The host must have expected that people would choose not to wear their fancy clothing on the commute to the party, as there was a set of very busy changing rooms set up just outside the stop for the tube. TO, of course, changed first as they only had a simple outfit, and didn’t bother with makeup or jewelry. This, of course, meant they had to wait while DH and Lendulin changed. They spent the time waiting, looking over the news that they had ignored since Ark-1had caught them on their date. The worst thing for them lately was being alone. Lying awake in bed was only tolerable as they could hear DH next to them, could feel their body heat, the hum of their hearts, and their breath as they chirped. When separated physically, an odd panic seemed to fill TO, as though someone might take DH from them when they weren’t looking.
“Oh! I didn’t expect to see you here, Mx. Tio!”
TO was so invested in the news that once addressed, they nearly dropped their phone.
They recognized that voice, and it sent a sudden shiver down their spine. They turned and located the diminutive minister Philo, standing only a few feet from them.
“Minister Philo.” They said, their wings tightening around them. “I’m surprised you remember me.”
Pholi gave a laugh, looking around quickly as he did, “Well, likewise! Few remember the name of the Minister of Language, you know? Translations, and their nuance, are always so complex and interesting, but people tend not to understand that.” They smiled, “I recall recommending those translators for you. Did they help?”
“They have-”
“We don’t really think of the power those things have, do we?” He said, still looking around. “They take your words and translate, but they change them too. The wrong word or wrong tone can entirely change the meaning of a sentence.” Finally, he stopped looking around and looked up to TO, “Are you here alone today? Where is your mate?”
Somehow, being asked about their ‘mate’ made TO nervous. “Dee is here.” TO said, “They’re just getting changed.”
“Oh! well, how about I wait with you then, and we can all go in together.” They leaned against the wall and took out their communicator. “It gives me a chance to check up on my messages before we go on in, you know?”
“We are here with a friend.” TO said, “A good friend.”
“Oh, excellent. I’ll be happy to meet them.” Pholi said, but then it was suddenly like they heard what they themself said and looked up, “Wait. A friend?”
“Yes, someone we met while we were out shopping. Mr. Venturi’s assistant, actually.”
“Fascinating.” He said, “Yes, yes, now that I think about it, I do recall him having an assistant.”
“You do?”
“Why yes, the Delsaphian woman, isn’t she?”
It was the first time that TO heard anyone refer to her by species, and not simply by calling her legless. “Yes, that’s right.”
“Excellent.” He said as he went back to his communicator, typing furiously on the screen. “It’ll be nice to meet her. I’m certain she has a major influence on his work.”
“I’m certain she does.” TO said, their ears pinning back as they thought of the drying paintings in her room. Though, it occurred to TO that it was odd that Pholi knew about her, and that they seemed so unsurprised. It was only the other day that Venturi admitted to having an assistant at all, and even then it was only because of them. “How did you hear about her, though?” TO asked.
“Oh, I just know.” They said, “Word gets around.”
Before TO could further pursue this line of questioning, they heard DH call out to them. TO looked up and away from Pholi, and caught sight of their mate and their friend.
DH looked exquisite, dressed in a voluminous gown that flowed about them. At their shoulders the fabric was about the same color as their skin, but as the gown cascaded down around them in soft waves of fabric, the color shifted to deeper colors of blues and reds and purples, wrapped snug around DH’s waist before expanding into a cloud of color, dotted by tiny sparkling gems. A single larger gem sat at the center of DH’s chest. They had on some kind of veil that draped down the back of their head, leaving their face uncovered; it wasn’t fabric; it was more like a thin, fine net of thread with countless glittering tiny gems attached, glittering like stars as they moved. Their wings draped over their shoulders, draped with a thin, sheer fabric that drifted behind them. Set into the fabric as well were tiny gems, just like what was in the gown. All the colors had that iridescence to it that ‘Venturis’ paintings had, and which Celesto had captured.
The whole outfit, the gems, the colors, the black fabric hanging from DH’s wings, it put TO back in the training center; back on the observation deck in those moments where they could sit and relax with DH and their friends. It brought them back to a time before GiDi was taken away. Before they were sent off. Before they were caught, and knew for a fact that they’d be separated. It looked like DH had taken the nebula that they always admired and wore it.
“... I know, I’m overdressed.” DH muttered, their ears flushing after TO had been staring in silence for a noticeable amount of time. “Well... overdressed for us. I mean, look around.” They gave a nervous chuckle, their wings tightening around themself, “I’m not wearing a giant wig or anything.”
“I told you it’s fine.” Lendulin said, “You look amazing!”
DH’s bright blue ears dipped down under the netted veil, “Look at her!” they said, pointing to Lendulin, “She looks like she just put on the water this morning!”
DH was right. TO didn’t know who it was who made the dress for her, but it looked as though Lendulin had just taken the ocean at sunset - one from a show or a picture, not the shores of Okoia- and simply pulled the surf out of the water and draped it over herself. The tailor made the dress for her chair as well, draping over it carefully, to make her look like she was rising out of the water where she sat. Around her neck, she wore a simple string of raw pearls that felt wild, but fitting for what she was wearing.
“A friend of mine in the Outer Ring made it.” She said.
“You both look lovely!” Pholi said, and though he looked up, he was still busy with his communicator. “Truly; your friend is talented.”
Lendulin looked at Pholi as though she only just noticed he was there. She reached out for the controls to her electric chair, but of course realized they weren’t there. “You’re... Uh, I’ve seen you on the news-”
He gave a little bow. “Minister Pholi.” he said, “Happy to be here, and happy to see some familiar faces.”
