“And do you pay attention to what they do?”
“I do my best, but obviously it’s tough, I’m consumed with my own vicious circular problems of thoughts which makes it difficult for me to remember to think of others or think about them as much as I probably should. I can see the annoyance on their faces when they must tell me something that I know they have told me before or that I had seen happen. It’s not very Alliance of me.”
Tamsin took in this information and made a mental note of it, but it didn’t come as too much of a surprise as she had heard there was zero privacy between people in the Empire. After a few minutes she broke the silence, “What are you going to name your kittens?”
Ellie thought about it for a minute, “The one with the white paws I’ll name ‘Piper’ and the one that’s all black with the white on its tail I will call ‘Prue’. I’ve not had a cat since I was a young girl and I’ll be grateful for the unconditional affection, thank you so much for bringing them to me, Tamsin.”
“It’s my gift for allowing me to stay with you here in the Main House. I hope the Admiral won’t mind the animals too much, I didn’t tell him in advance.” She was trying to gauge Ellie’s reaction to find out if Admiral Jei was as fierce as his reputation made him out to be. Now that he was Tamsin’s new master, he would have a say in who she could marry and many other details of her life if he so wished. The contract that she signed with House Rega was binding and she had handed over a lot of her freedom as a poor human for this opportunity to be an Alliance citizen and work at Human Food Two in Alba.
“Oh, I don’t think he’ll mind at all. He’s quite open to most things. He just doesn’t like human clothing,” Ellie smiled. “I think my mother seduced him in human clothing once. A slave once confided in me that was the reason Jei won’t allow me to wear human clothing out of the house.” She frowned then added, “But he said we can buy whatever Alliance clothing we want so there’s that.” Ellie opened a small 3D computer on the stone table between them by the wave of her hand. “Look, this is the best fashion atelier in Alba. The only downside is that we aren’t allowed any Alliance jewelry beyond our ID necklaces so the dresses will just hang like bags until we can entice suitors who give us jewelry.”
Tamsin didn’t think that would be too much of a problem for Ellie as she had a nice slim figure. She on the other hand was definitely more of the woman that you assumed would want to see the dessert menu at a restaurant and had just barely passed the Alliance medical exam in terms of BMI allowances. “I don’t mind the dresses being so loose. They look comfortable,” Tamsin said positively as they looked through the floor-length kaftan like dresses.
“They are comfortable. I’ll give them that,” admitted Ellie, “And for the formal dresses, as the fashion is to have the art of illusion on them, we can have dresses made with anything in the illusion.”
“What do you mean anything? Like bats flying around or something?” Tamsin asked.
“Bats?” Ellie asked and then laughed, “What are you a witch? I meant like beautiful flowers or sunsets of our choosing.”
“Flowers? Haven’t you chosen something a bit wilder?”
“Like what?”
“Jade had peaches and eggplants,” Tamsin said.
“Yes, but that’s Jade. She’s allowed to be so over the top. What would they say about me? I’m the goddess of humanity’s daughter and the Ward to Admiral Jei,” Ellie defended herself. “He’s the Admiral of the Fleet and I’m allowed some things, but there are limitations to my position.”
“I’m sure you could find something more exciting than flowers. Perhaps, some kind of Earth animal, like a flamingo in a wetland or panda eating bamboo.”
Ellie smiled at her new companion, “I think we are going to get along very well. Now, hold my drink. I’m ordering a dress with pink flamingos in the illusion.”
They spent the next hour perusing different Imperial dress styles while drinking Alliance style piña coladas that weren’t as sweet as the ones made on Earth but still delicious. Tamsin was impressed that slaves continued to bring them drinks over the next hour while they talked and bought dresses. Ellie explained that the dressmakers would have all her measurements from her GC account and that the sensors in the house kept a constant track on her health, both inside and out, for medical reasons. Tamsin’s fears about Ellie being difficult slowly disappeared the longer the day wore on. She summarized that Ellie was in a tricky place, but understandably, given what she had been through and still was going through. But from the little conversation they had had, it was obvious that Ellie would be fine once she settled somewhere completely. Already, Tamsin could tell the Empire was not an easy place to live and she assumed that was why it was taking Ellie some time to align herself with life there, that and her mother dying. Overall, Tamsin was relieved with both Ellie and the Empire, she reckoned neither would be an easy adjustment, but both were definitely worth the effort. And as she sat in the garden in her new home she thought, I will thrive in this mathematically correct world.
2
Compromises and Promises
Mir entered Imperial House Vo’s formal receiving room in the Main House. Everything about the room was overly impressive as if the owners were reminding every visitor who stepped into this room where they were and who they were dealing with. The floors, ceiling and walls were made of the finest yellow stone making the entire room feel cold, even by Alliance standards. However, the appearance and the mood of the room was exactly how Mir imagined the Empress’s Chief Doctor’s home to be, notable but clinical. This was after all the Main House of Imperial House Vo, one the oldest, most esteemed, and most dangerous Houses in the Empire. Mir did not wait long before a formidable middle-aged woman entered through a large door from the right side of the room. She was wearing an Imperial medical uniform with an ID necklace that announced her occupation as the Empress’s personal doctor, a position achieved just as much by birth as by merit. Her long black hair was braided intricately and adorned with small silver and blue jewels. Mir bowed respectfully, “Imperial Doctor Zol, may the gods be blessed, thank you for receiving me.”
Zol looked Mir over harshly, he looked every bit the maximum class man now, his long black hair simply braided down his back and his black officer’s uniform, complete with mandarin color, slim trousers and officer’s ranking jewelry, but she felt his appearance was just as false as his pretense of amiability. The god of peace was as volatile as any other god and not to be trusted in any form, mortal or not. “May we always walk in their light,” Zol replied icily. “Please, sit. Doctor James will be here shortly. I purposely told her to come later than you requested.”
Mir was surprised, “What business do you have with me?”
“Only to ask what business you have with my daughter in-law? You know she’s very impressionable lately,” Zol didn’t want Drusilla to become influenced by the god of peace.
“I’m only concerned for my wife, Babette. As you know she’s also human. She and Doctor James knew each other from when Babette lived in the Capital City. Doctor James would see her at the Capital City Library, and they would sometimes share the midday meal together. I simply need advice.”