“Must be nice to be the boss,” Sandy joked when I told him I was taking two weeks off.
“Heck yeah,” I said. “It’s good to be the queen.”
“Well, don’t let the grizzlies eat you. What am I even saying? You’d probably knock out any grizzly that looked at you cross-eyed,” Sandy said.
I laughed, saying, “Nah, I don’t get riled up that easy. He’d have to do something serious to piss me off that much.”
“That’s good to know,” Sandy replied with a smile.
For our luggage, Emmy and Angela had gotten us three waterproof duffel bags as well as some day packs. With the understanding that we’d be hiking most days, in addition to wandering around Seattle as well as Sitka, Juneau, and Ketchikan, daypacks made a lot of sense.
When I saw what they’d bought, I asked, “Why four backpacks?”
“One is for Mia, of course,” Emmy replied, surprised I would even ask.
“Of course,” I said. “Of course it is. Babe, I want you to do me a favor and don’t make her walk too much. I’ve never heard her complain, but it can’t be easy for her to keep up all day long.”
“Do not worry,” Emmy assured me. “Angela and I will make allowances. I have discussed it with her before, and she says that a normal day of walking, even in New York where walking is expected, is fine. She only gets really sore if she has to stand in one place for a very long time.”
“Alright, but please do try to break things up. I mean, like, do some shopping, then sit down for a long lunch. That sort of thing,” I suggested.
“We can do that,” Angela said, her smile bright.
“Thanks- I appreciate it,” I said.
Mia met us at the airport in Seattle a couple of days later when we arrived. She’d already picked up the car I’d rented for her, a Range Rover Sport. It was a nice enough car and had decent room for all four of us with our luggage while not being too big to park easily.
“I like this rig,” she said as we loaded our stuff in the car. “I don’t get to drive in New York hardly at all. If I need to drive anywhere, Wally gives me a lift. ‘Course, I wouldn't want to actually drive in Manhattan, anyway… It’s only when I get outta town, y’know? Wally makes me take the X5, which is an awesome car, don’t get me wrong, but this one is just a lot more plush.”
“How often do you get out of New York?” Emmy asked as we piled into the Range Rover.
“Honestly? Not often enough,” Mia said. “I think twice in the last six months. I went to the P-Town Pride Festival this year. I thought it was pretty fu- danged wild, but they told me it’s nothing like it used to be, back in the day.”
“P-Town?” Angela asked.
“Provincetown, Mass,” Mia answered, distracted by the automatic toll gate at the parking garage’s exit. That dealt with, she said, “It’s out on Cape Cod, near Boston. It’s, like, the first real famous gay town on the East Coast.”
“What was the Pride Fest like?” I asked.
“Aw, Jeeze,” Mia said, pulling onto the freeway. “Like the biggest, gayest party you’ve ever seen in your life. Bears in leather right next to bois in the tightest pants you’ve ever seen, cheering on a drag queen singing ‘I will Survive’. It’s so damned wild, and the tail… I mean, the opportunities are endless,” Mia said, only sort of remembering she was talking to her bosses.
Honestly, I found her sort of enthusiastically crass attitude amusing, and I’m pretty sure Emmy did, too.
“Where do you guys want to go first?” Mia asked.
“It’s a bit late to do much, so maybe let’s check in to the hotel and relax tonight. We can maybe go out later,” I said.
“Sounds good.”
“It’s so dark outside,” Angela said, looking out the window.
“And wet,” I added.
“It rains a lot in Cartagena, and Miami, too, but it never gets this dark like this,” Angela said.
“This is just the start of the rainy season,” Mia said. “I was stationed at Lewis-McChord down by Tacoma, and those six months were the longest years of my life. The rain just gets to you after a while. At first it’s cute, y’know? But after a month goes by and you don’t see the sun even once…”
Mia pulled the car up in front of Seattle’s oldest grand hotel, and the doormen leapt forward to shield the car’s passengers with their large umbrellas. We quickly unloaded our luggage and Mia handed the key fob to the valet as porters loaded our stuff onto a trolley to take inside.
