Chapter 16 – Meet-Cute
I woke up tired and anxious the next morning, my wristband chiming to remind me of my schedule for the day.
I shuffled along, first eating breakfast and taking my scheduled hygiene break, in this case a long shower while I lamented my life choices, and then I headed down to the training room.
I ran laps for awhile on an indoor track, trying to kickstart my nervous system so that I'd feel a bit more alive, and then I ran through all nine sword-dancing sequences at a ruthless pace.
I even threw myself into the pool for a few lengths, although I ended up spending more time just floating there and trying not to let my stomach squirm too much.
I'd been up way later than I'd meant to be the night before, and I was going to pay for it today – and it was an important fucking day.
The error in my plan the night before had been that Across the Timescape was actually good.
No, it wasn't good – it was bad, but it still had me up half the night, frantic to find out if Be'oi and Caso would ever be reunited and then crying – just a little!
– when they were. I turned it off when Be'oi fell into a vortex on a distant moon that shunted him into an alternate timeline in which Caso’s clan was his colony's sworn enemy.
It was humiliating, not just because I'd gotten weepy when Be'oi had given Caso his sword and pledged his fealty or when Caso had forsaken their clan to follow Be'oi among the stars despite all the challenges that lay before them.
It was also humiliating because I knew that everyone in command central had seen me cry and were probably already cutting that footage into my introductory video.
I'd meant for it to be part of my act, but instead I felt like I'd cracked my ribs open and offered everyone the chance to poke their grubby fingers into my chest cavity.
I'd never felt like this before, like an exposed nerve. And no amount of exercise seemed to help me shake it.
Instead, I reminded myself of the plan, and I reminded myself not to be too excited when I saw Araxis.
I pulled up my schedule as I was still floating in the pool.
The mandatory mixer was in the evening, but the participants would arrive throughout the day.
Judging by how long it had taken them to film my own entrance, arrivals would be drawn out, participants entering this empty 'village' in a trickle.
But I'd opened my blinds in the morning and found that I had a good view of the grounds, so at least I could sit and watch and wait.
Would that look weird on camera? Or would it look like I was just keeping an eye on the competition as they arrived?
Maybe I'd let myself sit in the window for an hour or so, as a little treat. That would probably make for compelling television.
I showered again and dressed for the day in a dark jumpsuit that had been provided.
It was a little short in the ankles and too long in the wrists, but it was better than I'd expected.
I spent quite a bit of time fussing with my hair in the mirror and finding stray pieces of glitter to wipe off, and then I sat on my windowsill and watched.
I did see a few participants arrive on the grounds, always accompanied by a ketaari who seemed to be talking a mile a minute.
I could probably have watched the shuttles landing if my apartment was higher up in the building, and I wondered if there was roof access.
After what felt like a long time seated on the window sill, arms crossed while I peered at the complex below and tracked the shift of sun and shadows across the mauve-hued grounds, I decided it was worth a try.
I'd only explored the floors below since I knew that it was mostly more personal suites on the floors above me, but the same stairwell that took me down led me higher up in the building too.
I wondered where Araxis was going to be staying.
I'd find out for sure on the seventh or eighth day, as per our plan, and the thought made my heart stutter against my ribs.
It really was embarrassing. Was it even possible to have a crush on someone you were already fucking, particularly when he'd offered to more-or-less fix the massive mess that was your entire life?
Well, possible or not, I guess that was my reality.
I was just grateful that these were the kinds of thoughts I could have in the privacy of my own brain, at least until the conglomerate figured out how to hook directly into my synapses for more content.
When I reached the top floor of the building, I had to go searching for another set of stairs, which I found around a corner at the end of the hallway.
These steps were utilitarian metal and led, as predicted, to the flat roof above.
It was the same sandstone-like material as the other buildings, with a waist-high wall running around the edge.
A glimmering dome of energy curved over the roof, flashing silver and white on occasion, like raindrops falling on water.
