FSE

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Chapter 1

A strikingly beautiful female Phoenix across the room of the elegant five-star hotel's bar. Brilliant iridescent purples flicker out against the black feathers covering her body, all of which have been meticulously preened for the evening. The avian is wearing a stunning black evening gown, and sitting at the end of the bar with a bored look on her face, looking quite out of place in her formal attire.

The male corvid, crow to be specific, sits in the hotel bar nursing a drink in one of the tall fluted glasses kept for avian customers. Relaxing after a day-long meeting as part of his business trip, his button up shirt has a few buttons undone, unintentionally exposing a little of his coal black chest plumage.

He spots the beautiful Phoenix female, the only other avian in the hotel, and watches her colors play in the dim lights for a few moments before calling over a waitress.

A few moments later, the waitress delivers her a fresh drink; when asked who bought it, she gestures to the crow sitting alone. As the phoenix turns, he gives an avian smile by parting his beak slightly and nods his head.

The slender little feline waitress taps on Alexia's shoulder to nervously deliver the drink. The waitress's outfits are intentionally sexy but this particular one's skirt is so high and short that even the most casual look would reward a male patron with a hint of panties. Her brow furrows in annoyance at first, then softens as she discovers the source of the admiration. She can't help but give the girl a fleeting look of contempt as the long-tailed waitress disappears back to the darker recesses of the establishment, presumably to wait on the richer patrons who were sitting at the tall, dark booths.

The avian glanced back to the new drink, then locked eyes with the mysterious new suitor. He was stunningly handsome, and had an unusually laid back look to him compared to the regular customers of this hotel.

Music from the bar's live piano made her walk across the room seem all the more dramatic and graceful to the crow. Apprehension was still thick in her voice as she greeted him. She was the kind of girl who was used to attention from males.

"Thank you for the drink. So, what's your story?" she said, with a hint of an avian's smile back to Solitaire.

The dark fellow wasn't expecting much of a reaction from such an aristocratic lady. He cocked his head as she arose, expecting perhaps a slap or a display of a wedding mark.

When the striking Phoenix approached with a glint in her eye, the male avian brushed taloned fingers through his head feathers and stood to meet her.

He gave a clucking sort of chuckle and extended a hand. His anthro form gave his particular shape both arms and a separate set of wings, the hand of slender fingers bare with soft-scaled black skin from fingertips to elbow, there meeting a shock of ebony plumage under a rolled up shirt sleeve. He hoped the swarthy reputation of his species gave him an air of mystery rather than aggression.

"My story? Business conference. I'm finally getting some time away from it to relax. The name's Solitaire. Won't you join me?". He pulls out a chair and helps her ease into it, guiding her long tail feathers into the tail slot designed for other anthros.

"I imagine you hear this a lot, but your feathers are... well, very alluring. Along with the rest of you.". Now for the slap or the condescending high society tone, he thought.

The phoenix's expression softens from the compliment, although the pretty female bird keeps her defenses on high. She can't help but give him a coy, knowing smile. "Thank you," she says softly, once the gentlemanly crow helped her take her seat. "I'm Alexia. I'm here for the fundraising dinner in the main ballroom later tonight."

Turning her head to the side, the female evaluated the corvid, from his bright yellow beak to the swarthy patch of rough black feathers. She continued, "So, Solitaire.. You're here on a business trip huh? Is it the type of business where you cover up your wedding marks and chase after new tail?" she teased, using her directness to gauge how the mysterious black avian would react.

He laughs a bit more readily, a high sound with a tone of corvid caw behind it, sensing the invitation for more conversation. If he's offended, he retains it as another mystery.

"Most of those types are at the corporate sponsored party with their corporate sponsored... 'dates'. No, no wife, no mate to cheat on, nothing like that".

He sips his drink, purplish tongue swirling the edges of his beak to collect the stray gin.

"Frankly, I came over here to get away from all that tail-chasing, and those bimbos..."

He lifts his head and meets your gaze with his, a shine behind those deep, enigmatic eyes.

"I never expected to find a lady of such... quality."

He peers around the bar. "Are you attending the fundraiser alone?"

Something in the crow's charismatic eyes excites Alexia. Or maybe it's more than that. His body language, clothes, and very nature tell the tale of a carefree soul. Not at all the type of overconfident male she so loathes but deals with so often. Alexia takes another cautious sip from her sweet drink.

"My driver got me here an hour early. I'm very displeased with him right now." she sighs. "The whole thing is wretched enough, I was hoping not to extend it. It's all just political posturing for crooked politicians, looking to help their image, but I must make an appearance."

The mention of corporate sponsored dates unexpectedly draws a smile from her. "Why aren't you enjoying one of those 'dates'? You don't think they have.. quality?"

His feathered brow rises a bit. "Sounds like something to avoid, if you ask me. I imagine the demands of someone of your social standing are... more rigorous."

At the question, he grins. "I could have one of those wing-hangers if I wanted to. But there's nothing to them, they're all fluff."

He looks up. "There's no story, you know? No... mystery. Not to mention that, well, I'd much prefer to spend time with someone who likes who I am. Even if we never meet again, just a moment of special connection..."

His fingertip roams around the rim of his glass as he trails off.

The Phoenix smirks, "Rigorous. Yes, I can be quite.. Rigorous.. Depending on who you ask." It's hard to tell exactly what she means.

Her coy face looks at you as your voice trails off. She perks up. Her lovely breasts heave as she talks. "You must work for MicroNode." she observed. "They're the ones having the corporate party here. What's the occasion, quarterly earnings go up?"

Alexia's eyes drift past you to find the leopardess waitress wearing the short skirt. Her delicate finger draws a circle idly around the top of her glass.