I checked us in and handed Mia her key card. “We’ll be O.K. tonight, but if you want to come to dinner with us, I’ll let you know when we’re headed out.”
“I had a bite while I was waiting for you guys- I’m on East Coast time and my stomach demanded dinner a couple of hours ago,” she said as we piled into the elevator. “But if you’re going out somewhere that has alcohol, I could be talked into it.”
“Around here it’s all wine and beer,” I said.
“Good enough,” Mia replied. “Just give me fifteen and I’ll be ready.”
“I think we will need longer than that,” Emmy said. “We should plan on meeting in one hour, and we will all go out together.”
“Roger that,” Mia said as the elevator stopped at her floor.
We proceeded to the top floor, and the porter led us to the corner suite. “Here you are, ladies,” he said as he ushered us inside. He pulled the drapes and said, “You’d have great views from here if the weather would cooperate. It’s supposed to be nice tomorrow, so you’ll get to see out all the way to the Olympic Peninsula.”
I thanked him and gave him a generous tip. My thinking on the matter is that a good tip ensures excellent service from then on, and realistically, that guy needs the money more than I do.
Angela had already hung up her jacket and flopped onto the bed. “This room is beautiful,” she said. “Can we just get room service and stay here tonight?”
“I want to go out,” Emmy said. “After dinner we can come back and take a nice, hot bath and relax. We have nothing to do tomorrow morning, so we can sleep in and be lazy.”
“That sounds great,” Angela said.
I sat down on the edge of the bed and ran my hand up Angela’s leg and gave her butt a squeeze. “The bath does sound good,” I admitted.
“It does,” Angela agreed. “But Emmy likes them so hot, it’s like lava.”
“Yeah, she does,” I chuckled.
The concierge recommended a wine bar and restaurant right across the street, which was certainly convenient. The evening had gotten quite blustery, so I turned down the offer of the umbrellas he held out. The four of us just pulled our hoods up and scurried across the street, not enjoying the wind and rain much at all.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
The restaurant was surrounded by two-story high windows on three sides, but the main feature was an iron staircase in the middle of the circular bar that spiraled up around a giant tower of wine. The tower was composed of racks and racks of wine bottles, displaying the various vintages the bar had to offer.
“Fancy!” Mia said as we were ushered to a table. When we sat down and the hostess left, Mia asked, “Does that happen a lot? Everybody staring like that? It was like in a Western movie and we just walked into the saloon.”
“It does not happen very often in Los Angeles or in New York,” Emmy said. “They are more accustomed to seeing celebrities there, and feign an aura of indifference.”
“Makes sense,” Mia said.
“That place we ate lunch a few days ago, they all wanted selfies with you,” Angela reminded Emmy.
“Yes, that is right- they did. But that does not happen very often,” Emmy said, looking through the wine list. “I do not know any of these wines,” Emmy said. “Perhaps we should simply ask for pairings with our dinner.”
When the waitress came to take our drink order, Emmy told her that’s what we wanted. She seemed a little bit taken aback, but she rolled with it.
“This is living,” Mia moaned, taking a bite of her duck confit. “And the wine! I mean, I’m not any sort of wine drinker, even though Luisa has been trying to teach me, but this, um, what was it? It’s fu- um, absolutely perfect!”
“I think that was the Willamette Pinot,” Emmy said. “Do you like it?”
“It’s da bomb,” Mia confirmed. “I want to take some of this back home with me.”
“I am certain we can buy a bottle or two for you,” Emmy said, gesturing at the wine tower. “They seem to be well supplied.”
“Yeah they do,” Mia agreed.
That night we did take a very hot bath, even though it was extremely crowded with the three of us. The tub was big and all, but big enough for two is small for three. As fun as it was, eventually I just had to get out. The other two followed me into the shower and we had fun soapy time in there, so that was O.K. with me. We continued with our fun times in the bedroom of the suite, working to burn off all those calories from dinner.
