Kayla let Seara lead her back down the hall to where Veridian and Alec were waiting. Both men stood as they entered, looking polished in traditional formal white suits.
Veridian’s eyes widened, looking as freaked out as she felt. “Kayla? Wow, um…wow.”
She flushed slightly and turned to look at Alec. Veridian looked uncomfortable in his suit, but Alec seemed to be perfectly at ease in his. He was exotic, elegant, and incredibly sexy all at once. He was studying her intently and Kayla noticed the heat in his eyes. “You’re absolutely stunning, Kayla.”
Oh man,
an Omni shouldn't look that good.
The corners of his mouth tilted upward into a smirk. Kayla's eyes narrowed in suspicion, wondering if he could read her thoughts. Before she could ask him, Seara clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention. “We should probably head to the meeting room. Your attendance is going to cause something of a stir.”
She grimaced at the thought of parading around a bunch of Omnis. These were the same people who controlled the lives of her friends on the surface and she was about to go socialize with them wearing a borrowed dress worth more than her camp's annual income. She squared her shoulders and nodded. She could do this. If not, she'd see just how well this dress would hold up on a speeder.
“Time to show everyone what a reanimated corpse looks like,” Kayla muttered under her breath.
Veridian heard her comment and smothered a laugh.
“Veridian, would you escort me?” Seara asked, and linked her arm with his. “I’d love to hear more of the stories from when you two were growing up.”
Veridian flashed her a huge smile. As they headed out the door, he launched into a story about Kayla sneaking off into the ruins when she was ten years old.
Alec approached Kayla. “May I have the honor of escorting you?”
She looked at him in alarm. “I knew it. I told Seara these shoes were death traps. Is that why someone has to escort us? So we don’t fall on our face?”
Alec chuckled. “No, although I’m quite sure if you wanted to take them off at some point, no one would mind. They definitely won’t be looking at your feet.”
Okay, now that was definitely a flirt
.
Alec’s eyes warmed and he leaned close to her. “And for the record, you’re the most beautiful reanimated corpse I’ve ever seen.”
“You weren’t supposed to hear that.”
Alec’s mouth twitched into a smile and he held out his arm for Kayla. She linked her arm in his and warned, “You better catch me if I fall on my ass. Preferably, before. With my luck, I’ll end up ripping this dress and giving the entire room a show.”
Alec laughed. “You're one of the most unusual and outspoken women I’ve ever met. It’s rather refreshing. Is it just you or because you grew up on the surface, I wonder? I never know what you’re going to say next.”
Kayla shrugged. “It’s probably me. Judging by the number of people I’ve managed to piss off over the years, yeah. It’s me.”
He smiled at her and they followed Seara and Veridian out of the Rath’Varein private quarters. They followed the pathway toward a central meeting room area. Dozens of people milled around, sipping on drinks and chatting with one another.
Seara turned to Kayla and whispered, “They usually mingle for about twenty or thirty minutes before anyone is even seated. It’s all about politics here.”
When they entered, the majority of the people fell silent and openly stared at Kayla and her companions. Kayla ignored the stares and strode into the room on Alec’s arm.
Edwin spotted them from across the room and approached the group. “Seara, you look wonderful as usual, my dear. Your daughter definitely takes after you.”
Edwin snapped his fingers and someone carrying a tray of tall slender glasses immediately came over to them. Edwin lifted two glasses and handed one to Seara and the other to Kayla.
Alec accepted a glass from the server and motioned for Veridian to take one too. Kayla studied the bubbling golden liquid. “What is this?”
“It’s called champagne. It’s a little sweet. You might enjoy it.”
Kayla sniffed the glass and decided it wasn’t too offensive. She took a cautious sip. The bubbles tickled her tongue and mouth, but it was a pleasant enough taste.
“Do you like it?” Alec asked her.
She nodded and took another sip. “Yeah, I’ve never had anything like this. I like the bubbles.”
Seara turned to look at Edwin. “I need to speak with you privately.”
“I’m sure you do. In the meantime, Alec, why don’t you take Kayla and Veridian around and introduce them to a few people? There are two potential traders here. I’m sure Kayla and Veridian can give them some unique insight as to what to expect on the surface if they’re selected.”
