Katie left my side and moved to stand next to the pair, “Mr. Dalls, would you care to inform Nick of some of your skills and to introduce yourself?”
“Of course, Ms. Roderegious.” He locked eyes with me and spoke in a smooth baritone, using that universal accent that most people on the TV and media use. “I graduated from Salvos Academy with Primaries in Law and Communications, then worked for six years in the Admin department for ISL, the Interior Security League. Afterwards I signed on as an Attendant for Councilor Galdeiur, where I worked my way up to Senior Staffer over 12 years, before receiving a contract offer for Ms. Roderegious here as her Senior Butler. I ran her household for another two years before she asked if I would prefer this posting, which I am proud to have accepted, Sir.”
The man gave another short bow, his face remaining unchanged and tone aloof as he finished reciting his resume. I recognized the name-drop of Councilor Galdeiur, who ran the Security Guild that oversaw pretty much everything both military and police. Overall, I felt entirely unqualified to judge his accomplishments, and unsure what it all even really meant.
I nodded in reply, not really sure what to say. I settled on, “Very impressive,” attempting to sound dignified in my wrinkled jumpsuit.
Katie continued, “And you, Ms. Grauss?” she waved at the younger woman, who’s face had lost its friendly veneer, her mouth now a serious pressed-lip line.
“Yes Ma'am. I am Alianora Grauss. I received a scholarship to attend the Combat Academy in Yehsapoon for outstanding performance in my home District of Lowport. I graduated third in my class with honors in marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and a perfect diligence record. I served for two years as a Frontline Proxy operator during the Yucanta conflict, before retiring from combat duty and getting reassigned to the Service department at Fort Kazul where I worked my way up to Chef 3. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our great Nation in a more direct and meaningful way, Sir.”
She gave a curt nod, her eyes intense as she stared straight ahead, towards the back wall over my left shoulder.
“Retired after two years? There has to be something more there. I like them though! You should make them dance, I bet they have to dance if you tell them to.”
I ignored Max’s stupid comment, something I was starting to get used to, and glanced at Katie before looking back at the younger woman. “Uh, thank you as well, Alianora. I hope I do not disappoint.”
I looked back at Katie, unable to mask my discomfort. “Could I get the rest of the tour? I want to see the Link, and then get a few more hours of sleep.”
I hoped to speed this along, and to get away from these new people for a while so I could piece through all of the events of the last hour. I felt off balance, out of place, and overwhelmed by the nonstop barrage of change that had consumed my life over the last few days.
Katie smiled and nodded, gesturing to Dalls. “Of course, I will leave you in the capable hands of your staff. I’ve delayed my own obligations for long enough. I'll check back in with you tomorrow evening to see how you are settling in. Feel free to message me if you have any additional requests, and have a good rest of your night, Nick” She held her smile through her farewell, and turned and walked towards the exit without waiting for my reply.
I stared after her, caught off guard by her abrupt departure, and feeling awkward in the presence of the serious people suddenly assigned to me. I was starting to realize she made a habit of swift exits. I turned to the two new people and tried to smile, shrugging my shoulders.
“So, I guess, who wants to show me around?” I looked back and forth between them, unsure of who would be proper to ask.
They both nodded, and Dalls looked over to Alianora, who then spoke up. “Of course, Sir. I would be happy to show you the rest of the facilities.” She said as she stepped forward.
We left my new Seneschal, whatever that meant, in the kitchen and I followed the dark-haired girl as she hurried over to the hallway.
“It’s a super formal way of saying your household manager. The Oligarchs all have them, and lots of the Nobles, my guess is that it’s a play to stroke your ego, you're just too dumb to understand,” chimed in Max.
I rolled my eyes and followed the girl into the hallway. The ceiling in the main room might have been 20 feet tall, yet dropped down to a mere 12 feet for the wide hallway. To the right were three normal sized doors you might find in an average apartment, with only a single large and decoratively paneled door that I doubted I could reach the top of on the left. At the end of the hall was a steel double-door that reminded me of an elevator.
We stopped at the first door on the right, and Alianora opened it. The lights automatically turned on and I peeked inside to see a small room filled with mostly empty shelves and a small bank of lockers near the doorway.