Afterwards, relaxing in the afterglow, Angela asked me what my plan was for the next day. “Will you go shopping with us? You need to buy clothes for Alaska, too.”
“I do,” I agreed. “But first thing in the morning I need to meet with Samuel to go over some things, but I should be done by lunch time, if you guys can wait.”
“That would be perfect,” Emmy said, snuggling up closer. “That way Angela and I can sleep in.”
“That sounds good,” Angela murmured from my other side. “And we will call for room service breakfast.”
I got up early, leaving Angela and Emmy sound asleep in that comfy hotel bed. I had a quick workout in the hotel’s surprisingly good gym, then snuck back into the room to shower and get dressed for the day.
My two beautiful wives were still snoozing when I slipped out the door for the meeting with Samuel and the four new Night Children. My driver dropped me off at the front of a local breakfast diner, sort of a ‘hippie panhandler chic’ kind of place on South Rainier Avenue.
Samuel and the four newbies were already there and waiting, several of them with coffees, but none with food in front of them.
I simply sat down at the table, asking Samuel, “Is this everybody?”
The four new Night Children were makeup free, but still very clearly uncomfortable. Their postures were hunched over, and one had a baseball cap with his hoodie’s hood pulled over it, trying to hide as best he could.
“Yes, my queen,” Samuel said. He quickly introduced the four of them, saying, “Your rules have been made clear, and they wish for your shadow.”
Just about this time the tattooed and pierced waiter came by to ask if we were ready to order. I glanced at the menu and said that I’d like the Denver omelette. Samuel ordered the huevos rancheros, but the other four looked uncomfortable.
“Order anything you want,” I said. “If you’re really hungry, order two breakfasts.”
All four requested either what I was having or what Samuel had ordered, which got me thinking.
“First off, let me explain a few things,” I said. “If I give you my shadow, you will have to follow my rules. Is this perfectly clear?” When they all nodded and mumbled that it was, I said, “My first rule. Do not hide who you are. Darrin, pull your hood down and take off your hat. Be proud of our heritage, not ashamed of it. Our culture is the oldest on Earth. Our history goes back thousands of years- what other people can say that?” I asked, leaning into the rumor that I was a Night Child myself.
Darrin did as I demanded, removing his hat and hood.
“O.K., now, sit up straight, and when the waiter comes back, thank him and look him in the eye. You are no longer hiding. You are free to be who you really are. Look at Samuel here,” I said, indicating the local liaison. “He has shown himself for several years now. He has a good job, and a home of his own. He works and lives among the day walkers, and has had no problems.”
Samuel sat up straight and looked around the table. “Four years ago, I was sitting where you are now. A group of our people had come to Seattle and put up signs, and I met with them. They were tall, and proud, and so very confident. They wore the blessing of the night openly, as I do now. They had cars, and nice clothes, and they told me that if I accepted Queen Leah and Queen Emmy’s shadows, my life would be immeasurably better. They promised me a good place to live, and good work, if I followed their simple rules. The very first rule- no hiding.”
“That’s right,” I said. “I will give you a good, safe place to live. I will also get you a decent job, one that pays you well enough to get by and if you work diligently, you can get ahead. You can have the things that day walkers take for granted. I will also get you medical care, and any education that you want. Am I right in assuming that the four of you can’t read very well?”
They looked at each other, and when the first one nodded, the rest did, too.
“That’s something we’ll get sorted out, too,” I said. “It’s a crucial skill in the day walker society, and one you’ll need to master if you want to succeed, and that’s exactly what I want for you.”
The waiter came by with the food, so we paused for a moment. As I’d instructed, each of the four thanked the waiter and at least glanced in the direction of his face.
“Excellent,” I said when the patchouli-smelling hippie went back to the kitchen. “Remember- as Night Children, we are an ancient people. We have been hiding in the shadows for too long. It is time for us to show pride in ourselves and to stand up straight and strong.”
