The Lead Crown: Ch 1c, Steam Punked
Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 1, Steam Punked
Alarice loved formal wear. While the average city-goer often assumed that all high-class clothing had to be stiff, restrictive, and overly-complicated, she had learned differently. Since spending time brushing elbows with the nobility and financial elite, the woman had received more than ample opportunity to experience a wide variety of clothing styles, trends, and fads. To any among the upper crust she would probably come across as a quaint, backwater imitator of moderate means, and she didn't mind fostering the impression of a hanger-on... her clients knew her far, far better than that.
The woman had over a decade of experience in fitting in without completely fitting in and it was a talent she was proud to have developed. The ultimate balance for any woman was finding a way to present herself as one thing while convincing the men around her that it was all for show; any woman who gave herself wholly to any one impression was asking for trouble-- prostitute to priestess, women were expected to have many facets for many reasons... and a business woman was no exception.
Alarice, for example, took great lengths to keep her pale complexion just shy of palid; it was a popular look among the nobility. On the other hand, unlike most of the plump, well-to-do women of Newport, the human's often-physical job meant that she was lithe, but not quite to the level of the skin-and-bones type that someone might find among the lower-class. No... she was a combination of many things but presented no clear-cut answer for anyone seeking to understand her... and she liked it that way.
Despite having spent nearly twenty minutes in front of a mirror that morning, Alarice continued to check the sash she wore across her frilled blouse. Having decided to opt for form rather than flattery, the human had broken from her common practice of a court dress and chose instead a blouse and open-bottom britches normally reserved for the few female aides the University kept around to "upkeep the impression of progressive thought".
It was all a scholarly sham, of course-- as much for the University as for herself. Alarice couldn't recall the last time she saw more than two or three women working on a University project unless it had something to do with Water studies. Regardless, it provided her with a way to present herself that wouldn't be questioned... not at one of the UPU's great unveilings. She smiled to herself, readjusting the sash that worked as a convenient place to hide her pistol; despite the reservations of many of her team, she was excited about the new toy the scholars had to show off.
"Nngh." the muted sound of frustration from behind her was anticipated; when it came to public events involving the perfect presentation, her number one man was predictable.
"Problems, Inny?" she inquired casually, slowing her already relaxed stroll through the crowd. She stepped into a space on the pavement free from onlookers and turned to regard the bat. Inigo had been working with her for over a half dozen years and she liked to think she knew him better than anyone else; not only was it a talent of hers to understand others, but she was one of the few people with whom he seemed to be completely honest.
The bat pulled at the lacy cravat around his neck, "Stupid thing came loose again." Inigo was dressed in a plain pair of slacks secured around his waist by a fine leather belt. Rather than the usual long-sleeve tunics she found suitable for him, she had relented in allowing him to wear a light, breathable shirt topped with a fine silk vest closed by a rose gold chain. It was, of course, finished off in suitable flare with the lacy cravat. As usual, he despised anything around his neck.
"Stop playing with it." she announced, moving closer to him to bat his black-furred paws away from the cloth; despite Inigo's capacity for a light touch he truly was inept when it came to clothes... one of the many reasons she loved tormenting him with high society fashion. She smiled away her innocent sadistic streak and deftly reset her body guard's dapper appearance, "Now are you going to behave?" she asked with a compulsory smile, touching the small red splotch of fur on his chin.
"Yea..." he spoke, then lowered his voice and added under his breath, "But I might play with it later..." he winked suggestively, "...if you want me to."
"We'll see." she mused, moving her finger up to his nose to ease his glasses into a better position atop the bridge of his snout, and she pushed him back a step away from her. Alarice grinned at the way he moved and composed himself to hide the subtle clues his body presented suggesting that he was looking forward to an answer. With that, she returned to moving through the crowd, eyes scanning for her contact, the bat in hot pursuit.
