Chapter Four
Eudora watched Fen dance, and her friend spoke between rounds and said, “When we go outside, I am going to fall a few times. There’s a lot of drumbeats, and I think Eudora can use it.”
Den nodded. “Thanks for the warning.”
They nodded and moved outside, with Fen putting sneakers on her bare feet for the walk.
They trooped out, leaving nothing behind. Dex was grinning, and Tosh kept a careful arm around her waist until Etienne smiled. She went over, and he ruffled her hair. Tosh snorted and moved to them.
Fen looked at the outdoor stage. She put a finger to her lips and made a gesture. A cloud of dust flew from the surface of the stage and ended up left and right, but the stage was clear.
Den set up, and Fen danced again, did some spins, let fatigue bleed through, and fell. Then she fell again. Each one was on a turn. When she was done with one final run-through, they applauded wildly.
Den sighed and handed her the memory cards. “Go do your thing. I will see Fen home.”
Fen called from the back, where she was changing. “I don’t need seeing.”
Den grinned. “Yes, you do, dance mage.”
She laughed. “That isn’t my thing. I am a plant mage. Dance is someone else. I can just move dirt as part of my skill set, and I learned to dance starting at age five.”
Fen came out dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. “We need to make a how to identify the mages chart. It isn’t much. I mean, we are the betas who are finally developing the same skills that certain alpha groups developed generations ago. So we are proudly beta and our own thing.”
Eudora smiled. “What she said. So, Fen, choose your chariot?”
Den smiled politely. “With her, you get dropped off wherever you want. With me, we stop for ice cream and cupcakes. You just burned a ton of calories.”
Eudora grinned.
Fen sighed and looked at him. “Cupcakes and ice cream, it is. I am starving. I will see you soon, Dori.”
Fen walked up to Den and said, “So, don’t promise sugar and renege. That gets a guy bitten.”
Den’s eyes lit up, and he grinned. He put the camera bag over his shoulder and then said, “Eudora, can you bring this back with you?”
“Absolutely.” She took it easily. “Since I am getting delivered door to door and I want to get the files uploaded, I am heading back to work.”
She smiled and turned to Etienne. “Thank you for the loan of your facilities. This is going to be very helpful.”
He nodded. “I am looking forward to the end product.”
“Me, too. I should go make it.”
She got her phone out and summoned another car. It would arrive in four minutes.
“Thank you so much for letting us in here. I think this is definitely going to add something.”
Fen laughed. “Go do your thing.”
Den smiled and said, “I know she is strength, but what is her thing?”
“The skill that she used is backed up by what she has been given.” Fen smiled. “She worked hard to be able to edit like she does. Not everything is magic.”
Eudora smiled. “Thanks, Fen. Talk soon.”
She walked out with the camera equipment bag and her garment bag over one arm.
She whistled happily as she walked to where the dark car was pulling up.
She handed the bags over when the driver requested them, and they were arranged inside for her.
It was pleasant being treated like a lady instead of a wet leaf on a shoe. Not harmful but not wanted.
She settled back in the car as she was returned to the office.
She had a long night ahead of her and a lot of footage to go through.
She mentally got her clipping fingers ready, and when she was back at the office, she hung up her garment bag, took the camera cards, and uploaded them, getting ready to start work.
She looked at her source videos, jotted down how she wanted the video to look, and created the facets for it.
Every few seconds would be enough to see someone in action or just beginning motion.
This was all about the way women moved, getting out of bed, to taking some steps and starting to run, to Fen launching into a grand jump, then came the landing.
.. Her mind spun as she looked for what she needed, put it in place, and then jiggled it a little to make it work with the music.
Every drumbeat needed to land, every soaring bridge had to be highlighted with a turn of the body.
By three in the afternoon, she was in her groove and put up a note to that effect on her cubicle wall.
When her eyes were burning and it was time for a break, she pulled off her headphones and sat back. All the other cubicles were dim, and the night was firmly in control outside. She flexed and rubbed her right hand, shaking out her mouse hand.
She groaned, got to her feet, and picked her phone out of her purse. “Oh, shoot.”
She called Sern and cleared her throat. “Um, hello?”
Sern chuckled. “Home already?”
“No. I just saw your first message and called you back. I didn’t scroll onward. I am still at the office and about to head home.”
“You are still at the office?” He sounded disapproving.
