by the lack of understanding, not when she could like Linira without understanding her.
They sat for another ten or fifteen minutes, drinking their coffee, and then they left the dining room. They were no more than two steps into the lobby area when the blaring noise started again, but Casi just smiled and kept going. If the management of the resort wanted someone to keep the flock in line, they could offer to pay Casi for the effort. As it was, it wasn't her job to make life pleasant and easy for everyone in the world.
Casi joined Linira in looking around at the resort, but there wasn't that much to see. Tennis courts and handball courts, a large shop that sold souvenirs as well as everyday necessities, an archery range and rifle range, and an enormous pool that narrowed down to wind all around the area of the resort. Small bridges spanned the pool at intervals, additions that were both picturesque and useful, and dozens if not hundreds of lounge chairs lined the way near every part of the pool.
"I was thinking about suggesting that we make use of the pool, but I just changed my mind," Linira said as she and Casi strolled back toward the main resort area. "It looks like our nemeses got there first."
"You're right," Casi agreed, also seeing that the pack had jumped into the large part of the pool. "Their jumping and splashing is chasing everyone else away from this area. Not that there are a lot of others here."
Which was a strangeness Casi had already noticed. The resort was apparently meant to house hundreds of people, but there wasn't nearly that number anywhere around. The few people who were there looked vastly annoyed, but not a single one of them made any effort to curb the outrageous nonsense of the group of girls.
"I think I'll go and visit that store," Linira said after turning her back on the yelling, frenetic horde. "It just came to me that my swimsuit is kind of old, so maybe I'll treat myself to a new one. Would you like to come along, Casi?"
"Sure," Casi agreed with a shrug. "I'm enjoying your company, Linira, and it isn't as if there are dozens of things to do in this place. I'm definitely going to have a few words to say to my friend once I'm home again, mostly centering on her definition of the word 'great.'"
Linira agreed with a sad smile, and then the two of them headed for the store. There were a lot of things to look at, so Casi joined Linira in browsing. After looking at just about everything, Linira found a swimsuit she liked, along with a shirt that read, 'Casual observer of life'. Casi bought a couple of souvenirs to take home and remember her trip. Though she hadn't been the least bit impressed with the resort, yet.
Casi left Linira when they reached their rooms, and she spent some time sitting and reading before getting ready for dinner. She had no interest in dressing up for the meal, and Linira, when they'd discussed the point, had agreed. Linira was ready to go to the dining room when Casi called for her, so they strolled over to the main building and entered the dining room, then chose a table.
The food was very tasty and the meal was pleasant—until the annoying group of girls showed up. She knew coming here would mean young rowdy girls who were wealthy with too much time and money on their hands. It was no secret that the resort catered to this type of clientele, but she'd expected them to be sectioned off, much like the men apparently were.
It seemed management needed a lesson in separating the wild girls from the ones who wanted a calming vacation. Had they not realized that the two types of retreats would clash?
Sighing, Casi decided she wasn't in the mood to tell staff how to run their business. It wasn't their fault these girls had no manners.
This time there was no music player, but the members of the pack had taken to shouting at each other rather than talking. The shouting had no anger to it, very much the opposite in fact, so Casi ignored it in favor of paying attention to her food. The brats were trying to get back at Casi for what she'd done at lunchtime, but refusing to rise to the bait was more annoying to the girls than commenting would have been. The shouting kept up for a while, but eventually the girls got tired of doing something that was being ignored.
"I wonder what they'll try next," Linira commented in the relative silence. "They obviously expected you to get on them again, and I don't think they're very happy that you didn't."
"They were trying for an excuse to jump me, an excuse that would let them claim they were just defending themselves," Casi answered without looking in the direction of the horde. She knew their game. She wasn't an idiot. They were bored, wealthy girls who were looking for trouble. Their parents had probably sent them to the resort to get rid of them. She suspected they were trouble back at home as well. "Since that isn't going to happen, I think we ought to take our coffee back to the rooms if we want to drink it in peace and quiet." She could really use the quiet after dealing with those brats. Had they no respect for anyone? It was one reason she didn't want children. What if they ended up like that? Yuck!
"Or have any kind of conversation," Linira added in a louder voice as the girls began to shout again. Some of them also began to sing, their deliberately shrill and strident voices telling Casi that she preferred the shouting. But they were just about all finished eating, so they signaled to the waitress that they wanted their cups refilled. Once that was done they left the dining room and carried the heavy ceramic mugs back to Linira's room. The hallway was much too silent after the echoing of the girls' voices in the dining hall. It was a welcome change.
"Blessed silence," Linira said when Casi had closed the door behind them. "Back in the dining room I wanted to suggest that we look around for something to do other than just sit around, but I've changed my mind. Even if the resort has a dozen nighttime activities planned, I doubt if those girls will let anyone enjoy it."
"Anyone else, you mean," Casi agreed sourly as she joined Linira at the room's eating table. "Those girls seem to be having a ball, but the other guests have to suffer their wildness. It'd be great if the staff handed out Tasers." She knew it was a bad joke, but she was partly serious. If she could shut those girls up, at least the rest of the vacation would be enjoyable. "And I meant to ask this earlier: if you're here for a meeting, when are the other people attending the meeting supposed to get here?"
"I assumed they would get here today the way I did, but I didn't see anyone I recognize," Linira answered as they both sat down. "At first I was surprised, but it came to me that there's a good chance they had trouble making the right traveling connections, or maybe they're in a different section of the resort? If no one has shown up by tomorrow, I'll get in touch with my mother and ask her to have her people do some checking."
That made sense, so Casi asked Linira what kind of thing her company did. Linira talked about the diversity of holdings her mother's company ran, and then Casi was asked the same question. Casi replied that she was a security specialist for the company that had hired her, and for that reason couldn't go into details. But by now most of the coffee in their cups was gone, which made the knock on the door a welcome sound. Linira had called room service and asked for a fresh pot to be brought, and now it looked like the delivery had arrived.
"At least the service here is better than good," Linira said over her shoulder as she walked toward the door. "As soon as that meeting is over, though, I'm heading home. This place is just too boring…"
Linira had been about to open the door, but when it opened without her help her words broke off as she jumped back with a gasp. Casi got to her feet as Linira stumbled all the way back to the table, one hand over her mouth. Casi expected to see some if not all of the rude girls pushing inside, but what came inside had nothing at all to do with the brats.
Two large men now blocked the doorway, men with very long hair wearing nothing but what looked like G-strings and belts, holding sheaths for large knives. Both men were grinning as they looked at Linira and Casi, and then the one with lighter