I squinted at the pattern, and realized that the dome was keeping out dust and insects.
I guess it was okay to be up here, even though there weren’t any silver cameras buzzing around.
And I was right: I could see the whole of the complex from up here, as well as the long ribbon of the promenade and the circular landing pad, bright against the deep green of the jungle below.
A tarnished gold shuttle was taking off while a tiny figure in the distance made a slow walk up the promenade.
The camera drones winked in the sunlight.
I breathed in deep and settled on the edge of the roof, looking at the grounds around us.
The largest building by a huge margin was the arena, which curved and opened like a giant shell.
It was a massive stadium and the dome could peel back to let in sunlight on the grounds.
They often changed the set-up of the arena to draw out the competition and affect the odds.
We wouldn't know what the design was until we hit the arena sands, although of course sand always featured prominently, and the conglomerate liked to add lots of interesting obstacles to make combat more exciting.
My wristband chimed and I looked away from the next shuttle that was landing – dark and sleek – to see a message from Silver Sea, reminding me of the scheduled fitting in my room. I sighed and surveyed the sky again.
And then, waiting near an outcropping on one of the lilac-tipped mountains, I saw a familiar silver shape waiting for clearance to land. My pulse picked up, and I schooled my face to perfect blankness.
There he was. He'd be here soon.
My hands curled, reflexive, and I forced them to relax. I made myself look away and head back downstairs and I kept the small, private smile fighting to get out tucked away, kept somewhere safe.
Silver Sea was waiting for me outside of my room with a willowy marn.
She mostly ignored me as the marn had me try on different clothes, pinching and holding things in one hand while adjusting seams and adding darts with some of the others.
After some time, during which the marn studiously ignored my attempts at conversation, Silver Sea hissed something under her breath, stiff face tightening.
"Problem?" I asked, arms held out while the marn worked on nipping in the waist of the dark, gauzy outfit I'd been told I would be wearing that night.
Her yellow eyes flicked up to look at me. "A last minute addition. Grizlak just let me know. They've asked me to draw up his schedule, as if I didn't have my hands full already with one human."
My eyebrows shot up. "There's another human?"
She hissed again in an irritated affirmative.
"How many participants are there?" I asked, wondering how up-to-date those files had been. We'd expected there might be other participants who joined up late.
"There are eight others now." Her head tilted as she flicked through some files, charms tinkling softly. "Hm, nine is an auspicious number. Tell me, have you found your scheduled hygiene breaks to be sufficient?"
"Sure, yeah."
"Would you be amenable to some piercings? A colleague has made the suggestion. It would be beneficial for your audience engagement metrics."
I blinked, trying to keep up while the marn waited for me to shuck off my current outfit and pull on the last one. "Wait, what? Why?"
Silver Sea's nostrils flattened as she tapped frantically at the input board hovering above her wrist. "You are not a woman, but in our culture men may choose to have piercings to indicate sexual availability. You are a dancer. It would be coherent with your branding."
I let out a surprised laugh, and Silver Sea's eyes narrowed in her gray face. "Is this an offensive line of inquiry for a human? I understand that your species tends to be sexually repressed, which is at odds with your profession."
"No, it's fine," I said, waving a hand as the marn tailor finished poking, prodding, and stitching. "Sure, if you think piercings are going to make me look hot."
Her mouth tightened. "Would they impact your ability to thermoregulate? Brin use their ear fronds to cool down. I hadn't realized –"
"Sorry, that's slang I picked up at the den. Hot is a stand-in for, you know, sexually attractive. I meant that I'm game if they'll help with my metrics. Which piercings will, for some reason?"
"They will generate more interest and therefore greater revenue.
" She nodded her sharp chin once, tapping away at her wristband.
"I have made an adjustment to your schedule.
Another ketaari will come to your room later for the modifications.
" She headed out when the marn packed up, her jewels jingling, and left me alone with nothing in my schedule beyond reflective time, punctuated by two hygiene breaks and meal ('lunch').