Sitting quietly as she ate her meal, Thisbe realised she robably the only person happy about the te arrival. No one was giving her suspicious looks as all eyes were upon the elephant in the room... or perhaps shark ier was the better analogy. o an actual Zuumult in the imperial pace, Thisbe’s status as also a supernatural being of the night was dht ordinary and unremarkable.
As such she generally focused on enjoying her meal, only taking a few moments now and then to chit chat with either Plynx (who was seated beside her) to get to know O’myinis a bit better. The currently armour form AI was rather quiet, however. Like Svetna and O’tmyil, though, Thisbe and O’myinis now had something of a mental bond which meant that Thisbe could tell there was no fear or distrust from O’myinis about her vampiriature. The AI woman was merely naturally quiet.
Which left most of Thisbe’s focus on the food and drink she was offered. Some of it was terrestrial food she knew, possibly imported or possibly thrown together in some sort of ary b. Most seemed to be Lanthonean cooking, though. She could tell that much by how blue it was. Which was... iing when it came to the meat.
Another iing thing was her drink, which was what roviding her actual sustenance. She was being served proper nourishing blood. None of that animal blood that could teically prevent starvation but tasted foul and offered no signifit energy; which was what was usually served to vampires by the living. However, the truly iing thing about the blood she’d been given was that she tasted ions whatsoever in it.
It was simply psma and cells.
They must have grown it in a vat. She had tried vat grown blood before, but Earth sce wasn’t good enough to make it actually pass muster, however much various groups tried to help vampires with iion. It seemed that tact with the gaxy was going to ge all that.
After the meal eables began to part further, opening up a spaingle and verse. A small band stepped out to py some soft musiot anything one could really dao, but apparently it wasn’t that sort of party. A shame. Thisbe liked dang with the others. Well, apart from Augusta who was still repressing herself any time she wasn’t throwing herself at Svetna in an effort to drown out her self disdain with physical pleasure. sidering she had accept her i in women it was unclear just what Augusta was still beating herself up over, but it gave her a bad aura for ahat could read emotions the way a vampire could.
Thisbe had chalked it up to Catholic guilt.
Watg the various guests and dignitaries at the party from the head table, however, Thisbe realised that it also wasn’t seeming like the sort of party where o up to mingle. Not while everyone was whispering fearfully about Empere Ouzzhen (the name had been provided to Thisbe as one of the few things she’d gotten out of O’myinis).
Gng over, Thisbe could tell Svetna was severely disappointed. It didn’t take ah to work that out, so being ah it was more that Thisbe couldn’t help but tell. The mood was radiating from her with impressive iy.
After another minute or two of everyoting around, Svetna stood up, her h chair flinging off and boung off the wall with enough o make sure everyone’s eyes were ona. She then marched around the table and up to the band.
“Py something more lively... something with a beat,” she said. “Please.”
The musis (a colle of different species pying a simirly diverse range of instruments) seemed fused for a moment. The up and began pying something that sounded dht jazzy.
Svetna smiled then walked up to the table where her partners (minus O’tmyil, whom she was still wearing) were sitting, starting at the end closest to the band and furthest from Thisbe. Holding a hand out, she offered it to Augusta. The other woman looked surprised, but then stood up and accepted, heading onto what was now the dancefloor.
It being Augusta she slid to a formal dance, despite the music. The results were something close to salsa, but it mao fit. And draw fasated eyes from the gactic audienbsp;
Ohe first song finished Augusta headed to stand beside the band while Svetna then took Bokarza’s hand. Having a Kobaroian to py for the band shifted songs to something a bit slower and deeper. Not only was there a bit of a size mismatch as the pair danced, but Bokarza allowed Svetna to lead, making the difference even more obvious.
The song she danced with Vivian, and the quiet whispers from the rest of the guests were pushing something closer to versations one might expect from a party. A few guests had eveively stood up and begun to chat with Augusta or Bokarza.
When Plynx and Svetna were dang (to a hyper and higher pitched sort of tune) Plynx’s father took his wife up to join them, followed by Mynx (specificall M’gnyz) dang on her owhe band.
