Previous: Greyson Investigations, Post 5
(Content Warning: Billionaires)
While she preferred the safe comfort of her leathers, Amethyst Evermoon had to admit she cut a dazzling figure in the low cut, sparkling black evening gown she wore. Even now, several pairs of eyes seemed to struggle with the choice between the spectacle of lights stretching infinitely into the Astral just beyond the glass hull of the bottom deck and her own ravishing self. There was a part of her that shied naturally away from the attention her prominently displayed assets garnered her here in the worlds famous Grand Ballroom of the great ship Fairlight Celestial. However, she spent most of her life hidden in the shadows and she found something thrilling about standing so boldly in the light. She had certainly been enjoying her role this past month, playing the part of a flirty, brazen debutante, and so there was another, newer part of her that would miss it when it was over. She turned and let her gaze travel languidly over a part of what had been her playground for these past three weeks.
The Fairlight. A marvel of modern technology and magic, as well as social progress, the staggeringly colossal airship stretched out over more than two square miles and was very much a politically neutral town in its own right. If a town were akin to a luxury cruise liner that was able to travel the breadth of the universe, in any case. Some of the individual Repulsion Fields were alone larger than many common airships in the fleets on any of the three worlds. In fact, the Fairlight was so large, it couldn't even attempt reentry into the atmosphere of a world without extremely time consuming and costly rituals. So, the vast majority of the time, it floated out here in Astral Space in among the stars and traveled leisurely back and forth between the worlds on months long journeys.
It was commissioned by the Alliance a few years ago to serve as a neutral, safe place for interested parties to meet. Everyone from well to do business types to governmental ambassadors used the great ship to conduct negotiations secure in the knowledge that a full complement of Alliance Soldiers stood by and within earshot. Some of the soldiers were even undercover as various members of the crew and staff but they were easy to pick out for someone with Amethyst's trained criminal eye.
And it wasn't just for business either. The Fairlight Celestial was the premiere vacation choice for rich aristocracy and their kind. Every need was tended aboard the spectacular vessel, no matter how petty or how large. No expense was spared to serve its guests. The ship was staffed by hundreds and had a passenger capacity of thousands. Amethyst had an old mate who used to be waitstaff aboard the flying marvel. He had loved the job and had run off at the mouth for hours about it. She would have preferred to use someone like him to gain access but unfortunately he had moved on several months back. Worked on the North Gate Ceremonies at Caern Daeberth now. Some kind of fireworks artist. It was definitely more his style anyway. Blowing stuff up on the Fairlight was generally frowned upon. Still, his information was more than sufficient to her purposes. She'd have to remember to send him a little thank you gift when this was all over.
As she took in the transparent dancefloor, her eyes locked briefly with the Vanílle. She'd seen him arrive suddenly two weeks ago. He hadn't even acknowledged her presence. She was just one of the countless background faces he had seen in his very, very long life. She had hoped to keep it that way. The Vanílle Family had an annoying habit for playing the hero and an uncanny penchant for always happening to be in the right place at the right time, likely owing to the "Old Man's" limitless experience and accompanying foresight. Now, the famous Immortal was standing in a clear sight line, smirking and raising his glass of champagne in a little salute to her. That made her more than a little nervous but there was very little she could do about it now. She had to hope that he was just here for someone else.
The moment passed and her gaze alighted on a Green approaching her, a young half-elven woman named Xanaphia, Amethyst thought. She eyed the glowing, bright, almost neon green polyhedral gem which hung around the woman's neck and danced lightly against the soft, pale skin of her positively delightful cleavage as she approached Amethyst with the slight posture of awe and deference. "Lady Jaye?" the woman inquired tentatively.
It took a considerable effort of will to tear her eyes away from the happy view before her and acknowledge the woman properly but she managed it with hardly any hesitation, her eyes flicking up to meet the hostess' and an automatic smile already spreading across her own handsome features. "Yes? Xanaphia, isn't it?"
The hostess blushed a little. "Ye...yes, mum. Captain Seraph has requested your presence for dinner, mum."
Amethyst continued playing her part as expected and let out a small, wry little laugh. Growing up in a traditionally High Elven household served her well here. Music was a part of everyday life and vocals were always Amethyst's instrument of choice. Even raucous or crass, her voice and her laugh were enchanting, like the soft tinkling sound of chimes on the wind. The youngest Evermoon had learned to use it well. "My, but I am popular, aren't I? Please inform the Captain that she shall have whatever she desires from me and I would be honored to attend a seat at the Captain's table."
The young woman nodded dumbly and began to back away. "Thank...thank you, mum."
"Oh, and Xan, darling," Amethyst spoke quietly as she again closed the gap between them, "be a dear and bring a bottle of the Prefect '42 to my room after dinner, if you please. I shall need something to clear my head after another night of politely listening to the Captain's rather boorish tales, wouldn't you agree?" The blushing hostess only nodded. "And bring a friend, yes? The Prefect can be rather tricky to get...flowing." Amethyst added a small lower lip bite for effect and spun off dramatically to encounter a Xysman dignitary she had had her eye on most of the night.
