So Night Follows Day Pt. 19

"Bubble." I grumbled in reluctant agreement.

"All right." Mander said. "If that's the game, then I'm definitely Marshall. Cause then I get to be Mike from The Young Ones, an' General Staal, too. Also, I'm gonna take the longshot on the annoying media nickname thing an' pick 'Fin-Bone.'"

Helen nodded.

"Only fair. So yes, we're going to be spending enough to feed starving villages today. Probably four of them for lunch alone. Just, please remember that I also DO feed starving villages when I'm not having to resort to shit like this." She turned to me. "And yes, I'm going to be buying you lots of stuff today. It's not because I want you to be my friend, it's because you ARE my friend, and I NEED you to! If you don't want to get anything for yourself, hit Sharper Image or a comic shop and get Troy some cool stuff. Or get things to donate later; I'll be doing a lot of that. Hey, if there's a collectible shop, and they've got a phaser or Leonard Nimoy's spleen on the wall, I don't care how much it is, you're getting it." She turned to Mander. "And don't think you're out of this, either. You see that Rolex you always wanted, you let me know. I think I have a punch card with them by now."

We pulled up to the restaurant. Before the Ultimados were out of the SUV, people with cameras swarmed the limo.

"I'm not going to be rude to any wait staff or retail clerks." I told Helen.

"Neither is anyone else. That's not the kind of thing we want to do. Tip heavily and often. You guys wanna take some of the platinum cards and split up or just stay with me?"

"I'd prefer if you all stayed together." Mander said. He turned to Helen. "Before we left, Mr. Equals offered me $5,000 to look after the two of them today. He said if I got another offer an' I were up front wit' you about it, your counter-offer would absolutely beat it, you'd decide to keep Julie an' Susan close enough that I could watch all three of you easier anyway, an' I clean up on both ends."

"Fucking Troilus. Ok, I'll double it, but that doesn't get you out of buying shit, too. One of the Ultimados will open that door for me in ten seconds. Anyone have anything else?"

She took the big, gaudy sunglasses she'd been wearing when she showed up on the porch out of her purse and put them on with a flick of her wrist.

"Yeah." I said. "My choice for the nickname bet is just your initials: C.H.D.S.F.."

She lit the cigarette in the holder.

"Let's do this, Sweetie-Darlings."

The door opened, and Helen disappeared into the flashbulbs.

"Lovely to see you all!" The voice of the woman I'd been speaking to a moment ago told the crowd of photographers. "Ignore the nobodies with me, everyone. They're SO Nobody that any shots you get with them in the picture will be worthless and you'll destroy all copies immediately. Now, who else is famished? Lunch is SIMPLY on me! You're all going to need your strength to keep up today!"

Contessa Helena de San Finzione walked toward the entrance and we followed.