She spoke with the energy of a soldier giving a report in the middle of combat. “This is the storage room and pantry, we will make sure it is stocked with items that match your request, Sir.”
She quickly pulled the door closed, slowing down at the last moment so as not to slam it shut, before spinning on her heel and continuing down the hall. The next door was also on the right, which she pulled open. Again, the lights automatically turned on, revealing a large and shining bathroom. Inside were two sinks, a massive glass shower stall, and a huge bathtub dotted with water jets half set into the floor.
Alianora spoke up again. “This is the main bathroom for guests and company. There is a separate private bath off the master bedroom, and we have our own facilities in the staff hall.”
My eyes widened and I leaned into the bathroom, looking it over with what must have registered as awe. “Wow, it’s almost as big as my old apartment.” I leaned back out and looked at her again, grinning. “Alright, what's next, Alianora?”
She bobbed her head and turned again, walking a few more steps and opening the lone tall door in the hall. “This is the master bedroom, I’ve been informed that you will have a chance to request a change of any furnishings you may dislike.”
The bedroom was even larger than the bathroom, half the size of the massive open plan room I had first entered. If I had to guess, each wall was close to 60 feet in length, and the ceiling opened back up to the full 20 foot height. It had plush light gray carpeting, and tan-colored panels covered most of the metallic walls, with off white decorative ceiling tiles molded with intricate designs.
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The tinted windows had some sort of screen over them that showed a view of a darkened and rainy forest, blocking the city lights outside, and the lighting came from a number of lamps that were placed around the room rather than overhead. The large room felt warm and inviting in contrast to the stark and hard surfaces of the open plan main room.
This time I actually walked through the doorway, stepping onto the plush carpet and looking around at the small amount of furnishings. There was a massive square bed that could fit 20 people on it, covered with a dark furry blanket and piled with soft looking pillows. Against one of the walls was a writing desk, with an impressive looking computer setup with a bank of 3 monitors and a hightech looking rolling chair tucked under it.
Against the other wall, two doors flanked a skinny table covered in flowering plants that framed what looked to me like a gunrack set on the center. Alianora followed me into the room, and pulled open the door nearest to the entrance. Showing off a massive closet filled with mostly barren hooks, rods, and drawers. I was surprised to note it was not entirely empty, and there was a small section of fancy looking clothes already waiting inside.
I walked over and eyed the clothes, then looked over to the woman . “Are those leftovers from whoever they kicked out of here?”
She shook her head, “No sir, Ms. Roderegious had them delivered here just before you arrived. I am told that they are your size, and that she wanted you to have something a little more fitting to your newfound position.”
I frowned, “And what position is that, exactly? Everythings happened so fast, I haven't had a chance to read over the details.”
She nodded, still wearing the serious look she had worn since the initial forcedsmile she had given when I entered. “You are Diplomat-Consul to the Masked Faction known as Clan Theedrite, sir.”
I stared back at her for a moment. “I’m a diplomat what?” I said in confusion a moment later.
“A Diplomat-Consul, sir.”
“But what does that mean? I’m no fuckin’ diplomat, I break rocks and look for rare flowers for a living.” My voice, out of my control, started to rise.
She didn’t even flinch, “It’s a prestigious title, sir. It’s very important.”
I felt my eyes narrow at her, and then realized she probably didn’t know much more than I did about it, and I felt the anger that had started to build within me dissipate.
“Okay, okay. I’ll ask the other guy I guess, maybe he knows more about the details.” I frowned, she just nodded in reply, her face a mask. “Sorry, Ms… Grauss? It's been a helluva day. I was woken up in the middle of the night and dragged out of my apartment, had a meeting with the City Director in nothing but my shorts, then flown here, given this place, and introduced to you and Mr. Serious back in the kitchen. I’m not feeling very prestigious or important at the moment, more like a… like a… a pet who just got back from a trip to the vet. I don't know.”
She somehow kept a straight face through my little rant, and gave a salute when I was finished. “I assure you, sir, no one will be dragging you out of here in the middle of the night again, unless that's your thing and you leave specific instructions for us to let them,” I saw just the barest hint of amusement touch the corners of her lips as she spoke. “And you can call me Ali, if you like, sir.” She offered, pronouncing the nickname like an ‘alley’ between buildings.