“Yeah. I am gathering the garment bag and heading downstairs. Should be home in five minutes, plus or minus ten for grabbing something to eat.”
“The burger joint again?”
“Yeah.”
“I will pick you up in four minutes.” He hung up.
She frowned but then burst into action. She locked the camera equipment in her desk, saved everything, and turned off her computer.
A quick trip to the ladies’ room, and she grabbed everything and headed downstairs, with the scent of the generic soap on her hands.
She nodded to the security guard and swiped out. The dark car was sitting in front of the doors, and she smiled when he got out. She tried to look bright and chirpy, as if she was used to placating alphas because she was.
He walked up to her and gripped her hands. “Busy day?”
“Yup.”
“Is that your dress?”
“Either that or roadkill. It’s flat.” She smiled.
He held it up and opened the zipper. He smiled. “This will suit you very well.”
“It’s hard to wear burgundy for a Sunday afternoon event, but at least it will be eye-catching.”
He smiled. “You will be lovely. I have confidence in you.”
“Great. Burger now?”
He laughed and put the bag in the back seat before holding the door for her. She slid into the passenger seat, and in six minutes, they were in front of a restaurant.
Sern said, “I need to talk for a while, so I thought this would be a better place to have dinner. Their burgers are excellent as well.”
“Okay. I am up for experimenting.”
Sern was still grinning when he opened her door and helped her out. He took her hand and led her into the restaurant, and she smiled. “It’s nice.”
“I know. Startling, isn’t it?” He chuckled, and the hostess saw him, smiled brilliantly, and then more vaguely at Eudora.
As they followed her, he murmured, “See? You are slowly diluting attention. Earning the accessories as we speak.”
She smiled. “Why didn’t I think you would be funny?”
“I don’t know. I am known for my wit.”
He held out the chair at their table for her, and when she was seated, he walked around and settled himself, opening his suit jacket with a flick of a button.
Sitting across from him felt weird but nice.
She looked up what was good at the restaurant, and it was actually the burgers. She laughed and ordered a burger platter and a soda when the server came by.
He ordered a steak and fries with a side salad.
“So, you have work focus?”
“When I need to. I kept the original idea but scrapped everything to start again. Out of a three-minute video, I now have the first thirty seconds done.” She smiled. “It’s a solid rhythm, and I will meet my deadline, even if I don’t sleep until the weekend.”
He smiled. “I am going to add another requirement and exchange new business wear for it.”
She paused and sipped at her water. “What is the requirement?”
“Dinner with me every day. I need to make sure you are eating at least one solid meal a day.” He smiled.
“Wow. You are bossy.”
“Insistent, but I come from a bossy family.” He smiled at her.
“Why is it that you look so... you, and Den doesn’t?”
“My mother was a servant in the imperial house of the emperor. The old one, not the new one. When I was on the way, he gave her to one of his generals, they married, had me, and she settled in a distant colony. My stepfather was happy enough with me, and she was happy with him, so they settled down and had children. Den was one result of that union.”
“Oh. Right.”
“Now, I have a question for you. Why did you agree to Likon’s offer?”
“Well, I obviously didn’t have any legal exposure at that point, and I was living at a women’s shelter.
My house had burned due to a neighbour’s fire, and I lost everything.
I had just started at the media company a few months earlier and didn’t have much savings.
So, I ended up at a women’s shelter, went to work, volunteered, and tried to figure out what to do next.
That is where my blocky wardrobe came from.
It was from thrift stores.” She shrugged.
“Not fashionable, but it served the purpose. I started to collect enough funds to get first, last, and a deposit, and in that time, Likon was steered toward me when I was working with Tyler at the afterschool program. I guess I was what he was looking for. He told me what he wanted. I agreed based on a separate bedroom, and a few days later, the prenup arrived. Then a legal marriage and a name change, and you know the rest.”
“The name change was real.”
“Of course it was. I had to pay for it.” She grimaced.
He frowned. “We can file for a return to your original surname.”
“Another five hundred?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I will put it on the list for a few weeks from now. That cheque is going to be doing some heavy lifting.”
He smiled. “I will assist in any way I can.”
“Feeding me once a day is plenty.” She chuckled. “I eat a lot.”
They laughed and talked about why he wanted to be a lawyer and why she wanted to be in advertising.