The crow nods his head and finishes off his drink. "MicroNode, yes... actually it's a celebration. We just took over TransOcean Designs, the Korean company, and we're going to leverage their sublimation techniques to shave a few nanometers off of our die configurations and boost throughput by..."

He stops himself from going on with the boring details, and he leans forward, resting his hand atop of hers, pausing to see if she might flinch or shy away.

"Ms. Alexia, your feathers sparkle like the star that bears your name. I know you don't know me from any male here... hell, a word off your tongue and you could *have* any of them."

"I know we hardly fly in the same flocks, but... even if it's only for the next hour and that's all it ever is, would you spend it with me? Under my wings?"

The elegant female listens attentively to the male unloading what may unwittingly be company confidential information. She files every word away in her brain for possible use later.

Alexia looks at the handsome crow, the coy expression never fades. "Solitaire, you're a very sweet guy. My intention for the evening is strictly for business purposes, no more." Her smile broadens slightly even as his drops.

She looks over him once more. The carefree look combined with the rough corvid seems to hint of danger, "as long as he plays his cards right, he could fit into the organization perfectly." she thought. "Maybe he can be trained. Even if he can't, he's a gold mine of MicroNode secrets."

"Tonight's event is very important, and I must attend it. However, I do think a little company might be nice. But you must understand there will be many powerful people there, so there are certain.. rules.. to follow. If you think you can follow them, you may join me. "

Solitaire nods his ebony head and clicks his beak, having been turned down many times before, it's nothing new. Inwardly, he chides himself for being too quick, too eager, but the moment was there.

He dumps the remains of his drink down his throat.

At her counter-offer of an introduction into high society, on the arm of such a beautiful creature, his smile returns. "I would be a birdbrain to say no to such a suggestion. What... rules?" Knowing the tension is high, Alexia cruelly draws out the eager crow's anticipation by pausing to take another sip of the drink in the thin flute in front of her.

"First," she explains, "this is a formal affair. You'll go to the boutique here in the hotel and find something appropriate. Something that matches my dress. Second, you will not speak to anyone unless they ask you a direct question. Then you will keep it short. If anyone asks, you are only to tell them you are my accompaniment, nothing more." She smiles, "You will be my handsome face to show off. I'm just *sure* you'll be a hit!" She coos softly and reaches out to stroke the side of your face.

"Tell Martia at the boutique that you are my accompaniment for tonight and she will give you everything you need. Be back in a half an hour."

He nods as he listens, slowly coming to the realization that he was probably never in control of this encounter since the moment she accepted the drink he purchased. The wings on his back droop a little as he's put into his place, like so many males before him, he imagines.

But still, to bask in her radiance, to be selected by her at all, isn't it worth a little humiliation? A crow eating crow.

He rebounds a bit as she acknowledges his enigmatic magnetism and working-class good looks. With only a "Yes ma'am" as he gets up, not wanting to put his foot further into his own beak, he smooths his plumage and heads for the boutique.

Martia sits behind the desk of the little formal boutique nestled amongst the various gift shops and restaurants inside of the hotel's plaza space. She barely even lifts her head as the excited crow enters her shop.

Every ounce of body language showed a contemptuous disinterest in the dark stranger. That is until she hears the name on the charge account. She masks her surprise well, and continues her work. "Alexia huh?" she thinks to herself, barely able to mask a smirk. "Good luck with that strange bird, buster."

As Martia measures him in every way and place, mapping out suit adjustments and fasteners to fit around his back-mounted wings, his mind races at the possibilities.

After very few words, she hands the black crow a bag filled with a tux worth more than the working avian's monthly salary and sighs in relief to have him out of her store.

After the fitting, he makes a quick stop in his meager room for a quick bird bath and a careful adjustment of his shining onyx feathers, slipping into the tuxedo and heading down to make his mark.

Upon Solitaire's return, Alexia gasps in disbelief. If it hadn't have been for the rarity of seeing crows in such an upscale hotel, she might have not even recognized him. She opens her beak in an approving smile. "I was starting to wonder if I was going to be stood up, Solitaire. You look so good now that you're out of those dreadful clothes," she exclaimed in what might be the closest thing to a true compliment as the avian has given in quite a while.

If there's anything to be said about the colorless, featureless, plain black coloration of Solitaire's lineage, it's how sleek and polished a well-presented member of it can look when properly motivated.

His feathers preened, beak shined, bare skin on hands and feet scrubbed, and carrying himself with an air of dignity instead of boredom, dressed in a jet black tuxedo, white shirt and red sashes (one at the belt, one at the collar as a kerchief, to get around his wing build) like a beacon, drawing more attention against the field of mysterious darkness.

Adopting a posh posture, he takes Alexia's hand and presses his beak tip to it in an avian closed-mouthed kiss. "My lady."

In the brighter light of the hallway, it looked like the elegant Phoenix's tail feathers were licked with a fantastic, magical flame. She smiled genuinely as the strikingly handsome bird kissed her.

"Before we go in, you'll need this." She gave Solitaire a thin red leather collar. The color matched the crow's sashes perfectly, as if the boutique clerk had this additional accessory in mind. Alexia's soothing female voice was all it took to soothe the male's shock of apprehension. "Don't worry, it's part of the event, everyone will be wearing one."

Little did the spellbound male know that this wasn't exactly true. Not all the event guests would be wearing collars, only the guests under her employ. The ones on display. The crow also did not know that the fundraiser was just a thinly disguised marketing event for Alexia's Organization.

She held her arm out, expecting the polite male to know to take it in his. "Fantastic. Just the perfect touch. Let's make our entrance, my handsome companion."