Aya caught up with her friend and her nemesis on the elevator. Taylor relaxed against the elevator’s yellow and green pinstriped walls. “You talking to yourself again, Miss Aquan? My father always told me, never lock lips with crazy.”
“Great. I guess that means I’ll never have to kiss you!” Aya responded, backing Taylor further up against the wall.
“Remember what we told you, Mr. Lunsford,” Flora responded, “If you misbehave, no more penthouse. Maybe you should stop with the banter.”
“Geez, banter is the oil that keeps this machine churning and turning,” Taylor complained while moving his arms in a chugging motion. “But I’ll heed your words, just thinking about what you did to me last night makes you scarier than Miss Aquan.”
Flora giggled, “I’m glad I made striking impression on you, Mr. Lunsford.”
“Yeah, you struck me alright. Press the button for the 70th floor if you wish to see the madam.”
All three occupants of the elevator mentally prepared themselves for audience with the madame. They stood in silence, each thinking about their next move. Aya realized she had to play on both the offensive and the defensive- asking the madame for assistance, while at the same time, not revealing much about her planetoid. Flora, although wary from what her friend said, had a much less negative opinion toward the madame. The madame was a woman who took a subservient role until, much like Flora, an opportunity arose where she could be so much more. Flora hoped that she could in addition to helping the planet, seek some advice from the madame herself about what path she should venture down herself. She desperately hoped Aya wouldn’t mind if she asked. Taylor stood by with a calm look on his face that masked his agitation and anxiety. He meditated softly, knowing full well that a chance may arise where he could turn things in his favor.
With a “Now arriving at the 70th floor” the elevator’s doors slid apart and ushered everyone into a marble hallway. The marble floor swirled in blacks and whites. Between pillars that lined the hallway hung portraits of carefully labeled members of the Sutherland family each with their own eccentric facial hair. The heat was at a much higher level, causing Aya and Flora to both shed their clothes revealing their signature outfits, much to Taylor’s dismay. But he resolved not to question his female captors or face their wrath. “Wowee,” Flora said, her twirling sundress now free from her heavy coat. “This is fancier than my own manor.”
“No offense, sunflower but the madame’s illustrious headquarters makes Du Bois manor look like a fast food barn.”
“Normally, I’d resent that but this place is so cool,” Flora said, flitting from portrait to portrait.
“Remember why we’re here Flor,” Aya said stolid and solemn, “You can marvel at paintings in your parent’s mansion, not here.”
“Right,” Flora nodded with a smile. “I’m ready.”
The three headed to a large door made of pure brass. Flora heaved at one of the handles, and only when her Aquan friend pulled with her in tandem did they manage to open it. The three made their way inside before the heavy door closed on them. They were greeted with a polished dark wood table that stretched horizontally across a cream colored carpeted floor. At the table were men. They were mostly bearded with grey hair and grey suits. The way their facial hair curled and twirled looked a lot like the Sutherland portraits except they were three dimensional. Each one of them commanded a judgmental veneer; and gazed at the outsiders, not with disdain, but rather like they were fish out of water. They muttered about Aya’s ears and her exposed midriff. They were the things that stuck out to them the most, but they also said things about Flora’s large sunhat and sundress. Both women didn’t stop to argue; they were more focused on taking things up with the madame rather than her henchmen.
As they went further down the table, they saw a rotating chair with its back turned, patterned with yellow and green neon thunderbolts. Aya couldn’t wait any longer and snapped, “Caruso, we are here to talk with you about urgent matters.”
As Aya power walked, she noticed a man younger than the grey beards. He wasn’t that much younger, seeming to be in his forties, but his full head of brown hair was closely cropped and his face was smooth. His eyes were a lot softer than the other men, and his suit was a less elderly pinstriped black. He held his hands together. “You’re looking for Miss Caruso?” he asked with his hands together. “She’s my pride and joy. She’ll be here any moment.”
“Who are you? Her new husband?” Aya demanded, with an abrasiveness.
The man was about to speak when he heard the creak of the brass door, and he stood up with his hands happily pressed together. “There she is!”
Aya, Taylor and Flora watched as the figure who opened the door got closer and closer. They soon realized their expectations had been subverted. A girl around the age of 18 or 19 powerwalked towards them, with a drive far older than she was. Her hair was white blond much like Maxine Caruso’s but her long hair was bundled into two buns like balls of white lighting. Her outfit was a dark sweater with a high heeled lightning bolt insignia and a yellow and brown plaid skirt. Her legs and face were pasty and white much like Maxine Caruso herself. She was followed by a tall, lanky woman with an intense glare. Her hair was cut into a dark bowel shaped bob, and her eyes were a bright orange. They burned in contrast with her pale stolid demeanor. She wore a uniform and an officer’s hat; it was yellow and black just like the guards Aya saw earlier. There was something shadowy about this woman, something that lead Aya to believe she wasn’t merely a body guard.