And then the musit back to the pseudo-jazzy style as Svetna held her hand out for Thisbe. What amazed her was, despite having seena just dah each of her wives for the past few minutes (and showing clear loving intimacy with each)... despite currently being O’tmyil’s armour form... the look ina’s eyes as she waited for Thisbe to join her allowed Thisbe to feel like she was the only woman in the world at that moment. It was amazing just how much love Svetna’s heart held.
Of course Thisbe accepted, heading onto the dance floor and happily matg the mood of the music with some dance moves she hadn’t pulled out in decades. To her joy Svetna was able to keep up well enough (perhaps O’tmyil was helping just a little). They even had some pyful bad forths, Thisbe showing some of the fancier moves she’d learned aing Svetna do her best to copy them. Whena mao quite thhly mess up and nearly tripped Thisbe caught her and the two desded into giggles.
Only as the music slowed a little and Svetna began to hold her close did Thisbe realise the dance floor had filled up. Vivian and Plynx were dang for the moment, as were Bokarza and Augusta (the former leading as she showed Augusta a Kobaroian dance). It was quite the shift in mood. Svetna’s joy was truly tagious.
The taller woman then leaned in, a small kiss to Thisbe’s forehead.
“You certainly know how to cheer everyone up,” Thisbe said softly.
“It seems I do... though my main goal was cheering you all up... especially you,” Svetna said. “You deserve so much better than things have been.”
The absolute love and kindness in her eyes left Thisbe flustered. It was so--
Someone roag them. Svetna hadn’t noticed. No one else had noticed. Then again, no one else had Thisbe’s long history of prowling in the shadows, hunting and being hunted by other whispers in the night.
Her eyes lifted over Svetna’s shoulders to spot Empere Ouzzhen sliding through the crowd. Only a fellow supernatural could manage such a feat while as rge as Ouzzhen was. As rge and as feared.
Those dark eyes met Thisbe’s and their face fshed with slight surprise. Surprise followed by a smile as they strode the st few paces to reach Svetna’s side. There was some genuine joy to that smile, but beyond that... a Zuumult arently too alien for Thisbe to read all the emotions of.
“Excuse me...” they said in a surprisingly soft tohough they still surprised Svetna with their presence. “I believe the Earth is to ask ‘may I have this dance’?”
With that they held a hand out towards Svetna.
“It seems such fun,” Ouzzhen added with another amicable smile.
“I...” Svetna began, befng to Thisbe.
Havihe wonders Svetna had worked on Bokarza all Thisbe could do was shrug. Perhaps it was worth a ce to let Svetna’s charms end anactiflict?
Not certain what to do with herself, Thisbe drifted towards the edge of the dancefloor where M’gnyz was swaying happily to the music beside her sister who was slowly making her way through a drink. Reag their side, Thisbe kept her eyes on the empere while out of the way of others dancers.
“Thisbe, you’re... wait, Svetna’s dang with Ouzzhen now?” Plynx said, staring in horror.
“For the moment,” Thisbe said. “There wasn’t really a polite way to turn down their request to dance.”
“B-but still... they’re a Zuumult. They might have been alive sihe days of the first dynasty, when their people ruled the gaxy with an iron fist,” Plynx protested.
“That is incorrect,” Agent Lee said, suddenly at their side and making Thisbe jump.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t noticed someone approag, it was simply that she hadn’t noticed that someone was him. sidering there were rather few Humans present at the moment it was signifitly more impressive than his usual ability to blend in. It seemed almost magical... though he was definitely Human who knew what friends he’d made and blessings he’d gained.
“Pardon?” Plynx asked.
“The Ameris have long had close ties to the Corporate Alliance, who in turn have kept close ties with the Exiled Empire,” Agent Lee said. “The current Empere is retively young by Zuumult standards.”
“Still, they’ve been running their rump empire, that gets your hands dirty,” Plynx protested.
“For only about 1.8 gactic standard years,” Agent Lee replied. “The previous empere died quite retly... unpleasant man. Or, perhaps he had merely been passing himself off as male due to terrestrial society’s patriarchal tendehat does seem probable, though I believe it is best to tinue using the st pronou I was aware of him using.”
The question of what was correct protocol in such a situation seemed to cause Ageo bee rather lost in thought.
