She had other things to worry about, after all; “Do you have any policy proposals for tomorrow, Miss ovna?” The representative from a asked, shaking her hand briefly. His power wasn’t anything to write home about.
She ined her head, “I have a few things in mind, Mister Ma,” Sonya said with a small smile, “I do want to make sure that things are progressing properly with the Dharan project, after all.”
The thin, balding man raised an eyebrow, “That ’t be all,” He said leadingly.
Yoing to have to try harder than that. She thought with a ile, “Perhaps a discussion for ter,” She offered as she pulled her hand away and sipped at her drink. Ugh, wine, I’m so sick of wine. Every party it’s wine or spirits. I o hit a club after this or something, they’ve gotta have soda or something sweeter.
“Do you like it, by the way? I tributed many of the drinks,” Mister Ma asked, eager to ingratiate himself. She knew of a’s desire to poach her from the Uates, not that she was loyal to the try in any real respeew York was just ve. Still, they were a little overbearing about it.
She studied the drink with her senses, grumbling inwardly at using her powers for pedantic things, but was fortunately interrupted by another person roached. She gnced in the woman’s dire and narrowed her eyes a fra. Her lips curled upward and she turned her gaze baister Ma, “Five me, it looks like I have someone I o catch up with a bit, Mister Ma,” She said and turned, walking towards the woman waiting expetly to the side. Mister Ma opened his mouth but Marta put herself between him and Sonya.
“Thank you,” Sonya muttered before brightening at the pretty fa front of her. Dark hair fell down in curls around slender shoulders and a pretty nee ated by jeweled earrings. Dark eyes stared into hers. “Representative Ileva,” Sonya said politely, ting her head to the right, “You look lovely.”
“ovna,” The woman said, log eyes with Sonya, “I wao speak with you about a private matter.”
Sonya raised an eyebrow and looked the and down, before staring her right ba the eyes, “I don’t tie up women I just met uhey ask nicely.”
The woman’s nostrils fred a little and she cleared her throat, shifting a bit under Sonya’s luminous stare, “A family matter.”
Sonya’s expression shifted a bit but she kept her thoughts still, “Not much to say, is there?”
The woman gnced around once before speaking, “You were a target of Grelen’s Education Policies, he isn’t-”
“I know what happened when I was little, I’m not stupid, Representative,” Sonya said with a sigh, “I also know that the man who instituted them and the policies themselves are already abolished by the current Kremlin,” Sonya added. She looked down at the wi seemed a bit more sour than before, “I don’t have any attat to specific people in my homend, if that’s what yetting at.”
“I simply wao express to you that the Kremlin wants to build a better retionship with ASTA, and that mending that bridge would be a good pce to start,” The woman said.
Sonya shot a gowards the Chairman, At least they didn’t send an obvious honey pot. She thought before looking at Ileva, “sider the matter well and truly behind me. I have ionship with my parents and don’t care for ohey have new names and new lives, let them enjoy it quietly,” Sonya said with all the pleasantness she could muster for a part of her life she cared very little about, “The Kremli have to worry about me. I’m here to support all heroes ah as a whole.”
“I am relieved, then,” The woman said with a perfect smile, “Perhaps we talk a bit more at length as the ference proceeds?”
“I think that would be a marvelous idea,” Sonya said with an easy grin and held out her hand, “Please, Call me Sonya from now on.”
The woman took it and they shook briefly, “Polina then.”
–
The rest of the party was a cyclical dance of politig and versations that Sonya spent most of her time listening to. She tried a few times to approach Mikay ata to che them but the Chairman had taken it upon himself to show her guests around with all the pageantry he could muster. It was fun enough just to watch how Bera eased fortably into everything while poor Mikalya just stared i nearly everything. More importantly, the less time I spend around them while here, the less of a hassle they’ll get from parties i in me iure.
“You’re in your element,” Marta said as things began to wind down. She stood at Sonya’s right, surveying the room and casting small stares at anyone roached to give her charge a little breathing room.