Slung over her shoulders was a school bag, which the girl aggressively hurled at the forty year old man, who caught it in his arms, pushing back his revolving chair in the process. She let out an agitated breath of air after looking Aya over and condemned her with a sharp tongue. “I’m gone for 8 hours and you goons hire some dancer to entertain yourselves? This is a new low even for you,” she said, glaring while chewing some neon colored gum.
“Is that how you introduce yourself, you little brat?” Aya spat in return. “Who even are you?”
The girl sneered at her in response, turning up her perky nose. “You’re some random, underdressed elf lady who barged into my meeting room. You deserve no introduction from me.”
The forty year old man who rebounded after catching the girl’s stray bag stood up and whispered to her, “Princess, they’re with Mr. Lunsford—Taylor.”
The girl’s mouth hung open with only an audible squeak escaping from it. Her face grew pale, with the exception of a not so subtle makeup job shading her lips and cheeks bright red, as she noticed Taylor standing between Flora and Aya. Shedding some of her own decorum, she dashed to him and hugged him. He recoiled and cringed with a smile. The girl much shorter than him pushed her face into his clothes. “You’re back, Taylor sweetheart. I missed you soooooo much.”
Taylor lifted his hands above her. His voice was flustered at first but slowly slid into cool calmness. “I thought you said you were going to get another boy-toy, Priscilla.”
Priscilla gasped and her voice whined and bawled like a teenager would. “No. Never. I’d never give you up. I was just mad. Mad you had to leave me. You didn’t even say why.”
“Just a little soul searching, I guess,” Taylor responded.
Priscilla’s hands, adorned with long colorful nails dug into Taylor’s coat. “You’re not happy here?”
“After the madam died. I had to leave for a bit.”
“What?! Madam Caruso’s dead?” Aya and Flora both exclaimed.
Priscilla’s hands loosened on Taylor’s coat and turned around with a sad expression, one that belonged to a sad, lonely and lost child.
Taylor bent his head and looked reflective for a split second as he spoke. Everyone else did too. “Rest her soul,” he said.
“What happened to her?” Flora asked.
“Rich folks,” Taylor said solemnly. “They sometimes have everything they need financially, but there’s still a gaping hole in their soul. That was the case for the madame; and one day, she just ended it all.”
Looks of sympathy shaded over both Aya and Flora. Both were capable of feeling sorrow for troubled people. Even though they knew full well who Madame Caruso was, they could tell her problems might have justified the means to end them. Aya in particular, began to realize that maybe there was guilt in what Caruso did. She didn’t know enough about the madame; but she knew, if she was in the same position as the Madam, all of the guilt would sink into her like a pin cushion.
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“Miss Caruso,” Aya interjected. “I know this is a bad time but we seriously need your help.”
“I wished you’d go away,” Priscilla snapped through green crystalline eyes of sadness. “I don’t have times for the problems of some rude elf lady.”
“Please excuse my daughter,” the man in his forties said. “She’s not over what my wife did. None of us are.”
“You don’t have to take it out on me,” said Aya crossing her arms.
Flora walked over to Priscilla, and said with her sweet-as-nectar voice, “I’m really sorry to hear about that. People often forget that the rich have the same anxieties as everyone else.”
Priscilla looked Flora over, her bright sundress and hat taking her by surprise. “Who are you?”
“I’m Flora Du Bois. I’m an aristocrat myself”—she pointed her eyes towards the atmosphere—“I’m nowhere as high up as you, but I belong to the richest family on my planetoid.”
“Are you?” Priscilla’s eyes grew increasing wide and cat-like as her voice grew softer and friendlier. “I’ve never seen anything like your outfit. It’s so fashion backwards it loops around to fashion forward.”
Flora gave a twirl. “Wow, thanks. I’m surprised someone like you would like it. I made it with myself.”
“Did you?” Priscilla exclaimed. “Can you make one for me? All my fashion designers are so blasé. They only know the fashion from our planet.”
“Sure I…” Flora smiled and raised her hand, but was quickly pulled aside by Aya.
Aya put her hands on her frazzled friend’s shoulders. She bent in very close to her head with a dark look. “You’re obviously having more look with this brat than I am, Flora. Why don’t you convince her to help us? Maybe barter your design skills for her help?”
