"I don't think I've ever seen such a lively game," Graydon said mildly, looking around at the mess they'd made.
"Whoever is responsible for this place is going to be upset when they see this," Kira observed uneasily.
While a few items were broken, most of the rest were scratched.
She winced when Amila reached into the wreckage, pulling out one of her daggers.
"Sorry, Amila. We may have gotten a little overenthusiastic." It was habit. Neither one of them liked to let the other win.
Amila aimed a happy expression her way. "Don't be. That was fun to watch. I didn't know some of those human insults before. Flibberjibit was my favorite."
Kira snorted. "You probably won't hear them again. We tend to make things up when the mood strikes us."
A yawn cracked Kira's jaw.
"You're tired," Finn said. "The healing you received would have strained your normal resources. You should retire. They will clean up."
Kira didn't argue. The encounter with Graydon on the terrace, followed by the contest with Jin had left her feeling pleasantly drained for once. Exhaustion made his order more palatable than it would be otherwise. She had a feeling that soon it would be less of a decision and more of her falling unconscious at their feet.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
"This way," Ayela said, bowing her head diffidently as she led Kira along the hall. "We're late. Preparing you took longer than I anticipated."
Kira smiled at the subtle jab, meant to imply Kira's lack of attractiveness as the cause, given how hard the girl had to work to make her appealing.
Ayela had claws, delicate but sharp, nonetheless. Good for her.
Kira didn't move any faster, continuing at the same pace, despite the look of irritation the other woman shot her.
She didn't care. They'd get there soon enough. For now, she concentrated on not tripping over the long fabric of her dress.
The wave in her hair had been magnified and then woven with strings of precious metals.
The dress she'd been given to wear was fitted on top and through the waist, before falling in a graceful train behind her. It was diaphanous and floaty, except for the metal woven into the bodice and waist.
Excluding its length, it was surprisingly easy to move in since it was short in front, long in back. If she didn't turn too quickly or forget about the excess she was dragging, she'd be fine.
Secretly, Kira adored the way it drifted around her legs.
Ayela slowed her pace to accommodate Kira, her expression wiped clear of any irritation.
Jin rotated his eye to Kira and blinked once, as if to ask if she was picking up on their guide's impatience too.
She nodded.
"You helped with the children yesterday?"
Ayela nodded.
"And today you're helping me with my dress. You must be very talented," Kira said.
"I don't contain enough soul's breath to have a specialty, lady." Ayela’s voice was soft and unassuming. "I go where there is need. Since I am one of the few who speak human standard, it was thought I would be of more assistance."
"You hear that, Jin? She goes where she's needed," Kira said, an edge to her tone. "You should learn from her example."
"Then who would save you from your stupidity?”
Ayela glanced up, her mouth opening on a surprised oh as she noticed Jin for the first time. She bowed her head. "Hello again, Mr. Jin."
Jin was silent for a long moment. "Hear that, Kira? She knows a thing or two about respect and manners."
Kira rolled her eyes as they approached an intersection in the hallways. She slowed as she noticed Graydon and several of his warriors waiting for them.
Graydon looked up. He froze, his expression arrested at the sight of her. Kira felt a feminine thrill of satisfaction at seeing the impact she had on him.
"Someone likes the way you look," Jin teased.
"Hush."
He made kissing sounds.
Ayela looked between the two of them, confusion on her face. "The Commander has expressed an interest?"
"Yes." "No." Kira and Jin said at the same time.
Ayela seemed thoughtful. "I've never heard his name paired with another's. All the women gossip about him."
"See, told you that you were special," Jin muttered.
"Be careful," Ayela said suddenly. "He is a dangerous man. If he turns on you, there’ll be little anyone can do."
Kira's eyes narrowed. Was Ayela trying to warn her because she was honestly concerned or because she wanted to mislead her? It was hard to say.
Graydon hadn't taken his eyes from them during the exchange, his body tight and coiled as Kira neared. Amila and Solal exchanged amused glances. It seemed the servant wasn't the only one who'd picked up on his interest. His guards had too, and they approved.
"You didn't have to wait," Kira told him.
"And yet, I have." He turned with her as she approached, the look in his eyes appreciative. "Are you ready for this?"
"I've faced a horde of Tsavitee. A little gathering of Tuann is nothing compared to that," Kira said.
"Hold onto that thought," Graydon advised. "Soon, you're going to wish for a foe you can kill."
On those reassuring words he escorted her into a wide-open room, the ceiling a glass dome high overhead, tinged orange by the fading light of the sun.
Staircases led up to balconies overlooking the floor below. The House had gathered throughout the large space, more people than Kira could have imagined, rimming the many balconies.
Most were dressed in outfits similar to her own, their dresses long and flowing. The warriors were the exception, in distinctive synth armor as they moved throughout the space.
Noticing them, Kira glanced around, noting people in armor at all the exits and placed in other strategic places in the room.
"Are they expecting trouble?"
"It's standard protocol when dignitaries of another House are present," Graydon said.
"Sounds tense."
"Coups are not as commonplace as they once were, but they're still a threat. The Houses are always one minor offense away from war with each other," he said, keeping a pleasant expression on his face as he nodded to someone in the crowd.
Kira was beginning to understand why the Tuann had not had a bigger presence in the fight against the Tsavitee. If tensions between the Houses were as bad as Graydon insinuated, it would be difficult to bring to bear the focus and cohesion necessary to beat a powerful enemy like the Tsavitee.
From what Kira had seen of the Tuann so far, they relied on their technology and reputation as superior fighters to safeguard their borders. That arrogance would eventually bite them in the ass.
"Every day I find myself more and more glad you disrupted my normal, safe existence to drag me into this nest of vipers," Kira said dryly.
Graydon snagged two glasses of a peach-colored liquid and handed one to her. "You're Tuann. We need certain things in our lives. Boredom would eventually cause you to do something unwise."
"Like take over a station just because someone looked at you wrong," Jin chimed in.
Graydon lifted his glass in acknowledgment. "We weren't created for peace. We were created for war."