Chapter Thirty~four

He Is Quite Nice

~*~

 

 

Neiphi and Master Giao arrived at Kazia's laboratory together in the afternoon, Neiphi to report for work after her lessons, Master Giao carrying a large pack and wearing a threadbare knitted cap.

“Are you ready, then, Master Giao?” Kazia said.

“I am,” he replied.

“The cap is of your wife's making, I assume? Is that silk?” she asked, peering closely at the multicolored design.

“It is, yes,” Master Giao nodded.

“Fortunate,” Kazia remarked. “Silk stores ethereal energy quite well. It is very beautiful.”

“It has seen better days, I'm afraid,” he said wistfully.

“Perhaps she can knit you a new one now,” Kazia suggested, “when you find her.”

He smiled such that his whole face joined in, and his eyes glistened.

“Why is the transmitter on?” Neiphi asked.

Kazia looked at Master Giao with a sly smile.

“I've tried an additional ingredient to the potion,” she said. “No luck yet though, I'm afraid.”

Neiphi picked up the watch and began singing into it.

“Not now, Neiphi,” Kazia said. “I think Master Giao would like to be on his way.”

“Leave her a moment,” Master Giao said. “If it works, I would love to see that.”

Neiphi increased her volume, dancing to the other end of the room as Kazia and Master Giao moved closer to the receiver, listening.

The hiss of static was the only sound.

“Ah, well,” Master Giao said at last.

“Shall we?” Kazia asked. “Neiphi, will you turn off the transmitter, please?”

They wheeled the portal out into open space again, and Neiphi came close to watch, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

“This is exciting! Are you excited?” she asked Master Giao.

“And you're sure about this?” Kazia said. “I'd hate to see-”

“Don't you worry about me. You just be well, Lady Devratha. Thank you.”

“Oh, what if it doesn't work now?” Neiphi cried, hugging her arms about herself.

But Master Giao put a hand to the portal, and he was gone.

~~~*~~~

 

 

Kazia approached Kelvaran's door sadly. The last time she'd been here, Master Giao had been as well, warning her not to go in. She smiled at the memory. Hesitantly, she knocked at the door. There was no answer, so she went to the next door, his laboratory, and knocked there.

“Come!”

She entered the room hesitantly.

Kelvaran was bent over a work table, frock coat hung on the back of his chair, shirtsleeves rolled up, hair tied back, with a variable magnifying lens strapped around his head, welding a component into the device before him.

“I'm sorry to interrupt,” Kazia said, looking about the laboratory. It was not unlike her own, although perhaps more neatly organized.

He looked up at her, then pulled the lens off of his head and laid it aside.

“What is it?”

“Master Giao has gone through the portal,” she told him. “I thought-”

“It might have sent him here?” he asked. “He is not here.”

“That is a relief,” Kazia replied. “But I also thought you might like to have this.”

She placed the bundle of paper she'd brought along down on his worktable along with a corked bottle of green glass.

“This is the documentation and schematics for the portal,” she said, tapping the papers. “Master Giao said that you were interested, and I think we're finished with it now. I can even have the portal moved here if you'd like.”

Kelvaran stared at her evenly, but was silent. He turned his gaze to the packet on his table. Kazia felt a sadness arise in him, and then a certain amount of fear beneath that.

“We can only wait now to hear from Master Giao to know if this was indeed successful,” Kazia said, “but the possibilities of this invention are unfathomable.”

“I don't know that I'll have the opportunity,” he finally said, softly.

His eyes shifted to the bottle.

“What's this?”

“Deirua,” she answered.

Her brows furrowed as she studied him. She couldn't lay a cause to his fear, and it disturbed her. It wasn't the deirua, but she swept the bottle up, uncorked it, and took a small mouthful before replacing the cork and setting it back down before him, swallowing the liquid with a cheeky smile.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice distant and distracted. “This is all... very kind of you.”

“Lord Meratha... is everything alright?” Kazia asked.

With a sharp nod, he became alert once again.

“If that will be all,” he said, his usual rigidity setting in.

“Of course.”

As she left, Kazia took one last glance at him through the closing door to see him slump down into his chair, lost in reverie once more, still staring at the documents.

 

 

~~~*~~~

 

 

After dinner, Brandra came to Kazia's rooms with Neiphi in tow.

“Madame Brandra,” Kazia said, “I told you I would not insult my Apprentice. This is not her work.”

“It isn't mine either,” Brandra replied. “We are here tonight only as your friends. Now, go get your dress out.”

“We are going to make you so pretty!” Neiphi exclaimed as she and Brandra followed Kazia into her bedchamber. “What will you wear?”

“The dinner dress is my only evening wear,” Kazia said, “so it will have to do.”

Kazia discarded her wrapper and her light day corset. As she turned toward Brandra, who held up the evening corset, Neiphi gave a gasp.

“Mistress, did you hurt yourself?” she asked, pointing at Kazia's shoulder.

Kazia looked around at the pink mark revealed by her sleeveless shift.

Brandra frowned and stepped between them, turning Kazia around.

“No, no,” Kazia said hurriedly. “That is nothing to worry you.”

“Neiphi, get the pieces of the dress ready,” Brandra said as she laced Kazia's evening corset.

Neiphi examined all of the clothing to come.

“I see why you needed help,” Neiphi said. “This is an awful lot of laces and buttons.”

“And now you see why I don't wear these often,” Kazia laughed.

A simple and comfortable wardrobe of skirt, blouse, and waistcoat sufficed for daily life here among the Alchemists, although she dearly missed the even simpler dresses she'd worn on the farm.

“When you were a noble Lady, surely you went to lots of fancy balls?” Neiphi asked.

“There were more formal events, yes. I had maids then to help me. But I have left that in the past.”

Kazia squeezed her eyes shut as the memories of maids and balls began to give way to other, unwanted memories.

She tied a small bustle around her waist, then pulled on the appropriate petticoat for her dress.

Brandra and Neiphi lifted the black silk taffeta underskirt over her head and Neiphi arranged it over her petticoat, straightening the rows of pleated ruffles while Brandra attached the ruched velvet train, then helped her on with the black velvet bodice, which fell in long embroidered lappets over the underskirt.

Kazia buttoned up the front of the bodice, then slipped her dress shoes on and took a seat at her dressing table while straightening the elbow-length sleeves and the lace flounces at the elbows.

Neiphi began to work on the shoe buttons and Brandra started on her hair, separating it into a multitude of braids and then weaving them into an intricate chignon.

“What have you got for a comb?” Brandra asked, eyeing the containers on the dressing table.

“Here,” Kazia answered, opening a box and retrieving a silver comb fashioned as a peacock, each tail feather separately wrought and inlaid with a sapphire at each tip, and in the bird's eye.

“That's so pretty!” Neiphi exclaimed, her eyes wide and twinkling.

“It was my Mother's,” Kazia said, eliciting sympathetic sounds from both her companions.

Brandra placed the comb in the chignon so that the tail feathers curved down around the side.

“Not bad if I do say so myself,” she said herself.

Kazia filled in the low square neckline of her bodice with a white lace fichu, pulled on a pair of white gloves, and stood.

“Am I finished?” she asked.

“Lovely,” Brandra said, worrying at a few small adjustments. “Neiphi?”

“This Sir Palanaida had better watch himself! He might faint,” Neiphi said, giggling.

“Neiphi,” Kazia chided, “it's not like that. I'm only going to see the exhibit, nothing more.”

“Is he nice, though?” Neiphi asked. “Nicer than-”

“Yes,” Kazia said shortly. “yes, he is quite nice.”

 

~~~*~~~