RavensDagger

  Chapter Seventy-Nine - Problem Solving

  Sometimes, on rare occasions, problems solve themselves.

  There was a knock at Ivil's door. Three taps, evenly spaced, loud enough to be heard clearly without being so loud as to insult.

  There was only one person that knock could belong to.

  "e in," Ivil said.

  The door opened, and Aurora slipped into the captain's . She was dressed rather pinly, her hair ed in a towel with slippers on. "Evelyn," she said.

  Ivil felt her eyebrows rising as she took the woman in. Aurora was rarely not dressed her best, though it was clear the woman had just left the shower. "Aurora. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

  Aurora frowned slightly and seemed surprisingly uned about her manner of dress. "Evelyn... do you know how to dance?"

  "I do," Ivil replied. "That isn't the line of questioning I expected to hear just now. Is anything wrong?"

  Aurora took a deep breath, then nodded. "I need a... guest to apao a small gathering in one of the nearby ships. There will be food provided, of course, but it's expected that those who attend be able to danot necessarily well but at least without embarrassing themselves."

  Ivil perked up. Was... was this Aurora asking her out on a date? "What sort of event is this?"

  "I wouldn't call it a ball, but it's not so dissimir to one," Aurora said. "Just a small dance anised by some Joviaes that will be taking p a pleasure yacht attached to Driftwood. There are a few people there that I would do well to impress. Going all on my own is an option, of course."

  "Nonsense," Ivil said. "I'll apany you, of course."

  Aurora perked up a little. "Thank you. I would iwenty-Six, but... well, I don't think she knows how to dance, or port herself in that kind of event. Missy is another option, but I question her allegiances."

  "So I'm the safe option?" Ivil asked.

  Aurora flushed faintly. "I wouldly put it that way... but yes?"

  Ivil smiled. This erhaps the first time anyone had ever referred to her as the safe anything. It was an iing feeling. "What's the dress code?"

  "Formal. I... suppose you might fit into one of my dresses? If we modify it... a lot. Or we buy something off of a rack if we hurry."

  "No need," Ivil said. "I take care of things myself. When is this event?"

  Aur her watch, which wasn't a good sign. "In approximately two hours."

  "Oh my, cutting it very close, aren't we?"

  "It came up uedly," Aurora admitted.

  Ivil shrugged. She could see what this was uhe surface. Or at least, she desperately hoped she was uanding the underlying implication that Aurora merely wao go out and dah her. "Go get ged," she said. "I'll ge myself."

  "Do you have anything appropriate?" Aurora asked.

  "Don't you worry about it."

  Aurora did seem to worry a little, but she hen slipped out of the room. Ivil sensed her heading to the back of the ship towards her own room to get ged. She snapped her attention back, closed the door, theured towards her still-unused bed.

  A rge briefcase appeared upon it, the tches holding it closed snapping open with a stray thought to reveal Ivil's uniform. It wasn't merely Ivil's uniform in the sehat it was hers--though it was--this was also the uniform that people reized her for.

  Darker than bess itself, cut in the same style as the Martian Navy's top brass, but with a little more fir to it. She'd been inspired by a Earth navies when she crafted this uniform. The epaulettes, the high-waisted pants and long fring jacket.

  In a blink, she was divested of her archeologist's e. In another, she was wearing her uniform once more. It was... surprisingly right on her. Familiar after years of being worn. But that had to ge.

  Stepping out dressed as Ivil Antagonist, Empress of Mars would give her away far, far too easily.

  She summoned a rge block of silver and held it floating before her. The side ed and then stilled, being a near-perfect mirror that stretched from floor to ceiling. Ivil stood before her refle and nodded.

  First, lightening the extremely dark material to something more like a charcoal bck. Then a blouse. Pearl-white and buttoned up to her neck. A vest over it, then pants that fred a little at the bottom. She sighed and removed her navy boots before summoning a pair of rather lethal heels.

  A tie... no, too formal. She dismissed it. A bowtie?