“Hardly,” Sonya grunted and gred down at her drink, “I’d rather be out having fun. I hope there are a few good clubs open this te.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Marta said, “Just get the politics over with and enjoy the rest of the week. The ference is only for a few days.”
Sonya clicked her tongue, “Yeah I know. What’s he doing?”
“H with his charge and the Representative from Australia,” Marta said, “He looks so different,” She added, leaving out ‘from the memories’.
Sonya gnced up in Astaroth’s dire, “Mm, not in his prime yet,” Sonya muttered and squeezed her gss a little, The faint creak of the gss shifting a bit beh her fingers drew Marta’s attention and her haed on Sonya’s shoulder, “I’m fine, just surprised. ged the whole mood for me.”
“Some people are leaving,” Marta pointed out, “Maybe get out of here, get the dies to the hotel, and go find yourself a club to lounge in?”
Sonya leaned back against her dear friend’s hand, “Let’s do that.”
–
Mikay ata were only too happy to ply with Marta’s suggestiohey approached the pair, happy to be free of the boisterous Chairman. Sonya led them out of the building befetting them back to their hotel. She didn’t expect to see them much more until after the fereself, but it was o know that they were getting a proper vacation without mu the way of real excitement. She owed Mikay that much at least. After the two womeired, Sonya and Marta found themselves on the sidewalk outside a te-night club oreets of The Hague.
“A speakeasy, really?” Sonya murmured.
“Turns out there’s not mu the way of legitimate nightlife here,” Marta pointed out.
“Especially not to my tastes,” Sonya grunted, “Okay then. Are you ing in?” Marta gave her an incredulous look and Sonya ughed, “Alright, alright, I’ll ‘slip’ back to the hotel when I’m done. Go rest.”
Marta ined her head and bowed a little, “Have a wonderful evening, miss.”
Sonya gave her friend a smile and slipped up to the door, knog twice before fshing a slip of paper with the phrase they’d mao dig up with a bare minimum of effort. They weren’t trying very hard to keep it under s if you had a bit of moo throw around. She smiled as the door opened and was led down into a fortable lobby by the innoan in a suit. Another door opened for her and music flooded into her ears along with the pleasant sts of night-club life. She took a deep breath and savored it before sliding inside.
The club itself acious, the basement of the building above having been pletely remodeled from its inal state. Wood floors and cool lighting gave it a rexed vibe. Off to the right was a long bar with a few bartenders w while on the left was a small expanse of tables where people sat and spoke in quiet tones. A stage he back had a single young man sitting on a stool pying guitar. She swept her gaze over the room cheg names and raised an eyebrow. Iing.
She turned away from the tables and walked to the bar, slipping onto a stool and gnced up at the pretty brue barteanding behind it. The young woman turo her with a bright smile and paused, catg herself as she locked eyes with Sonya. Sonya looked up into her face, resting her on her palm. “Something sweet and bubbly,” Sonya said and wi her. The bartender cleared her throat and turned away hurriedly, going to prepare something.
That’s more like it.
She let herself rex and listeo the music, going as far as closing her eyes as her senses expanded around her. She could feel the woman mixing the drink a few feet away, the way the air moved, the sts of the bined ingredients. She caught little spots of heat throughout the room, pces where passion was reag a breaking point. She sensed movement as people got up to go wherever the night would take them. She opened her eyes and looked up into that pretty face again as a stylish gss was filled with pinkish white fizzy liquid.
“Night Queen Fizz,” The bartender said.
Sonya g it and then up at her with a raised eyebrow, “Aren’t you perfect?” She asked pyfully and the bartender moved forward only to step back a bit as someone moved in to sit o Sonya. Sonya had felt him approag but had pointlessly hoped that she would get a few moments of bsted peace. She should have left when she saw his name.
“Scotch,” The man grunted.
The bartender frowned a little but obliged, p a gss aing it down for him before stepping away.