Alarice had no compunctions about bringing Inigo with her; out of the three members of her inner-circle he was one of the best when it came to presenting himself in a way she deemed appropriate... as long as he kept his low-brow interaction with the nobles to a minimum. Faula, her lupine lieutenant was an excellent warrior and always acted appropriately... but she was far too one dimensional-- she couldn't support the human's show of depth.
Geoffrey was probably the best shot out of her team and he was observant in ways that sometimes left her wondering if he practiced some kind of witchcraft, but he wasn't able to present himself in a social manner with any real amount of grace. No... for this task it was Inigo; he was perfect. She sighed when she heard the sound of the bat's paw give a well-dressed woman's rump a firm slap-- almost perfect, she corrected herself. "Behave." she stated flatly, "You don't want her husband getting jealous."
"No problem." Inigo confirmed, then followed up with another swat to the butt of the man next to her. Alarice frowned and grabbed hold of the bat's ear. She spouted a quick apology to the couple, who stared after them, very confused.
It took nearly another twenty minutes of wandering until Alarice and her body guard were in a position where they could get a clear view of the scaffolding that blocked the growing crowd's view of the University's newest accomplishment. She began scanning around for familiar faces or, more appropriately, her contact. She saw Inigo doing the same out of the corner of her eye, and wasn't surprised when he spoke up, "Wow... lots of mixed-breeds around here." the bat pointed out casually.
"The University is one of the few places that doesn't usually look down on them." she responded, pulling out a small set of metal binoculars from her bodice. With all the practiced, refined grace of a noblewoman at the opera, she raised them to her eyes and glanced around at the numerous technicians and scholars milling about at the scaffold; Alarice counted no less than a dozen men who were obviously of mixed heritage.
She focused in on one of the subtler half-breeds, a husky that had some obvious hints of a shepherd in his lineage. The man was speaking with a human scholar who appeared to be lounging around staring off into the distance rather than working. "There." she spoke without bothering to point, "Second story, three posts from the right corner."
Inigo went to work immediately, ears perked. "well... can I at least take a look at the cauldron?" the bat spoke the words a second behind Alarice watching the dog's muzzle move.
"No." Inigo parroted the human's response, not that she needed him to based on the simplified answer, and he continued speaking on the scholar's behalf, "You're weren't assigned to the Albatross."
The dog's ears drooped, dual-colored eyes glancing down at his feet, "I could have! There's chemical components and they said Fire Scholars would have a place on the project!" Inny spoke for him, despite the objection was almost loud enough for Alarice to hear without his help.
"Quiet. Now." the human responded, Inigo doing a very good job of imitating the irritated tone that must have come from him, "After that 'little accident' in the west wing you're lucky they didn't throw you out. I've seen other apprentices black-listed for less."
She watched as the husky-shepherd sighed, "Professor Milhoy said the prototype-- he was interrupted." the bat had started repeating the dialogue before noting that a third person joined the conversation.
"What's he saying?" Alarice questioned, her eyes going to the newcomer, a human wearing the university colors... most likely a guard. He was a handsome sort, well kept, and, of course, in uniform. She didn't know why, but she always managed to appreciate a man in uniform... usually because they were chasing her; Alarice liked living dangerously. A smile crept across her face as she mused.
"Apparently the dog isn't supposed to be there." Inigo summarized, "'Stop bothering the talent.', he said." and the bat smirked.
"You can get the specs after the presentation, Alvis." the bat added, repeating the human scholar's words for her benefit.
"I think I would like a copy as well." Alarice added casually.
"We need to get you in place for the presentation, Joshew." Inigo continued speaking on behalf of the guard. She watched as the two humans linked arms; everything suddenly made sense, and she smiled to herself as she considered the implications of a blind scholar.
"Eric?" the bat noted, speaking for the schoar.
"Yea?" Inigo spoke for the guard as well.
"We're being watched." the bat paused for a moment after relaying the scholar's words, then glanced toward Alarice, "Do you think--" his words cut short when they both saw the blind man point dangerously accurate in their direction. As one, they each ducked behind cover.
"Time to relocate." she announced.