“I…I..guess I can do that. Yeah, I’ll save everyone. I can do it,” said Flora nodding frantically.
Aya smiled to her friend. “Great. I know you can do it. You’re capable of so much, Flor.”
Flora smiled in return. She was overjoyed her best friend had confidence in her once again. She turned around with a sunny smile on her face. “Hey Priscilla, do you want me to make your very own sundress? I could even teach you how to make one yourself.”
Priscilla held her hand to her mouth and gave a chortle. “Oh, Flora, you are so funny. I’m the future administrator of this company. I have no room in my skillset for anything else. But if you’d like to be my own fashion designer, you are free to. In fact, I insist.”
“Of course, I just have something really important to ask you.”
“Go ahead, Flora. I like you,” Priscilla said, her laughing mouth returning to a small smirk.
“My planetoid is in deep trouble and it really needs assistance from someone with spaceships, can you help us?”
The men at the tables all began to rattle amongst themselves. “And waste our resources like that? Lady Caruso, we are not a non-profit corporate entity.”
“Shut up, ya goons,” Priscilla responded with her hands on her hips. “Flora has shown that they aren’t just simpletons. After all, she has shown there are some cultured people on this planet, ‘cept for this elf lady, of course. If you wish to take up a discussion about this, I’ll gladly do it.”
The bearded grey-haired man who spoke bowed his head in submission. “Of course, Lady Caruso.”
“Oh thank you,” Flora said, holding her hands together with a gracious smile.
“No prob, Flora,” Priscilla responded, her eyes narrowed and her finger pointed in Aya’s direction. “Just please, Gin, get this ugly eyesore out of my conference room.”
The pale officer who had stood silently watching the discussion proceeded over to Aya. Aya turned around. “Hey, what do you mean I can’t be in here. I…”
Aya saw the burning orange gaze of the woman and felt her body seize up. She saw Gin hold onto a small weapon protruding out of a sheath on her knee. Then she heard a dire sound that would effect her for the rest of her life. At first, she thought it was a mere ringing in her head, an unforeseen headache. But the quietly mounting din came from behind. Many noises were happening at once but they were obscured. Some sounded like instruments playing atonal and displeasing melodies and other were just senseless clatter. Aya felt her limbs jerk forward on their own in disorder to the noise. She wanted to speak but her jaw was closed like it had been wired shut. She could still think freely and realized there was a dark force surrounding this woman and she was not to be trifled with. She heard Taylor behind her. “I’m not for conferences myself, I think I’ll wait outside until you finish.”
“Ok, my sweet T,” the crushing girl responded in a sweeter voice. “If that’ll make you happy.”
Aya managed to make her mouth twitch open. “Where are you doing to me?”
The woman called Gin, responded calmly. Her voice was very deep, but in a very womanly way. “I’m moving you along, so you don’t anger the madame in waiting. Don’t worry you’re not in trouble.”
“But how are you moving me…” Aya stifled from her mouth before it was magically closed shut.
“It’s a part of who I am. You don’t need to worry about that either.”
Gin lifted the brass door at the end of the room with a single arm causing Taylor to let out a whistle. “Commandant, have you been working out lately?”
Commandant Gin turned her head, letting her jagged bob get in her eyes. She gave a small reserved smile that showed how quaint Taylor’s comment was to her. “Flattery will get you nowhere, Lunsford. Even if I do appreciate the non-sexual compliment of my body for once.”
Taylor winked at the Commandant. “I know your brand, Commandant. You may think I lack nuance, but the Strapping Space Aristocrat knows there’s more than one kind of woman in the universe.”
“There’s two kinds of men in it for me, Lunsford. And you’re relegated to category number two, useless, loudmouthed ruffians.”
“Touché.” Taylor gave a nervous laugh as they entered the marble hallway once more.
Gin looked at both Aya and Taylor. Gin stared into Aya’s eyes and loosened her grip on the sheathed weapon. Aya felt her body release itself from the unnatural and tensed state Gin had subjected her to.
“Sorry we had to meet like this,” Gin said to the confused Aquan and planted a hand on her shoulder. “Just stay put and I won’t have to take any further action.”
“Ok, I get it,” Aya said with a pout.
Aya was feeling a little violated but this just made her more curious about the Commandant’s powers. “What’s your name?” Gin asked with her orange eyes aglow.
“Aya. Aya Tintel.”
“As you’ve heard, my name is Commandant Gin. I’m the leader of the Yellow Jacket Police Force in the City Electric.”