Sonya looked down at her drink and sipped at it, not looking up at him, it was delicious, peaches and lemon. She’d have to e back here ter. “Martin Fuller. What is the ex-Chief Ior for Pandora’s North America branch doing in a pce like this?”
“I figured you’d show up here eventually, it’s your kind of pce,” He grunted o her, pig up his gss and taking a long sip.
“Drinking again?” Sonya asked.
“Yeah,” He said ahe gss down.
“Your partner in the NYPD would be disappointed,” Sonya said.
“Sure would,” Martin grumbled, “Ironsides would be too.”
“Then stop,” Sonya said casually, sipping her drink again and sav the sweet-tart fizz, “I set you up with treatment or someoo talk to. Perhaps we talk about your troubles.”
“I don’t want to talk to you, I want to talk to her,” Martin growled.
Sonya set her gss down with a clid gnced in his dire. He looked down at her from his greater height. His cheeks were sunken, his hair was even more of a mess than usual, his beard atched in pces and his whole demeanor was a bit on the feral side. His eyes, though, his eyes were strong. A bright burnished gold that bzed like mplights beh his hooded brows. He stared at her with all the hate and barely restrained violence of a hungry, desperate wolf.
She s him and looked back at her drink, “Sig did you?”
“Didn’t give me much of a choice,” He growled bad took another swig of his drink.
“You always have a choice, sometimes you just don’t realize the choice is there,” Sonya said evenly, “People should be more careful of what they say. I’ve heard that faeries strike deals without the other party even realizing.”
“I’d say that’s a myth, but I know better,” He grunted, leaning against the ter in front of him, “N her out.”
Sonya took a long sip at her drink, “You’re spoiling my evening.”
“I don’t very much care,” Martin said.
“No, you do not,” Sonya said with a sigh, “I don’t appreciate you referring to her as a separate person.”
“Isn’t she?” Martin hissed.
Sonya shot him a hard look, “Watch yourself, Fuller, I don’t have a lot of patiehese days.”
He raised an eyebrow, “Oh, struck a nerve, did I?”
She sighed aured politely to the young bartender who hurried over to her. She reached out, “I’d like to pay, please,” Sonya said and the young woman frowned a bit, “It’s nothing for you to worry about cutie, your drink was fabulous. I’ll be ing bace the atmosphere is a bit better, when do you work ?”
“...tomorrow night?” The bartender said.
“What’s your name?” Sonya asked.
“Noe.”
“Noe, adorable,” Sonya said and took the small device the girl handed her. She pulled out the phone she used for her public life and after a moment stepped away from the ter having dropped a sizeable tip. “See you tomorrow, Noe,” Sonya said and g Martin, “Let’s talk, killjoy.”
He frowned and turned, nodding to one of the doors he stage, “They have rooms to stay in back there.”
Sonya’s nose wrinkled, “You do uand what those are fht?” She asked.
He gave her a deadpan look and she rolled her eyes, “Fine,” She followed him back through the door and down a dark hallway before he opened one of the doors with a key. Her lip twitched, “You’re staying here?”
He said nothing as they stepped inside, he closed the door behind him and leaned against it while she took a look around the u space. There were notebooks everywhere, maps, diagrams, photos, he was trag everything she was doing. She gnced his way and raised an eyebrow, “All you need is a kooky website,” Sonya chuckled, “Truth is out there.”
“Let me talk to her,” He growled.
Sonya frowned again, “I don’t-”
He stepped forward, his eyes bzing with golden light, “Now!” He bellowed.
She didn’t flinch, she didn’t even blink, she just returned his stare before sighing. Her fiwitched as her arms went a little sd she closed her eyes. She listeo the tig inside of her head, let it all wash away, she pulled the mask up in her mind and slowly let it slide into pce as a ess washed through her.
TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK
Ishtar opened her eyes and looked at Martin from across the room, her eyes narrowed, “Detective.”