Alec inclined his head and led Kayla and Veridian away, while Seara and Edwin disappeared into another room. Kayla turned to watch them go, wondering about the tension between them.
“The potential traders are Milo and Rand,” Alec explained, interrupting her thoughts. “They’ve both studied the pre-war history extensively, are technical experts, and the High Council believes either one would make a suitable trader. They’ve never been to the surface though, so they’ll probably be interested in speaking with you both.”
“How do you decide who you’re going to send?”
“Becoming a trader is actually quite difficult. Usually, it requires extensive study and we test them thoroughly on their knowledge. They also have to share similar ideologies to OmniLab’s High Council and Inner Circle.”
Kayla frowned. “Then how the hell did Ramiro get in? That guy was a couple sandwiches short of a picnic.”
Alec lowered his voice and said quietly, “Occasionally, such as the case with Ramiro, bribes are accepted. Becoming a trader and fulfilling the terms of the contract boosts a family’s status considerably.”
Kayla’s eyes narrowed. “Did either of these two buy their way in?”
Alec shook his head. “No, they were selected on merit and achievements alone. An inquiry into selection status is occurring as a result of the petition against Ramiro. The High Council is being cautious with this next selection.”
Well, maybe they didn't have their heads completely up their asses. “I see. What about Carl? Why was he selected?”
Alec hesitated. “He was actually recruited, not selected. The removal of the previous trader was rather sudden. Carl's been on the fast track for an assistant director position and a few of our directors thought the experience would benefit him. He's young for it, but based on his merits and achievements, we decided he would be a good fit. So far, he’s exceeded all expectations.”
Kayla nodded in agreement. “For a trader, he’s a pretty good guy.”
Alec brought them over to a tall man in his thirties. He had short dark hair and wore slightly less ostentatious formal wear. He was considerably shorter than Alec and Kayla thought he appeared to be far more of a tech room junkie than someone who could navigate the pits. His brown eyes were intelligent and they widened considerably as he recognized them.
“Oh goodness! Mistress Kayla Rath’Varein, Master Alec Veritan, it’s truly an honor to meet you. My name is Milo Orwin.”
“Hi, Milo. Nice to meet you. But call me Kayla. I don’t get into the fancy names and crap.”
At Milo’s shocked expression, Alec added, “Kayla prefers to avoid formalities. It appears to be a trademark on the surface. And this is Veridian Levanthe.”
“This is so exciting,” Milo said with a bow, twisting his hands nervously. His words flew together in rapid succession. “I can’t express how honored I am. To meet both of you is truly a wondrous thing. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.”
Holy shit
.
If this guy gets this easily flustered, the ruin rats are going to chew him up and spit him out.
Alec smiled at Milo and said with the barest trace of laughter in his voice, “Please be at ease, Milo. As you know, Kayla and Veridian recently arrived from the surface. The culture there is quite different than what you’re accustomed to here in the towers.”
“Yeah. We don’t dress up for dinner.”
Alec barely managed to keep a straight face. Milo looked at Kayla and Veridian eagerly. “Would it be okay if I asked you a few questions? I'd like to have some additional background. I’ve studied quite a bit about what life is like on the surface, but there's so much more to learn.”
Veridian smiled at him. “Sure. I’d be happy to answer your questions.”
Kayla finished her glass of champagne. “Uh huh. V’s better with questions than I am.”
“In that case, why don’t we let Veridian and Milo talk?” Alec suggested, sweeping her empty glass from her hand. “I’ll get you another drink and introduce you to Rand.”
“All right.” Once they were out of earshot, she asked, “You’re not really going to send that guy to the surface, are you? He won’t last a week.”
Alec chuckled and waved over a server. He took another drink off the tray and offered it to her. He leaned close, his breath warm against her ear. “You are truly a gem, Kayla.”
“Hmm,” she murmured, ignoring the goose bumps his nearness caused, and took a large sip. Too much was happening that was outside her realm of experience. She was attracted to Alec, but he was like one of the relics she discovered when scavenging. He was nice to look at but he belonged in the towers and not in her hands. She looked around the room for a distraction. “So where’s this other trader?”
