Battling Bright (An Obscure Magic #16)

Chapter One

Krys looked around at the gardens and green spaces, and she exhaled.

With two days to go before the wedding, the landscaping had been completed, and a lot of enchantments went into making it look like it had always been there.

Rose arbours, a wildflower maze, and a vine arch they were all lovely and sturdy.

Sable asked, “How much more to do?”

“Set up the tables, chairs, and food stations, but that is a task for the day of. The caterers are ready. Food is being delivered today so that prep can begin tomorrow for fresh cooking here on the day.”

“So, you own the catering company?”

“Yup. We have six full-time and about sixty part-time employees. The full-timers make the menus for different races, and the part-timers are called in to fulfill the needs of the event. If they aren’t available that night, we just keep calling.”

“How many do you need for an event this size?”

“With four different buffet styles, two bars, and a dessert table? Forty. Twelve of them are on prep, and twenty-eight are on service.”

“That’s a lot.”

“It is, but extranaturals are rather rambunctious at weddings, and the number of humans who are attending is less than two percent of the entire event.”

“Have you gotten the responses?”

“Yes. Currently, we are at one hundred and eighty-five respondents, and from there, you can estimate another twenty percent will just show up. If they have an invitation, they can come in.” She paused and smiled at Sable. “Or if they are on the list.”

“What do you do if they aren’t on the list?”

“Oh, then we get to bounce them, and call the police, and since there are over a dozen XIA officers coming, that would be very bad for the gate-crasher.”

“Why would someone crash a wedding?”

Krys smiled. “Free food, free booze.”

“Oh. Got it.”

“Right. I am going to have to get the favours for the guests.”

“What will it be? Do you have time?”

“There is always time. I have a supplier for special creations, and they keep tons of stuff ready for personalization.”

“Wow. So, to do this, you have to know a lot of people.”

“It really helps. You pay promptly and pay well. That helps, too.”

“So, if I work with you...”

“You will send me invoices and quotes, and I will authorize payment. I will never embarrass you in front of someone else, but we will have words if you get taken advantage of, and then, I will pay a visit to the vendor.”

Sable smiled. “I can hear your knuckles cracking in my mind.”

Krys smiled. “A girl needs her hobbies. Wedding pricing is ruthless, but I have a good team of vendors and entertainers. It’s a nice mix, and we are the touchstone for all of them.

The vendors come to us first before the bride or groom.

Usually, we know what they want, and they just get to stay in the happy haze of their big day. ”

“So, they are to be protected?”

“Yes. They are full of hope and focused on each other, and that is the way things should be. We are paid a percentage for every vendor we wrangle. That is how I make my money, and I make a lot for each event. I provide guidance and planning help as my percentage of the venue rental. The couple needs to enjoy their day.”

“That is a weird structure.”

“You have to know the building, capabilities, and amenities in and out. I have learned all that this week in a cram session. This place even has event kitchens that just need to be activated. So, I had my waitstaff doing a power clean, and all the utilities were put back on while the city got the permits for the food preparation space up and legal. So, now that we have food, refrigeration, and ovens as well as grills, we can get here earlier on the day of or even do a midnight load-in.”

“Why is that important?”

“The faster we can set up and take inventory here, the better off we are. Any changes can be made on the fly when we know what we actually have and make sure nothing was missed back at the main building.” She chuckled. “That happens a lot.”

Sable smiled. “It sounds exciting and busy.”

“It is going to be a madhouse, but only you and I will know all the moving pieces.”

Sabel grinned. “I can hardly wait to get my tablet.”

Krys smiled. “It’s inside. Come on. The Lees should be here soon.”

“I can come along?”

“Sure. They will enjoy your presence.”

“Why?”

“You will see. But when they ask you things, just tell them you are still learning.”

“Why will they be asking me?”

“Hannah’s dad is just like that. Come on.”

They walked from the gardens to the main house. Inside the building, Sable looked around. “I never actually came in here.”

“Well, here you are.” She walked to the sideboard in the dining room. “And here is your tablet. Now, it is only set for view and not for data entry. If you break it, we get you another one.”

“Okay. This is nice. So, how do I get things going?”

Krys took a few minutes to show her how to turn it on and how to use the magnetic stylus to type in her code. It was the month and day of her death.

Sable was grinning and looked at all of the charts. “Green means it’s done? Pink means it is being worked on, and red means it still has to be dealt with. Oh, lots of day-of stuff.”