“W--wait, there was a Zuumult empere oh retly? You met them?” Plynx asked.
“That is cssified,” Agent Lee replied, gng towards Thisbe.
She remembered the little visit that she, Vivian, Svetna, and O’tmyil had made with Agent Lee when they’d been in Halifax. The only reason O’tmyil had been allowed to know any of that was her bond to Svetna. Otherwise only the adians in the royal family were informed, and only they were allowed to know what had happened. Having experieh past secrets Thisbe had no issue keeping quiet.
Thinking of O’tmyil, however, Thisbe realised something. “If it were really such a bad idea to dah them surely O’tmyil would have preve?”
“I... I suppose,” Plynx said, shaking her head slowly before finishing her drink.
“One must just go with the flow, sister-Plynx,” M’gnyz replied with a smile on her face. “Svetna-sister-in-w is good with people. She-empress shall hahis well, I-M’gnyz think.”
“I wish I had your fidence, sister-M’gnyz,” Plynx said, before waving a server drone over to refill her drink.
-
Dang with someohat much taller than her had proven tricky, but Empere Ouzzhen had seemed patient as they learned how Earthling dances worked. All along they had worn a smile and Svetna got the impression they found the style amusing.
“If we meet up again I probably show you something more formal,” Svetna said as the song ended. “Well, maybe... the height difference may be too much for that.”
“Whatever the case, I hope there shall be a ime,” Ouzzhen said, watg Svetna with those pitch bck eyes. “This was quite lovely. Though I suspect that your people will pce a ‘not for resale’ marker on invitatio out in future, which may make returning tricky.”
That was followed by a ugh that showed off those mystifyingly sharp teeth. Seeing them, the only question ona’s mind was if it was teically gay feelings she was getting, sidering the other person’s genderless nature.
Whatever the case those long aoned limbs built to a whole other scale and the sharp ivorous features were leaving Svetna more than a bit flustered. (Maybe she was a touch hopeless.)
“Well, I’m sure they ’t stop the empress from sending out personal invitations to her own home,” Svetna said with a grin of her own.
“No, I doubt they could... that would be a touch too far even for the ministers of the Gactioh,” Ouzzhen replied, before running a finger along Svetna’s upper arm. “I should leave before I overstay my limited wele, but I will await your invitation.”
The touch had sent a shiver of excitement downa’s spine... one of very different meaning from the shiver she felt running up O’tmyil’s. Their emotions mixed in the boweehe result of which left Svetna’s heart in a very fused pce.
Ouzzheapped their forehead as a gactiuch to Svetna’s surprise. In fact she nearly fot to mirror the gesture, and then found O’tmyil somewhat relut to allow her too. Still, it was done in the end, a gesture of respect betweeical equals.
“You ’t marry her, you know,” O’tmyil whispered ina’s ear.
“I ’t marry you or Thisbe either,” Svetna replied just as quietly.
“Yes, but in this case it means there’s no legal basis for any political followup on your as, uhe union you have helped fe between the Kobaroid Issiod’rian royal families.”
“It’d mean something on the Zuumult’s side, though,” Svetna replied as she left the dancefloor to go che Thisbe. “They’re an absolute monarchy, aren’t they? What the empere says is policy is policy.”
“Which also means that everything the empere does is politics. Everything.”
That was a somewhat unwele remihere was no denying the logic of it, however. While Svetna’s as could be used by politis as a way to poun public opinion to help push through ges they could just as easily be denounced and ighe gactic cil could even deny her a marriage lice... they had denied her oh Thisbe, despite her protests. Sure, that had teically been against the ws of the Gactioh, but still.
Meanwhile, when it came to the ruler of the Zuumults the old line of ‘I am the state’ was firmly applicable.
-
After Ouzzhen had left the post ation party had gone smoothly, Svetna doing an acceptable job of rubbing elbows with various dignitaries. Still, it had been a long day, resulting ina and her wives passing hly as soon as they were brought to the imperial apartment within the pabsp;
O’tmyil, however, had o sleep. From time to time she o power down or restart for maintenance, but her general sleep cycle was a matter of courtesy to the others. And so she stood in the now dark rooms, somewhat surprised to see that nothing had ged. Every piece of furniture. Every work of art. It was all exactly where it had been three hundred years ago when she had st been in these rooms.
