problem, so I'll deal with it." She gave her a reassuring smile. "You could notify Tay, though, and let him know I may need him inside."
Mae's eyes widened for a moment, then she touched her link and spoke quietly before turning back to serving customers.
Cali moved to wait on customers at the far end of the bar. Altercations weren't uncommon in The Brink; it's why they had Protectors. But fights usually occurred a lot later in the dark shift after a great deal more alcohol had been consumed. She wasn't taking any chances when Mae was so heavy with offspring.
She was glad she had when Ujana approached with a male Hogg stomping behind her. How had she missed his arrival? Hoggs were a large species. Large in the sense that they were extremely heavy. The older the Hogg, the more they weighed, and the longer their tusks were that grew out of their lower jaw then curved up, protecting their snout and eyes.
Most establishments banned Hoggs because of the repulsive stench their love of miasma worms gave them. This male seemed to be one of the rare few that had altered his eating habits so he could travel relatively freely.
Why, in the name of the Gods, would Vaine Masala be associating with a Hogg?
Then it hit her.
Vaine was getting back at her for banning Nox and was trying to get Cali to back down from making Vaine pay for her own drinks. It was a good strategy because few stood up to a Hogg, but Vaine had no idea who she was dealing with. Cali had been standing up to larger, more powerful males her entire life, and this Hogg had nothing on them. Still, she was grateful when out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tay move closer so other beings wouldn't be hurt.
The patrons she'd been serving moved aside quickly as the Hogg's belly bumped into the edge of the bar.
"I need drink for my female," the Hogg snorted.
"I'd be happy to get her one," Cali responded, "but Vaine Masala has to come up and use her credit chip to pay for it."
The Hogg leaned forward, slamming his beefy fists down on the bar. He then snorted into her face. "I pay for my female."
"Then you'll have to go somewhere else to do that because Vaine Masala is on The Brink's restricted list. She knows that even if you don't."
"Not matter." He slammed his fists down again. "I pay."
Conversations died away as everyone in The Brink waited to see what was going to happen, and Tay took a step forward. Cali shot him a look that told him to remain where he was, then leaned across the bar, crooking a finger at the Hogg so he'd lean down. When he did, she spoke quietly.
"I realize you believe you are being refused because you are Hogg, but that is not true. Vaine knows she's on the restricted list and is using you to cause a scene. Now, this is going to work one of two ways. You are either going to let her continue to use you, which means there will be a fight, one that even if you win, you lose because you will be banned from all Coalition and Wik Corp establishments." She let that sink in for a moment. Hoggs weren't an unintelligent species. They were just rude and boorish, which was off-putting to many. "Or I will serve you the drink of your choice, on the House, and you can return to your table and see if Vaine is really your female or just trying to use you."
The Hogg silently stared at her for several long moments, and the tension ratcheted up in the room. Finally, his eyes went to the wall of bottles behind her. When they suddenly lit up, she knew she had him.
"Apreian skotsk. Glass full. No ice."
Cali hid her cringe at how he wanted the drink served. Apreian skotsk needed ice to bring out its flavor, but if that's how he wanted it, so be it.
"I'll be right back with that," she told him, then turned to enter the code to the hidden cubby, just as she had with Jamis, and returned with the bottle. She paused as she reached for the traditional glass for the drink. Looking at the Hogg, she picked up a larger glass. While large, this Hogg wasn't yet considered an adult, at least not in Hogg society since his tusks didn't fully encircle his