Krys nodded. “All the clothing is sorted, groom’s and bride’s side. Food is sorted, venue is sorted, and music and photography are sorted. The officiant is sorted, and everything else can be faked on the day.”

“You fake stuff?”

“Oh, yeah. Again, I will meditate and make the entire thing look like the projection of an ancient palace; I will create pillars of ice and statues of the same. I will pull everything out of me to give them the best day I can arrange, but things go wrong, and having a backup plan is all I can manage.”

A rough male voice said, “And that is all we want for our daughter’s big day. Someone with a plan.”

The Lee family had come to see the venue for the weekend following the debut weekend. Introductions to Sable were made, and Mr. Lee had a very warm tone when he greeted her like a long-lost daughter.

“Will Hannah be joining us?” Krys knew that one already.

“She’s splatting gremlins downtown.”

“Ah, well, I will show you the space. Let’s start at the entry and then make our way through the house.”

She took the parents and brother on a tour from the front entryway to the mantlepiece, which caused Mrs. Lee to gasp. “Hannah?”

Krys obscured the details and said, “Okay, keep it covered on the day.”

Mr. Lee said, “Who did that?”

“Oh, the dark elves. They consider a render in stone to be the greatest compliment. Benko thought Sable was worthy of being herself again, and I definitely agree.”

Sable smiled. “He’s very sweet and very attentive.”

Mrs. Lee blinked. “So, you are really...”

“Very dead and made of stone. Yes. The mages and elves got together to give me this life, and Krys is helping me to remember foods that I never even ate.”

Krys showed the ballroom that would be used if there were un-divertible rains. Of course, she could divert anything, but she might be distracted one night. The option was there to bring people in just in case. She loved options.

Mr. Lee said, “So, what kind of food can you manage?”

“Anything you like. Haute cuisine to barbeque to high tea or cocktail service only.”

He looked at her. “Who is your butcher?”

“Faroway’s.”

He paused. “They are very good.”

“My parents would never do anything substandard. They supply the meat order and deli order. We use Mills bakeries for our bread and rolls, as well as pastries for the night buffet. Kaifen-rah provides our vegetables.”

Mrs. Lee said, “And the cake?”

“The catering company is creating the cake. We have two cake decorators who specialize in unusual wedding combinations. Both Neekil and Hannah have been invited to the event here in two days. They will get to see how everything is arranged, and they will sit with the family of the bride so that nothing is awkward. They also know them.”

“Who will they be sitting with?”

“Imara and her boyfriend, Argus, and her familiar Mr. E. Vaia’s auntie Sofi. Also, Imara’s auntie, by the way. So, they are with folks that they know.”

Mr. Lee smiled. “You seem to think of everything.”

“This place is about to get busy, and then things should taper off, but what do you have in mind for dinner and dessert?”

The Lees bombarded her with a list of foods, some familial and some just for the hell of it. She wrote them down diligently. “I will run these past Hannah and Neekil, but this is a solid start.”

Mr. Lee looked at the page of food. “A start?”

“Well, Neekil’s people have their own traditions for celebrations. I have to add some of those in. Don’t worry. A lot of those will be for the evening. No one consumes edible body paint before midnight.” Krys grinned.

The Lees looked appalled and then grinned ruefully. Mrs. Lee said, “Put me down for one of those kits.”

Krys burst out laughing, and they went through the sendoff of the couple, and the Lees were satisfied that Hannah’s rushed wedding was not going to look it.

Mr. Lee said, “Do you know why there is a rush for this?”

Krys blinked and said, “I believe I do.”

Mrs. Lee asked, “Well?”

“They are running low on condoms, and it is either this or a new mega box. She isn’t having a baby without being married.”

The Lees stared at her and blinked then turned to each other and high-fived. Ah. Grandkids.

The Lees left, and Krys turned to Sable. “Do you think you can do that?”

“I don’t know. You seem to know everything.”

Krys chuckled. “I didn’t say that much. I just told them that this week their daughter would be taken care of and that their preferences were first when it came to food.”

“Why is that important?”

“Because every mother wants to know that her child is safe and cared for, and every family wants to feel first at an event like this.”

“I don’t know much about family.”

“Then, you watch and learn, and imagine if you had a puppy, what would you want for it?”

Sable smiled as they headed back inside. “They would need the best food and to be safe and protected.”