"Roof?" the bat inquired, obviously of the same mindset. He motioned with his head toward a large metal trash bin and a fire escape ladder.
"Roof." she agreed.
It took almost ten minutes for them to relocate but, once they had, Alarice pulled out her binoculars once more. This time, both she and the bat opted for a slightly more inconspicuous pose, and both remained under cover as she scanned the crowd. "They didn't pursue." Inigo stated, "Second story, far left." he added.
Alarice scanned to where the bat had indicated, and saw the blind scholar and the guard talking; the husky-shepherd had rejoined them. "Well, that's certainly of benefit to us." she acknowledged, "Back on task, Inny... we need to--" but she paused as the guard turned to regard a newcomer to the scaffold: a rather large wolf.
The wolf, or, more accurately, another mixed breed... most likely a wolf-dog, stalked his way up the ramp and onto the second level of the scaffold, "Joshew." Inigo spoke for him, then added his own thoughts "Wow... that sounded friendly."
"Roland Silverfang." the bat responded for the human scholar, "Wow... I didn't know humans could growl."
"Less commentary, more speaking." Alarice noted flatly, realizing she was missing pieces of the conversation.
"--just keep running into you, don't I?" Inigo noted on behalf of the wolf.
"A shame you don't watch where I'm going, hmm?" Alarice could imagine the dryness with which the scholar must have spoken the words.
The guard stepped between the two men. Alarice could see that he was talking, but Inigo wasn't saying anything. She glanced at the bat, who shrugged apologetically, "We're further away, and he lowered his voice."
Sighing, the woman raised her binoculars again and practiced a talent she hadn't used in awhile. Although she was never an expert at lip reading, Alarice had mastered enough of the basics to get a general understanding of conversations from a distance. She had come to rely on Inigo's excellent hearing as it was far more accurate than the educated guess her observations usually gave. Regardless, she felt that she had a relatively good grasp of the exchange.
The best she could gather was that the wolf-dog Roland and the human Joshew were not exactly the best of friends. The guard, Eric, knew this, and was working to maintain the peace. Unfortunately, Eric's lower tone encouraged the other two men to lower their voices as well, "Damn maintaining of appearances." Alarice murmured to herself, knowing very well that the University didn't like having outsiders see scholars argue... and, she mused, she almost thought that it could have come to blows.
She sighed as both men turned away from her, and she shot a glance toward her body guard. Inigo's ears were focused intently on the three men, as were his eyes. His entire body was strained to gather any snippet of conversation that he could. Of all of her team he was probably the most willing to do whatever she asked... the most devoted to her cause... the most eager to please her. She smiled... but just for a moment, until the expression slid from her face.
Her eyes had found their way to one of the many scars that traversed the bat's body; a small portion of it was just visible beneath the cuff of his shirt where it had pulled back from his wrist. It was an obvious reminder to Alarice that he had sacrificed his wings for her; she had told him that he needed them removed and, without a second's hesitation, he said okay... and then proceeded to suffer through the two hour process of having them taken off. She wondered for what must have been the thousandth time if--
"Sabotage?" the bat paused, then glanced her way, "That mutt-- Roland... he said that he thinks someone's trying to sabotage the prototype!"
Clearing her mind of her prior thoughts, Alarice sat back. It took her only a handful of seconds to confirm her next course of action, "Go get the others."
"What about you?" he asked with a hint of concern, slowly sitting back as well.
A smile spread its way across her face, "First... I'm going to go find out where our contact has gone off to."
"And then?" Inigo questioned, ears rotating toward her, concern and doubt clearly etched into his expression.
"And then the three of you are going to show up and get me out of trouble." she winked.
The bat sighed, the signs of displeasure obvious in his expression, but he didn't object. Alarice hadn't expected him to, and, as usual, she was glad to see that she was right. Letting out a deep breath, the woman loosened her sash and pulled her pistol free. She was about to do something incredibly stupid but, she reminded herself, in a worst case scenario she'd get to enjoy being chased by that handsome guard.