“I’ll introduce you to him now,” Alec offered, and slipped his hand around her waist. She raised her eyebrows in surprise but didn’t object.
He led her across the room and stopped in front of a tall man who didn’t look like he spent all his time in the tech room. His blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he had an air of confidence about him.
“Master Veritan and Mistress Rath’Varein,” he acknowledged them with a polite smile.
“Kayla,” she said firmly. “Just Kayla. You must be Rand?”
He bowed briefly. “Yes. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I understand you’re familiar with the district I’m hoping to oversee?”
Okay, this one has potential
.
Not bad to look at either.
“You could say that.”
“Are there many surface camps in that area?” Rand asked her. “Our data is sketchy since they seem to move around frequently.”
“Surface camps? I think you mean ruin rats.” She laughed at the polite description. “There are some. Ramiro wasn’t good at what he did so it was easy to scavenge under his nose. His prices sucked though. A lot of the camps scavenged in his district and then sold to Warig or Carl.”
If Rand was surprised at her candor, he hid it well. She got the impression he was filing away her observations for later. He gave a thoughtful nod and mused, “I’m surprised they wouldn’t feel some loyalty toward the trader in the district they scavenged from.”
Kayla smirked at him. “If you become a trader, you’re going to learn one thing real quick. Ruin rats don’t like traders or Omnis. You’re a necessary evil and the less contact with you, the better.”
Alec looked at her in surprise and asked, “All ruin rats feel this way?”
Kayla sipped her drink. “Pretty much. Sure, there are a few exceptions. But generally speaking? Oh yeah. Most traders tend to screw over ruin rats every chance they get. There’s no loyalty on either side. Don’t expect to be welcomed with open arms.”
“I see. It sounds like this will be more challenging than I anticipated.” Rand turned to Alec. “I look forward to meeting with the High Council and Inner Circle representatives when I present my final bid for the trader position.”
Alec inclined his head. Rand turned to Kayla and bowed low to her. “It was truly a pleasure to meet you. I hope I’ll be given the opportunity to try and repair the rift between the surface camps and the traders.”
Kayla looked at him in surprise. “You sound like Carl.”
He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Trader Carl Grayson?”
When she nodded, he chuckled and admitted, “We know each other well. We studied together before he was recruited for his current position.”
She smiled, beginning to like the trader recruit even more. “It figures. He’s one of the only decent traders I’ve ever known. Sneaky bastard, but fair. Most ruin rats don’t like him simply because he’s a trader, but he’s respected.”
Rand nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll be interested in speaking with him when he comes to the meeting.”
A soft chime echoed throughout the room. Alec put his arm around her waist again. “That’s our cue, dear.” He offered a polite nod to Rand and led her away.
“I take it you approve of him?” Alec asked her quietly as they stepped into the large banquet hall area.
“Yeah, he’s better than the other idiot.” She looked around at all the tables decorated with white tablecloths covered with strange dishes and flowers. “What the hell is this? It’s supposed to be dinner. You sit, you eat, and you’re done.”
He gave her an encouraging smile. “It’s not too bad. You might even enjoy yourself. I’ll show you to your seat and then go check on Veridian.”
He led her to a large table at the far end of the room. The table was situated near a strange glass wall that had water droplets falling in artistic patterns. Once she was seated in the chair he held out for her, he briefly rested his hands on her bare shoulders. His touch sent warm tingles over her skin. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, “I’ll be right back.”
Kayla studied the table in front of her. There were several silver eating utensils and crystal glasses at every place setting.
Wow
,
I can’t believe people actually live like this.
She finished her champagne while watching people stroll into the room and find their seats. The moment she put the empty glass in front of her, a woman approached her and asked, “Would you care for another glass of champagne, Mistress Rath’Varein? Or could I interest you in a glass of wine?”
Before Kayla could reply, Alec reappeared with Veridian. “Another glass of champagne for now. The wine tends to be more suitable with dinner.” The server nodded and quickly walked away.