The Commandant reached her hand out a short distance from her body. Aya picking up what she was suggesting reached and grabbed her hand and felt the firmest, tightest handshake of her life. Aya could feel her blood momentary cut off in the grip of the Commandant’s hand before she released it. “It’s a pleasure to meet…an Aquan.”
Gin turned around and walked back into the conference room. As soon as she was out of reach, Taylor shook his head. “Such a severe woman. But so severe it’s sexy.”
Aya ignored his leering. “An Aquan? How did she know I was an Aquan?”
“Maybe your little lost planet isn’t as lost as you think it is,” Taylor said in response. “There are other folks who have heard about it or been there. It wasn’t just me.”
“She was so confident about it though. It’s so mysterious,” Aya said, her mouth still agape.
“That’s the Commandant for you. Mystery on a pair of tall thin legs.”
Aya closed her eyes. There was no point talking to Taylor about something like this, instead her mind jumped to the second most fascinating topic to her. “So, Taylor. You and the madame’s daughter. Are you together?”
Taylor took a step back and held his hands up in defense. “You got mighty presumptuous rather quickly, Miss Aquan.”
“We’re not going anywhere, so just humor me,” Aya said with her fangs spread at the ends of her smile. “I may be an Aquan, but I like to hear about romance just as much as the next girl.”
“Romance?” Taylor’s adam apple shot back into his throat. “Geez, you’re really not going to cut me a break here.”
Aya’s ears perked up and her eyes shined. “Is it romance? I can tell that even a strong willed brat like her goes weak at the knees when she sees you.”
Taylor bit his lip and gave a sigh before telling it all. “A little thing you must know about the madame’s daughter. She doesn’t get out at all. She’s enlisted in the all-girls Electra academy like that Sasha bimbo and even then, she’s very secluded since she has a lesson plan specifically tailored for her.”
“And?” Aya asked. “What does this have to do with romance?”
“It doesn’t. I’m just a close family friend of the madame. And I’m the only handsome boy she ever sees.”
Taylor paused and clenched his fist. “I don’t want to shatter that fragile, little heart of hers.”
Aya’s eyes grew as she realized the complicated nature of Taylor’s relationship. “You humans are so strange. The etiquette of us Aquans is always telling people how we really feel no matter how much it hurts.”
Taylor let out a deep whine. “Come on, can’t you ease up on me?”
Aya closed her eyes and thought for a moment before opening them again. “I can because this is a very tender situation. A maiden’s heart is fragile even if the maiden is a bratty, little monster.”
“I’m glad you see it my way. On the plus side, this is why I have a penthouse and the latest model of space cruiser.”
Aya rolled her eyes with great intensity. “Just when I was about to feel sorry for you, you show you’re just as lecherous as before.”
“Touché,” Taylor said with a sheepish grin.
The two were silent after an indefinite period of time. They weren’t exactly friends, and Aya still hadn’t forgotten how Taylor had wounded her back on Flora’s planetoid. She had opened her heart to him with a desire to learn more about Tarabos, a planet he claimed to have ventured to, but instead he stabbed her.
Aquans didn’t only say what they felt, but they also never forgot when they were wronged. They were a very stubborn and proud race; and even though Aya had long been separated from it, Aquan blood still flowed through her entire being.
The brass door was pushed aside and Priscilla’s father stood in the doorway. “Aya and Taylor, I come bearing news for both of you. The meeting has concluded.”
Aya stood with anticipation on her face while Taylor maintained a relaxed face. “What is it?” Aya asked.
“Your friend Flora has agreed to become a personal fashion designer for my pride and joy. In exchange, we’re going to send out a small fleet soon in order to rescue your friends and relatives.”
“They’re not my relatives,” Aya said, “But I appreciate Priscilla’s decision.”
“Taylor,” Priscilla’s father said.
“That’s my name,” Taylor said with a grin.
“Miss Du Bois has let Priscilla know that you were set to be married her,” the man said, his normally friendly face now dark and harrowed. “The young madame doesn’t want to see you ever again. Please don’t show your face in Electra Towers again.”
“What?!” Taylor said, his grin still there but clearly it no longer belonged on his face.
“Also be prepared to turn in your apartment and spaceship by the end of the month. They no longer belong to you.”
Taylor’s hands dropped and now he stood with his mouth agape. Aya almost felt concerned because he didn’t speak afterwards. She was too happy that her best friend had succeeded in saving the humans on her planetoid to pry any further. All her people were going to be saved.