“Someday, you’ll feel comfortable letting me decide for myself,” I reply, and I mean it. We’ve been dancing this same routine for months, and though her steps are lighter now, she still keeps her foot on the brake when I get too near the black box in her head.
As fate would have it, we’re interrupted. A commotion at the end of the corridor reveals a git in a pirate costume, complete with tricorn and a ridiculous amount of eyeliner, dragging along a bespectacled wench, both of them loud enough to raise the dead. I sigh, already bracing for annoyance, but my wife beams, slipping into her social mask as if it’s a second skin. “Lily! Mercury! So good to see you!” she calls, her voice suddenly bright and sweet.
The pirate gives a dramatic bow, nearly tipping his hat into his companion’s face. “Been searching high and low, port and starboard for ye, lassie!” he bellows, and my wife cackles, raking her hand through his already-disheveled hair.
I size them up. The wench is Lily, obviously—the other ‘mayor’ of this little underground domain. She has the air of a woman who’s survived on wit and humor, and there’s a brittle steel in her eyes despite the sunny smile. Her partner is another story entirely. He is not human—a droid, most likely, though wonderfully crafted. The way he moves is smooth and calculated, but unnervingly graceful, like a cat trained to walk on its hind legs for the amusement of its owner.
I watched the pirate-droid’s every move. He will be a walking corpse soon if he gets more physical with my wife than he already is. I snort softly—but keep my face neutral. The last thing my wife needs is my starting a fight when she’s finally relaxing.
My minx is bouncing in place now, giddy as I’ve ever seen her. “Lily, Mercury, this is Taurus.” She leans in conspiratorially as if presenting a new pet to her best friends. “He’s my mate.”
Lily’s gaze flicks over my form—my actual one, thank all the devils—and she smiles with cautious approval. “He looks even better in the flesh than in the stories,” she says, extending her hand with just enough flirtation to throw me off for a half-second.
Do these people just flirt with everyone they meet, even before they know if it’s welcome?
“Nice to meet you, love,” I reply, taking her hand and brushing my lips against her knuckles. Old-world manners were drilled into me by the Company training, even if I’m nervous about it now. I turn to Mercury, giving him a nod—the sort you give a rival or a potential meal, depending on mood.
Mercury winks back flirtatiously, the cheeky bastard. He seems entirely unfazed by my display. I expected some territorial posturing, a flash of jealousy or at least a reminder of Lily’s claimed status, but he seems more interested in the exchange than threatened by it.
“Ah, our reputations precede us,” Mercury says, and I catch the subtle flicker of mechanical diaphragms in his throat. “Lily’s told me a great deal about you, Taurus. I’ve always wondered if the rumors were true.”
What rumors has this woman I just met repeated? Is this place just one huge grapevine of bullshit gone wild?
I grin, letting a little fang show. “Depends on which rumors you mean. Most of it is exaggerated. The rest are too boring to repeat.”
Lily laughs, and her hand lingers in mine a fraction longer than necessary before she withdraws it. “Mercury’s a collector of sorts. Always after a new story or a new face, and never satisfied.”
The pirate gives a mock sigh. “Alas, the curse of intellectual curiosity. I suppose it’s better than being a glutton.” He raises an eyebrow, challenging me, and I find myself liking him a little. There’s something oddly charming about his complete lack of social fear.
My wife squeezes my arm, and I feel pride radiating from her in thick, warm waves. She’s in her element here, introducing parts of her oddball family to one another, and determined to prove we could all get along for a night.
I’d do just about anything to keep her that happy.
“Anyway,” my wife drawls, “the feast is starting soon, and I think you’ll like what’s on the menu. Leo and the boys have been busy in the kitchens all day.”
Lily winks. “I bet they have something special for us to sample, hmm?”
I try not to bristle at the reminder that in this community; I’m the oddity, the guest among friends and replicants and whatever else lurks in the corners of these halls. But if it makes my wife happy, I’ll play along.
“Lead the way, then.” I offer my arm and let Lily loop hers through it. My wife does the same on the other side, and Mercury trails a step behind, hands clasped at his back like a happy observer.
A voyeur, perhaps? I’ll have to research that.
We walk through the corridor, the magick in the air still humming, and I try not to think about what’s behind the doors in the deeper parts of the mind-palace. I glance at my wife, who is laughing and chattering with Lily. I catch her eye for a moment, and there’s a flash of gratitude. She’s glad I respected her boundaries, but also that I’m being kind to her friends. It’s a little thing, but it matters a great deal to me.
The kitchen area is a riot of color and noise, every surface packed with edible oddities. There are at least three versions of food made with blood, a cluster of items that I believe will appeal to witches, and a handful of droids getting trays ready before taking them out the back door. It’s a carnival for misfits, and my wife is right at home.
Lily leads us out the back door and Mercury mutters something about fetching drinks. Interesting that he’s modeled after my kind—the brothers—and yet he’s not a whit concerned I touch his woman.
A bizarre lot, these droids.
“Twist has a suitable spot in the crow’s nest,” he says when he comes back with a tray of drinks to hand one to my wife. “He looks peachy.”
So he’s responsible for that furry thief—good to know.
She smiles and nods. “He’s fitting in perfectly.” I snort, and she amends the statement. “Well, he would if he’d quit stealing every shiny thing he can find, including Taurus’ cuff links, watches, my jewelry, and other assorted expensive items.”
“A pirate’s life for him, then. Tally ho!” His eyes catch someone passing by as he finishes giving out the drinks, and he looks at his companion. “We should go say hello, pet.”