“It’s easy for you,” one of the guys said. “You look like a day walker.”
“You’re not wrong,” I agreed. “But that doesn’t mean that I care any less about our people. I want us- all of us- to be recognized and accepted for who we are, and not feared or hated. The only way this will happen is if we make it happen, and the way to do that is to do as Samuel here has done. He goes to work, he shops for food and clothing, he eats at restaurants, all of it, every moment of every day, showing his true face to the world.”
“For years now,” Samuel agreed.
“It’s tough for all of us at first,” I said. “You four are feeling it right now. You expect some day walker to see your skin blessed by the night and to yell, in anger or fear, but has it happened? No. The waiter here, and the others sitting around us, they’ve been looking, but out of curiosity, not hatred. They’ve never seen any Night Children before, but after today, that’s no longer true. The next time they see a Night Child they’ll remember back and think of the time they had breakfast and there was a table full of us, and that’s it. If, by some chance, you happen to run into one of these people here at your new job, for example, they’ll think ‘Wow- there sure are a lot of those guys with the really dark coloring’ and that’s it.”
Looking around the table, I asked, “Do you have any questions?”
Robbie and Joseph, who were clearly a couple, looked at each other. Working up her courage, Robbie asked me, “What do we have to do?”
“Rule one: show your face. No makeup, no hoods pulled tight. Be active during the day, not at night. Queen Emmy and I absolutely require you to show yourself to the world. Be proud of your heritage. Rule two,” I said, holding up a second finger. “Live as day walkers do. I’ll provide you with apartments, but it’s up to you to keep them clean and nice. I want you to live lives of comfort, and not have to worry about safety and security. If I suspect that you are letting your living conditions go bad…”
Holding up a third finger I said, “Rule three. I’ll get you jobs, and you will do the assigned work. These will be jobs that you’re able to do, and they’ll be jobs with dignity, but they will absolutely be jobs where you’ll have to interact with a lot of people. You will do the work as best you can. If you find you are ill-suited to the job I find for you, let Samuel here know and we can try to get you something else, but You. Will. Do. The. Work.” I said, emphasizing every word.
“In return, what you will do for me, are these things. You will act as an ambassador of our people. You will be polite, friendly, and hard-working. The reason for this should be obvious- I want every day walker you ever meet to come away thinking good things about us. Is that clear?” I asked. “Darrin, do you understand my whole point here?” When he agreed that he did, I turned to Kay, then Robbie, and last of all to Joseph. They all agreed that they understood.
“Alright, then. We will meet here again tomorrow for breakfast, same time as today. You have overnight to think about it. If you still want my shadow, tell me tomorrow. If you don’t, well, that’s your right. I’ll still buy you breakfast and wish you a good, happy life, and we’ll part ways.”
I signaled for the check, and gave the waiter a generous tip on top of the bill. Standing up, I said, “It was good to meet the four of you, and I hope you’ll choose my way. Even if you don’t, though, don’t hide any longer. We need to come out of the shadows. Samuel, if you’ll please come with me.”
Samuel followed me out of the restaurant and into the car I had waiting. I told the driver to take us to an address in a neighborhood east of downtown.
Samuel admired the interior of the Mercedes, but focused when I asked him about the newbies.
“I think they will do as you ask,” he said. “They each approached one of our people and asked about them showing their faces, and when they were told to contact me, I explained everything, so they knew what you were going to require.”
“Good,” I said, nodding. “Their living conditions now?”
“I don’t know about Robbie and Joseph, but I think they have something. I think Joseph has a job as a janitor. He mentioned cleaning offices at night. Kay, I don’t know, but I don’t believe that Darrin has anything secure. I think he’s probably squatting in a warehouse or something.”
“Had you told them to clean up for this meeting?”
“I told them to show their faces,” Samuel said.
“Well, none of them stank or looked like homeless people, so at least we know they care about themselves as far as that goes,” I said.
“Yes,” Samuel agreed.