“Ah.” she said, her face turning pale, her tail pressing to her chair. She looked up to TO, “I didn’t know you were friends-”
“We met once when we first came here.” TO said, “At that party at the government house.”
“You make friends quickly.” She said, “If you’d rather spend time with him-”
“We’re spending time with you.” TO said, “As we said we would. If Pholi is interested in coming with us-”
“Well, maybe for a little.” Pholi said, though it seemed like he fully devoted his attention to whatever he was doing on his communicator. “There’s a few people I know here, and I heard the synths will make an appearance today.”
“Will they?” Lendulin tightened her grip on the wheels of her chair. “When?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” He said, “I’ve seen them before, the current ones, and past ones. They only ever appear briefly at these things. They’re not really known for their deep appreciation of art.” He looked to TO, “Right, Mx Tio?”
Pholi knew. At that moment, TO was certain that Pholi knew they were synths. Of course they had suspected it before since he responded to what TO said in synth speak, but DH’s point that maybe he did just respond to what he assumed TO would have said was convincing, and since mister Pholi never came up afterwards, they forgot about the whole situation. Now it seemed like Pholi was waiting for some confirmation, some hint that they were, in fact, synths and knew their language.
Meaning that he, like Pearla, had a connection with the insurgents.
“I wouldn’t know.” TO said, their ears twitching with their lie, “I’ve never met one.”
“Well, I’ll have to bring you to meet them.” He said, “I’d say we could talk to Minister Noss, but-” He gave a little shrug, his small fingers still working on his communicator, “Well, he didn’t receive an invitation.”
“He didn’t?” DH asked, their ears perking up.
“Oh… You know him?”
TO pinned their ears back. Yes, Pholi knew who they were, and was trying to trip them up somehow. Why was he doing that? “We know of him.” They said.
A notification came in on Pholi’s communicator, and a look of relief crossed his face. “Well!” he said suddenly, “Though I’d love to spend my evening with you, it looks like I’m required elsewhere. You know, so many people around, so many things to see and elbows to rub.” He bowed, stepped back, and then took off.
“He was odd.” Lendulin said, staring after him, “What’s he minister of again? News?”
“Language and translations.” DH said, their ears flattening out, “And yes, that was odd.” They glanced at TO, their lips pressing together in a firm line. “There’s a phrase for it back home.” They switched to synth speak, “He knows.”
“Exactly.” TO said, “He was just acting very oddly.” They’d him taken in later. All they really had to do was make a note on his file and he’d be arrested andthe Arkanian law enforcement would arrest him and bring Pholi to their ship. Maybe they’d wait until Kei was here. TO didn’t want to interrogate anyone and didn’t want to make DH do it, either. Kei likely wouldn’t have any issue interrogating a civilian, no matter how brutal they had to be.
They stepped behind Lendulin, and set their hands on the handles of her chair. “Would you like me to push you? So that you don’t have to worry about your dress getting caught?”
“I can manage on my own…” She said, looking around, eying the others nearby who were staring at her, glimpsing the bit of her chair that was visible and of her tail which stuck out from the waves of her dress. “But.. yes, please, I’d appreciate that.”
======
They held the party in the gardens, not in the house itself. Large trees that someone thrived in the underwater dome wore full foliage, which glowed from the blue lights placed in their branches. The overhead lights in the dome gave off only a dim glow, but the bioluminescent fish that hung around the dome created an array of lights that swayed and danced in the darkness of the sea outside. In the center of the gardens, there was a clearing where everything was properly taking place. Dozens of food laden tables sat around the center of the clearing, each one holding in its center a large ice-fountain from which a bubbly alcohol poured forth. Lights hung overhead, criss-crossing from one tree to the other to create a low, calm ambient light. At some tables, there were civilian chefs cooking over fires, but all the servers were once more ServAis,
Surrounding the perimeter of the garden, Lendulin’s paintings were on display, sitting on easels made of twisted silver wire. Standing next to one of the biggest paintings was Venturi himself, talking loudly to a group of civilians.
TO looked down to check on Lendulin, to see if she was angry, but to their horror, they saw tears forming in her eyes.
“I’m sorry.” TO whispered to her, “You should be the guest of honor here. You should be in the center of that crowd.”
“What?” She looked up at them, looked around, and realized they had seen Venturi. A light laugh escaped her, and she carefully dabbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. “No no. It's not that.” She said, “It’s…” She looked over at the nearest art piece. “... I can’t believe my work is here. My work is on display at a big party in Thalassa. People are raving over them! Look, they set them on Silver!” She beamed. “I never thought my art would make it this far!”
“It’s still your work.” TO muttered. “You should get credit for it.”
“Mm-hmm.” DH said, giving TO a hard stare. “Funny for you to say that.”
As they ventured further in, TO found themself confused by DH’s words and the way their ears moved when they spoke. Why did DH say that, and with their ears so flat in disbelief? Suddenly, The memory of the report they did for C12 back in training, and DH’s insistence that TO should get credit for their work, only came to their mind when they were sipping drinks and browsing the pictures, listening to the quiet music drift in the air.
It wasn’t the same, and TO would tell DH that when they got home. Lendulin was a civilian. As C12 had told them so long ago, they weren’t. They were just tools of King Decon.
GiDi came to mind suddenly, the image of their bared teeth, their pinned ears, their wings puffing up wide. They could hear the way the words shot from their mouth, “I am not a tool.”
They took a drink and tried to forget about that for the night.
