Ashes of Progress // Silco x OC

Chapter 13

The Last Drop was chaos incarnate. Music boomed from speakers mounted haphazardly on the walls, their wiring sparking faintly with each thunderous bass drop. The crowd moved like a living, breathing entity—bodies pressed together, voices raised in shouts and laughter, and the sickly-sweet scent of shimmer mingling with the sweat-soaked air. Somewhere to her left, a glass shattered, followed by a roar of laughter.

Sera elbowed her way to the bar, her dry throat burning in protest. She barely spared a glance at the shimmer-head slumped over a nearby stool, his trembling hand clutching an empty vial. Her mind was still racing from her earlier meeting with Silco, the weight of her first "big job" settling heavy in her chest. She just needed a moment to think. And a drink.

"Hey, Shale!" she called over the noise, her voice sharp and commanding. "Hit me up with a Virgin's Delight."

Shale turned at the sound of her voice, his grin blooming instantly as his sharp eyes found her. He raised a hand in acknowledgment, already reaching for the ingredients. "On it, Lady Mavara!" he replied, the cheek in his tone unmistakable.

Sliding onto the stool, Sera rolled her eyes. "Shale, how many times do I have to tell you? Just call me Mavara. I'm not a topsider," she said, keeping her tone even, though her shoulders tensed slightly.

Shale chuckled as he poured the mix into a shaker, his hands working with an almost lazy precision. "Oh, come on now—Mavara," he teased, dragging out her alias like a schoolboy tugging a pigtail. "It just doesn't sit right, you know? You've got... something about you. Like you don't belong here."

Sera's lips twitched, but she said nothing, watching as he worked. His grin widened at her silence.

"Take the way you walk in here," he continued, shaking the mixer with practiced ease. "You've got this posture, this attitude—like you're above all this." He set the shaker down, pouring the liquid into a glass with a flourish. "It's no wonder people talk."

Sera's smirk faltered for the briefest moment. "People talk?" she asked, lifting the glass and taking a slow sip. The sweet, tart drink was a welcome balm against her dry throat.

"Oh, sure," Shale said, leaning across the bar toward her. His voice dropped, low and conspiratorial. "They're all wondering. You're new, yet here you are—meeting with Silco more than anyone else. Even Jinx. You know what they're calling you?"

She arched a brow, her expression cool despite the flicker of unease that sparked in her chest. "Do tell."

Shale leaned in even closer, his breath warm against her ear as he delivered the words with slow, deliberate venom. "They're calling you his pet. A loyal little dog with a silver collar. Always at his heel, waiting for the next command."

The words struck like a blade, sharp and cutting. Sera stiffened but didn't miss a beat, her smirk returning as she leaned back against the bar, one elbow propped casually on the counter. "That's almost flattering," she said, her tone light but razor-edged. "Better than when they accused me of betraying him."

Shale's grin didn't waver, though the faintest flicker of something passed through his eyes—a spark of discomfort quickly masked by a practiced ease. "Betrayal, huh? That's a dangerous thing to throw around in this city. How'd you shake something like that?"

Sera sipped her drink slowly, almost languidly, before setting it down with deliberate care. "Easy," she said, her voice calm, nonchalant. "Results."

"Results?" Shale asked, his voice a touch too curious, his fingers pausing mid-wipe on the counter.

Sera tilted her head, a faint smirk playing on her lips as she continued, "Ever since I started working for Silco, shimmer quality has gotten better. And the shipment delays? Those just so happened to start right around then. Funny coincidence, don't you think?"

The tension crackled between them, unspoken but palpable. Shale's grin faltered for half a second before he recovered, leaning forward on the bar with feigned ease. "Coincidence, huh?" he said, his voice lighter than the heavy air between them, though his fingers drummed a slow, uneven rhythm on the wood.

"Must be," Sera said simply, her tone even, though her gaze sharpened as she studied him.

Shale's grin widened slightly, though the corners of his mouth twitched as if he were holding something back. "Zaun's got a funny way of making coincidences, don't you think? Things just... start to fall apart for some, and come together for others."

Sera ignored the barb, finishing the last of her drink with a sharp clink. "Speaking of things coming together," she said, her voice more deliberate now, "Silco gave me my first big job today."

Shale stilled, the grin frozen on his face for a fraction of a second before he recovered. "Oh?" he said, leaning forward slightly, his eyes narrowing with interest. "Big job, huh? What's the boss got you doing?"

"Afraid I can't say," Sera replied smoothly, setting her glass down harder than necessary.

Shale's grin turned sharper, though his eyes darkened as he pressed. "Come on, Mavara. You can't just drop a line like that and not spill. What is it? Smuggling? Cleanup? Something shiny from topside?"

Sera's gaze hardened, the tension in her shoulders barely concealed as she locked eyes with him. "I said I can't say."

Her tone was firm, cutting through the playful facade Shale had built around the conversation. The air grew heavier, the din of the bar fading into the background as their exchange lingered. Shale's grin remained in place, but the slight twitch of his fingers betrayed his irritation.

"Right," he said finally, his tone lighter, though the edge was unmistakable. "Big secrets for big jobs. Got it."

Sera tossed two copper coins across the counter, not bothering with further pleasantries as she stood and turned toward the exit. "Thanks for the drink," she said briskly, her voice clipped.

Shale caught the coins with ease, his grin faltering slightly as he watched her disappear through the swinging doors. The noise of the bar surged back to life, but his thoughts lingered, twisting in darker directions.

"Big job, huh?" he muttered under his breath, his voice low and venomous. "Let's see how well you handle this one... Seraphine Moreau."

He flipped the coins in his hand, the bitter smirk returning as the bar swallowed his words.