She saw the woman fairly bounding from the room in excitement from the corner of her eye and almost felt a little bad. Xanaphia was sure to be a great deal of...fun...but business came first. Step one, the Advisor's credentials. Step two, the Green Level Security Gem. One more day's journey, a few more steps here and there, and she could leave this ship in possession of the Chronomancer's "Key," whatever that was. Sword for Sword, she would get her own "key" from him in return. And with it, she could finally unlock the sands of the Dune Dwarf Shaman's Hourglass. From there, nothing would be beyond her grasp.
Her violet lips spread easily again into a wide smile as she thought of it. "Advisor Trellik! How delightful to see you out on the floor tonight! Alone again, I see? We shall have to remedy that at once."
The dignitary visibly brightened, a pink flush creeping onto his bald head. "Lady Jaye! Oh, I am pleased to see you one last time before I disembark."
"Leaving us so soon? What a shame." If she could have seen herself from the outside, Amethyst was sure the sight of her phony pout would have filled her with disgust. As it was, it seemed to embolden the older man.
"Yes. I'm afraid I can fritter no more time away here among this...decadence. Captain Seraph has categorically refused to see me to discuss the matter of the trade agreement. Frankly, my lady, I find myself regretting ever suggesting it in the first place."
"Well, we can't have that, can we? To waste the time of an important personage such as yourself is downright criminal." Amethyst pretended to pause and think. "Ah! I have just the thing. You shall accompany me to dinner tonight at the Captain's table."
The older man looked at her a little nervously. "But...my lady, I wasn't invited..."
"Nonsense," she laughed, quickly cutting his protestations short, "Surely the Captain wouldn't be so crass as to deny me the pleasure of your company on our last night together. No. I'll hear no more of it. You shall be my plus one and that is all."
The Advisor straightened and fairly beamed at her. "My Lady, I am most fortunate to have met you, indeed! If ever you find yourself on Xysma and in need, please call on me. I am most grateful."
"Oh, go on. I am only too happy to help a friend in need. For now, rest assured, you have given me all that I could require...come, we don't want to be late." As the Advisor bobbed his bulbous head in agreement and turned away, the stunning but sly "Lady Jaye" passed a small, wax sealed envelope bearing the signet of the Twelfth Lord of Xysma to a passing waiter who, in turn, smoothly slid it beneath his serving tray.
Next: Silver Aversion, Post 7
(Content Warning: Billionaires)
While she preferred the safe comfort of her leathers, Amethyst Evermoon had to admit she cut a dazzling figure in the low cut, sparkling black evening gown she wore. Even now, several pairs of eyes seemed to struggle with the choice between the spectacle of lights stretching infinitely into the Astral just beyond the glass hull of the bottom deck and her own ravishing self. There was a part of her that shied naturally away from the attention her prominently displayed assets garnered her here in the worlds famous Grand Ballroom of the great ship Fairlight Celestial. However, she spent most of her life hidden in the shadows and she found something thrilling about standing so boldly in the light. She had certainly been enjoying her role this past month, playing the part of a flirty, brazen debutante, and so there was another, newer part of her that would miss it when it was over. She turned and let her gaze travel languidly over a part of what had been her playground for these past three weeks.
The Fairlight. A marvel of modern technology and magic, as well as social progress, the staggeringly colossal airship stretched out over more than two square miles and was very much a politically neutral town in its own right. If a town were akin to a luxury cruise liner that was able to travel the breadth of the universe, in any case. Some of the individual Repulsion Fields were alone larger than many common airships in the fleets on any of the three worlds. In fact, the Fairlight was so large, it couldn't even attempt reentry into the atmosphere of a world without extremely time consuming and costly rituals. So, the vast majority of the time, it floated out here in Astral Space in among the stars and traveled leisurely back and forth between the worlds on months long journeys.
It was commissioned by the Alliance a few years ago to serve as a neutral, safe place for interested parties to meet. Everyone from well to do business types to governmental ambassadors used the great ship to conduct negotiations secure in the knowledge that a full complement of Alliance Soldiers stood by and within earshot. Some of the soldiers were even undercover as various members of the crew and staff but they were easy to pick out for someone with Amethyst's trained criminal eye.
And it wasn't just for business either. The Fairlight Celestial was the premiere vacation choice for rich aristocracy and their kind. Every need was tended aboard the spectacular vessel, no matter how petty or how large. No expense was spared to serve its guests. The ship was staffed by hundreds and had a passenger capacity of thousands. Amethyst had an old mate who used to be waitstaff aboard the flying marvel. He had loved the job and had run off at the mouth for hours about it. She would have preferred to use someone like him to gain access but unfortunately he had moved on several months back. Worked on the North Gate Ceremonies at Caern Daeberth now. Some kind of fireworks artist. It was definitely more his style anyway. Blowing stuff up on the Fairlight was generally frowned upon. Still, his information was more than sufficient to her purposes. She'd have to remember to send him a little thank you gift when this was all over.