Wiggling her fingers, needing some time to adjust to no longer being armour for Svetna, she vaguely wondered if it showed a healthy mi from those who had maintaihe pace. The Sed Dynasty deserved respect, but had that crossed the lio worship at some point?
Or was it her that was being uhy, g to fears of the past that were no longer relevant? Perhaps not every aspect of the First Dynasty o be feared... perhaps even the Zuumults themselves could be allowed to rejoin Gactic society. If Ouzzhen’s statements were true. After all, how long had they been fighting a doomed war from the edge of the gaxy?
“You know, I do kind of like a p without a proper sun. Whoever picked this pce had taste.”
Blinking, O’tmyil turo find Thisbe seated in one of the rge armchairs, looking out a grand window. Because, of course she would also be awake. Vampires needed far less sleep than humans.
The view she was looking up at, the sight of the sky above Throne World was breathtaking. It was a sign of being home again to O’tmyil. She had not been built here, but she had speuries looking up at those skies and they had grown fortable.
“Most supernaturals have a disdain fht light, even if vampires may be outliers who are best excluded from the data set,” O’tmyil replied, Thisbe a smile.
“Hey now, I’m pretty sure I hahe sun about as well as your average redhead does,” Thisbe replied with her own smile, before standing up and walking over to take O’tmyil’s hands.
That came as a surprise. They both had many shared loves, but she and Thisbe had not spent much time together alone. Especially not with physical tact.
“It must have been quite the day for you... so many memories,” Thisbe said, the soft smile and kind look in her eyes showing that she uood.
Perhaps she was only two hundred years old, so the full time scales that O’tmyil had experienced were beyond her, but she had also started human. Started with a tig cloortality that she had long ago escaped. So she grasped at least the greater shape of it all.
“Being in my armour form added ara yer of surrealism to it all,” O’tmyil said, shaking her head a little.
Her siblings kept that way far more than her, but she was the head of the family. She had to act for herself more... but it made her true form seem se sometimes. Handing over trol so totally... there was a thrill to it, but that faded as miuro hours.
Ah, but that was a foolish thing to pin about and so she shook her head. It was not for an artificial being such as herself to pin about serving their intended fun.
Her motion was stopped, however, by Thisbe reag up and pg her hands on O’tmyil’s cheeks. The smaller woman looked at her softly, before raising onto her toes. It still wasn’t quite enough for her to reayil’s face, but bending to meet her felt so natural in the moment.
And the kiss itself felt sht. Androids. Supernaturals. They were both created by anics to fill roles, even if one was on purpose and the other actal. Both were left as outsiders in the gaxy as a result. Both were set against one another so often. O’tmyil had been built to fight Zuumults. In a way, she was an embodiment of the Sed Dynasty’s first act against supernaturals.
So it made so much sehat Thisbe o have O’tmyil on her side when they faced the institutions and biases that built up since... and, on some level, O’tmyil felt the o apologise tainst her normal standards of de she found herself leading Thisbe to a nearby settee, them both awash with plex emotions and needs for someone who was both alike and opposites as clothes were shed. her had much experieaking the lead, but O’tmyil was able enough to replicate things Svetna or Vivian had done.
To her surprise Thisbe’s fangs were soon in her shoulder, though there was no pain involved, only a moment of passion.
“Mmmph... I’m gd you twetting... getting along so well,” Svetna said, stumbling out of her bedroom, knees weak, “but I’ll admit it’s a little hard to sleep well I’m feeling... this.”
The st part was said with a general gesture towards the two of them.
“Apologies,” O’tmyil replied.
Thisbe withdrew her fangs to speak. “Sorry, Svetna.”
“Would you care to join us?” O’tmyil offered.
“Uh... between our mental bond and Thisbe’s psychic empathy vampire powers that sounds... actually, that sounds amazing, and I hope I’ll survive,” she replied, with a nod.
“I will monitor your vitals,” O’tmyil replied, while Thisbe waved her over.
AnnouIhe usual reminder about how there's two more chapters on patreon. And other stories I'm writing that won't ever be on Scribblehub. Also, I have a discord that has a free se: https://disc/cfVC4E5t
