both sexes. She had heard rumors that he wanted to join the dance group, and she could certainly see why; he would be able to concentrate on singing, and choose the powerful and rhythmic music he preferred instead of the ballads that a performance room demanded. His guitar playing was the weakest part of his act; now he wouldn't need to worry about it, with an entire ensemble to back him.
And the dance floor will be more crowded than ever_Silas is bound to sing fast music, which will make people thirsty, which will sell a great many drinks. It is a good bargain all around, even at continuing to pay him his current salary or above. But_me? The Rainbow? Who am I? I'm not gorgeous, like Silas. I know I'm good, but I don't have a fraction of his charisma. I'm just a Gypsy street-player, a good one, but nothing more than that. How can I ever fill the Rainbow?
She found herself on the staircase, with no clear memory of how she had crossed the intervening floor. The Rainbow Room was easily three times the size of the Oak Grove. How could she ever justify being put there? Who would come?
All those people who wait for seats now, whispered an elated little voice in the back of her mind. All those people who stand crowded into the back wall. And all those who want to hear you, but can't climb three flights of stairs. You know there are plenty of those. Derfan's said as much. Lady of the Night, now Derfan can even come listen to you!
Well, that was true. Many of the folk who crowded into Freehold of a night were the human misfits of the city; those who, like Derfan, were not sound of body by everyday measure. Out there, they were cripples. In any other tavern in the city, they would still be cripples. Here, they were no stranger than anyone else, and their only limitations were how far up the staircases they could get_and there were plenty of nonhumans who couldn't manage that. Kyran and Tyladen spoke vaguely of putting in some sort of lifting system to accommodate them, but apparently there was some problem with getting it to work reliably. There were hoists for food and drink for the various tiny kitchens, but they were all powered by the muscles of Mintaks and other strong creatures and not really practical for hauling people up and down.
Besides, the worst that happened if a hoist failed was the loss of a little food and profit. The worst that could happen if a lift full of customers failed was not to be contemplated.