  Goodness no. She wasn't some frumpy nerd.

  So no tie, then. She popped the button on her colr off and freed her nee. A hint of cvicle wouldn't hurt.

  Half-turning, she tightehe seat of her pants... then did it some more.

  Ivil was uhe opinion that she had a fine ass, and she suspected that Aurora would appreciate it.

  She ran a hand through her hair, making sure it fell properly, then o herself as she adjusted the cuffs of her coat.

  Aurora was stepping out of her rooms now, and so Ivil dismissed the mirror, made her briefcase fold itself back to nothing, and walked over to the door. She ope and stepped out, ing face-to-face with Aurora.

  The Phobian priurned-diplomat was in a light, beige dress. A long skirt that g ts, a plunging nee that revealed a lot of dark flesh and a careful application of makeup that drew Ivil's eyes to her lips and eyes.

  "E-Evelyn," Aurora said as she sed her up and down. "Ah... you up well."

  "Why thank you," Ivil said. "You look..." She paused. Would sayiable be inappropriate? She decided that she didn't care. "Positively delectable."

  "Fttery will get you somewhere, Evelyn," Aurora said. "But nht now. Where did you evehat?"

  "It's -tailored," Ivil replied. "And I had it with me this eime. You never know when you'll have the opportunity to dress to impress."

  "Mhm," Aurora replied. She was still eyeing Ivil up and down. Ivil didn't preen uhe gaze, because that would be immature, but she did make a point of slowly turning to close her door behind her so that Aurora would get a good view.

  "Shall we?" she asked once everything was shut.

  Aurora wasn't meeting her eye as she nodded. "Certainly," she replied.

  Ivil smiled. She hadn't felt this smug in a while, but she felt like she deserved it. She was getting a good grade in lesbian, something that was both normal to want and possible to achieve.

  Aurora led her out of the Sappho and Ivil noticed that even though the docks were rather sparsely poputed, they were still grabbing some attention from the few people around. She supposed that they did stand out from the crowd. The average citizen of Driftwood station didn't dress in anything approag formal wear.

  "So, what you tell me about this ball?" Ivil asked.

  "It's a retively mi," Aurora said. "I only received an invitation because it's being held by an affiliate of one of the Jovian diplomats that we met at that st ference. I suspect he sent invitations to everyone nearby. I would ordinarily have avoided the ehing, but it may well be a good opportunity to make better tacts."

  "Are you so ed about the uping ference?" Ivil asked.

  "Yes. The fate of Phobos may well rely on it. Though I'm... proud of what I've achieved so far. I've gained Phobos a solid number of cores, assuming all goes well."

  "And that's important to you," Ivil said. It wasn't quite a question.

  Aurora took a moment before nodding. "It is."

  "Why?" Ivil asked simply.

  Aurnced up at her, then back out ahead. "It's important for me to establish myself. That's all. If I e back from this diplomatic mission having succeeded better than anyone expected, then I'm more likely to be chosen for the . That's the start of a career, ohat might carry a lot of weight."

  "Ah, so you io make a career of this?" Ivil asked.

  She supposed that was important to know before moving forwards. Twenty-Six obviously wanted a career of sorts in meics, something Ivil could easily provide. Breaking things was easy. But a career in politics? Well, Ivil supposed she might have dabbled a little.

  "I do," Aurora said.

  "And what does your family think of that?" Ivil asked.

  Aurora stiffened. She was quiet for a few long steps. "What do you know?" she asked.

  "Pardon?"

  "Your line of questioning is suspiciously leading, Miss Ville. I don't believe it to be entirely natural. You know, or suspeething."

  Ivil shrugged. "I've retly discovered that you have a number of suitors, which suggests some meddling on your family's part. I feel like that knowledge might expin why you're here, so far from home, bravely pg yourself in harm's way to make something of yourself."

  Aurora stopped walking so suddenly that Ivil almost took a step before she noticed.

  "This... may have been a bad idea," she said.

  ***

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