I laughed, the tension between my shoulders ratcheting down a few clicks, and decided I liked her. “Alright, I don't plan to give anyone that kind of permission, but thank you, Ali. I think I'm going to just take a shower, and try out the new bed. Thanks for showing me around.”
I turned and moved towards the second door off the bedroom, assuming it was the shower. I opened the door and then paused when I noticed she had followed me. I raised an eyebrow at her, questioning. “I’ll be okay, I think I can figure out the shower. Is there anything else?”
She was no longer looking at me, her face back to entirely serious. “Will you need anything else?”
I watched her for a moment, confused by her change in demeanor, wondering what I had done to ruin the budding banter between us.
“No, I’ll be okay for the rest of the night. I guess, I’d appreciate it if you woke me up when my roommates turn up.” I replied cautiously.
She let out a short sigh, and seemed to relax a little before looking back at me. “Very well, I will wake you when they arrive. Do you have a preferred method for me to rouse you?”
I shrugged and walked into the bathroom, this one even larger than the last, and spotted what looked like a small pool in one of the corners. I pointed at it, asking another question before answering hers.
“The fuck is that? A pool? Looks too small for swimming but too big for a bathtub. Oh, and you can just knock on my door and yell for me to get up.”
She very nearly smiled at me, leaning into the doorway and glancing at the pool. “That is a spa, sir. Like a hot bath, but with air and water jets for massages. It can also generate a current if you want to use it for swimming. Will you need anything else?”
I stared at the spa, and shook my head. “No, I think I’m good. Thanks again, Ali.”
Max thankfully left me alone for my amazing new shower experience, but interrupted me as I was throwing pillows off of the bed and onto the floor. “Go over there and touch that computer for me, would ya?”
I threw another pillow, and looked over at the computer, questioning him mentally.
“Just do it, I want to test something out.”
I sighed and walked over, not wanting to fight with the bastard about it. I went over and poked the power button on the tower on the side of the desk. I felt a jolt, like an electric shock, travel up my arm and my finger stuck to the button for a moment as the computer switched on, the monitors flashing to life.
I pulled my hand away as soon as I was able, and shook my fingers out, cursing. “Damn, what was that?”
“Hah! It worked, awesome.”
I stepped back from the computer, leaving it on the new user set-up screen, then turned and went back to the bed to begin fighting my way under the massive heavy blanket. I was reluctant to speak out loud directly to Max, almost positive that the place would have some kind of bug or listening device. So instead, I directed my mental frustration and demand for answers to Max wordlessly.
“That's the smartest thing you’ve done all day, this place totally is bugged. Or was bugged, I uploaded a subroutine that will scrub any instances of you talking to yourself moving forward, as well as a few other things.”
I layed back in the bed, enjoying the mattress but disliking the heavy covers. I wrestled the thick top blanket off of a portion along the edge of the mattress, twice the size of my normal bed, and piled it on the unused section of bed next to me before settling back against one of the pillows I had kept. The lamps around the room slowly dimmed and turned off, somehow sensing that I had crawled into bed. The computer remained on, the glow from the monitors lighting the room in bluish hues and the fans providing a low comforting hum.
I stared up at the ceiling, covered in intricate molded tiles filled with swirling designs and relief images, while I spoke to the voice in my head, “You... uploaded what? Just through a touch like that?”
“Yeah! Cool, right? I grew some filaments into your fingertips earlier, just in case. Can use them to pulse electronics if I need to. I held off on setting up anything wireless though, seemed a bit too risky.”
I scoffed, wanting to get angry with him, but finding it difficult to call up in the moment. “Godsdamnit Max, you can’t just go fucking with my body like that on a whim, alright? Can you at the very least, ask me first next time?”
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s my body now, too. You're just like… my landlord.”
I sighed and rolled over onto my side, closing my eyes and grumbling. “More like a stowaway. So, where's my deposit? No way you’d be getting it back, asshole.”
Thankfully, he just laughed, and I quickly fell asleep.