As she took in the transparent dancefloor, her eyes locked briefly with the Vanílle. She'd seen him arrive suddenly two weeks ago. He hadn't even acknowledged her presence. She was just one of the countless background faces he had seen in his very, very long life. She had hoped to keep it that way. The Vanílle Family had an annoying habit for playing the hero and an uncanny penchant for always happening to be in the right place at the right time, likely owing to the "Old Man's" limitless experience and accompanying foresight. Now, the famous Immortal was standing in a clear sight line, smirking and raising his glass of champagne in a little salute to her. That made her more than a little nervous but there was very little she could do about it now. She had to hope that he was just here for someone else.
The moment passed and her gaze alighted on a Green approaching her, a young half-elven woman named Xanaphia, Amethyst thought. She eyed the glowing, bright, almost neon green polyhedral gem which hung around the woman's neck and danced lightly against the soft, pale skin of her positively delightful cleavage as she approached Amethyst with the slight posture of awe and deference. "Lady Jaye?" the woman inquired tentatively.
It took a considerable effort of will to tear her eyes away from the happy view before her and acknowledge the woman properly but she managed it with hardly any hesitation, her eyes flicking up to meet the hostess' and an automatic smile already spreading across her own handsome features. "Yes? Xanaphia, isn't it?"
The hostess blushed a little. "Ye...yes, mum. Captain Seraph has requested your presence for dinner, mum."
Amethyst continued playing her part as expected and let out a small, wry little laugh. Growing up in a traditionally High Elven household served her well here. Music was a part of everyday life and vocals were always Amethyst's instrument of choice. Even raucous or crass, her voice and her laugh were enchanting, like the soft tinkling sound of chimes on the wind. The youngest Evermoon had learned to use it well. "My, but I am popular, aren't I? Please inform the Captain that she shall have whatever she desires from me and I would be honored to attend a seat at the Captain's table."
The young woman nodded dumbly and began to back away. "Thank...thank you, mum."
"Oh, and Xan, darling," Amethyst spoke quietly as she again closed the gap between them, "be a dear and bring a bottle of the Prefect '42 to my room after dinner, if you please. I shall need something to clear my head after another night of politely listening to the Captain's rather boorish tales, wouldn't you agree?" The blushing hostess only nodded. "And bring a friend, yes? The Prefect can be rather tricky to get...flowing." Amethyst added a small lower lip bite for effect and spun off dramatically to encounter a Xysman dignitary she had had her eye on most of the night.
She saw the woman fairly bounding from the room in excitement from the corner of her eye and almost felt a little bad. Xanaphia was sure to be a great deal of...fun...but business came first. Step one, the Advisor's credentials. Step two, the Green Level Security Gem. One more day's journey, a few more steps here and there, and she could leave this ship in possession of the Chronomancer's "Key," whatever that was. Sword for Sword, she would get her own "key" from him in return. And with it, she could finally unlock the sands of the Dune Dwarf Shaman's Hourglass. From there, nothing would be beyond her grasp.
Her violet lips spread easily again into a wide smile as she thought of it. "Advisor Trellik! How delightful to see you out on the floor tonight! Alone again, I see? We shall have to remedy that at once."
The dignitary visibly brightened, a pink flush creeping onto his bald head. "Lady Jaye! Oh, I am pleased to see you one last time before I disembark."
"Leaving us so soon? What a shame." If she could have seen herself from the outside, Amethyst was sure the sight of her phony pout would have filled her with disgust. As it was, it seemed to embolden the older man.
"Yes. I'm afraid I can fritter no more time away here among this...decadence. Captain Seraph has categorically refused to see me to discuss the matter of the trade agreement. Frankly, my lady, I find myself regretting ever suggesting it in the first place."
"Well, we can't have that, can we? To waste the time of an important personage such as yourself is downright criminal." Amethyst pretended to pause and think. "Ah! I have just the thing. You shall accompany me to dinner tonight at the Captain's table."
The older man looked at her a little nervously. "But...my lady, I wasn't invited..."
"Nonsense," she laughed, quickly cutting his protestations short, "Surely the Captain wouldn't be so crass as to deny me the pleasure of your company on our last night together. No. I'll hear no more of it. You shall be my plus one and that is all."
The Advisor straightened and fairly beamed at her. "My Lady, I am most fortunate to have met you, indeed! If ever you find yourself on Xysma and in need, please call on me. I am most grateful."
"Oh, go on. I am only too happy to help a friend in need. For now, rest assured, you have given me all that I could require...come, we don't want to be late." As the Advisor bobbed his bulbous head in agreement and turned away, the stunning but sly "Lady Jaye" passed a small, wax sealed envelope bearing the signet of the Twelfth Lord of Xysma to a passing waiter who, in turn, smoothly slid it beneath his serving tray.
Next: Silver Aversion, Post 7