Pryvani couldn’t help but roll her eyes as Larinius entered the courtroom. Her cousin was dressed in High Court Attire. It was the kind of outfit that was still in fashion among the old-moneyed set in Tuaut, and absolutely nobody else. He had eschewed his cape which was, she supposed, progress, but he had completely avoided the coat-and-cordon fashion of the current century. (Pryvani had to admit, she was partial to coat-and-cordon on men; it was so very similar to the Earth suit-and-tie.)

Of course, Larinius had always been rather insistent on pushing his last name and family connections. She didn’t blame him, really; if this trial went badly, she was sure she’d mention her last name once in a while too. Still, she could see how Syon might have appealed to him – aside from the usual manner.

“M’lord,” Yvenna was saying, “we recognize that it is important that my client establish her claim. We appreciate the presence of Mr. Tarsuss here today, to help us with that. Mr. Tarsuss, just a few quick questions. First, what is your current relationship to the Tarsuss Family Primate?”

Larinius stroked his beard, and looked over at Pryvani. “I’m second cousin to the primate, Pryvani Tarsuss, and first heir to the primacy.”

“Very good. So if Sen. Tarsuss were to be removed as head of the family, you would take over, is that correct?”

“It is. Or that is, it was. Under the primogeniture rules of the Tarsuss Family, I have transferred my birthright to a proper heir, herself a descendant of Simtana Tarsuss.”

“And is that person here today?”

“Yes, she is. I have transferred my birthright to Lady Syon Fand.”

Pryvani shook her head. She wondered how much Syon had given him. More to the point, she wondered how much Syon had promised him. It couldn’t be marriage; Iacoba was a member of the Pynause family, and indeed, she was first heir. Pryvani made a mental note to tell Lord Pynause to up his security.

“Very good. Now, this applies to you and your children, correct?”

“Yes, counselor. I and my descendants will give up my claim. It does not affect Dory Tarsuss or her heirs.”

“Very good. No further questions, m’lord.”

“No questions, m’lord,” Hurassen said. “And I know counsel wants to bring in a genealogist; we will stipulate that Lady Fand is a descendant of Merophy Tarsuss, and thus qualified as a Tarsuss Family member under the family rules of primogeniture.”

“Thank you for saving our time,” the judicator said. “I assume you also will stipulate that this means Lady Fand has standing?”

“Yes, m’lord. We have never challenged that.”

“Very good. Ms. Mirendy?”

“Yes, m’lord. We call Lady Vasha Zakrov to the stand.”

Pryvani stared Vasha down as she strode into the courtroom; it took every ounce of her formidable self-control not to spit at her as she passed. Oh, she expected Vasha to launch into the series of lies that Syon had fed her – stories of wild debauchery in college, including drug use and alcohol abuse and one very lurid story about Pryvani being a maggothead for some time – Vasha lied with conviction, almost as if any of it were true.

But that didn’t anger her. Nothing Vasha could say would hurt her as much as what Vasha had done to her friends. She had no idea how to make Vasha hurt, but no matter how this trial went, she would find one.

When Vasha finished dissembling, she expected Hurassen to ask some perfunctory questions about what Vasha had admitted on the stand – that she had done drugs too, though of course, not nearly so many as Pryvani. His first question seemed rather apropos of nothing.

“A remarkable story, Lady Zakrov. I did not know Sen. Tarsuss had abused maggots. That is a truly awful story. You say you sought them out while you were both attending Husmu Daraean University, right?”

“That’s right, Mr. Bass,” Vasha said.

“So that would have to have been what, 2096, right? I mean, Sen. Tarsuss’s father died in 2097, so she returned home and completed her coursework while taking control of the company.”

“Yeah, it would have been 2096, that’s right,” Vasha said.

“Are you sure?” Hurassen said.

“Yes, of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

Hurassen smiled. “Well, it’s just that in 2093, the Insectoids withdrew from Grelau voluntarily, and they didn’t return until 2100. Defense Four-Ishaytan-Seven-Rhombil, m’lord,” he said, transferring the file into evidence. “According to the Grelauan Provincial Government, there were no incidences of maggot use on this planet during that time.”

“Well, I know what I saw,” Vasha said.

“Do you? Are you saying that the Grelauan government knows less about this than you do?”

“Maybe they do.”

Hurassen smiled. “Or maybe, in your zeal to help your friend, Lady Fand, you embellished your story. You took tales of college parties – tales we all can tell, I’m sure – and used it to attack the character of a sitting Senator. Do you know what the penalty for perjury is, Lady Zakrov?”

“I know what I saw!” Vasha said. “She was a maggothead! I’m sorry, but she was!”

Hurassen grinned. “No further questions, m’lord.”

He walked back to his chair, and winked to his client. Pryvani leaned back as she saw the look of anger on Syon’s face, but what surprised her was the look on Vasha’s face.

It was a look of satisfaction.

Pryvani frowned. That had been too easy. Vasha was too smart to make so careless a mistake. She didn’t know what Vasha’s game was. She just prayed Rixie had the sense to watch her back.

*.*.*.*

Rixie sat at the countertop to the small kitchenette that came included in the hotel suite that “Tannith” was using. She was scrolling through a message Vanser had sent to her. It contained an interesting lead, one which had- as the humans put it- ‘come out of left field.’ It was something of a longshot, but it might be a game changer.

If it worked.

The door to the suite buzzed, knocking Rixie out of her train of thought. She automatically rose to her feet to answer the door, but before she could get even a step towards the door, a form suddenly appeared from the bathroom, racing towards the door.

“Don’t you dare!” Zhalem Ro called out as she wrapped a towel around herself. “You’re rich, remember? You don’t answer your own door!”

“I did last night!” Rixie retorted, rolling her eyes.

“Yes well.” Zhalem huffed, tightening the towel around her body and tossing her sopping wet hair from her eyes. “Not my fault you kicked me out.”

“I didn’t-” Rixie began, but cut herself off as Zhalem pulled the door open. The moment the door was opened, a pair of the hotel’s waitstaff wheeled in a cart laden with covered trays of food.

“We have your order, Miss Ley, Ma’am. Exactly as you ordered it.” The lead waiter said cheerfully, parking the tray in front of the couch.

Rixie quickly schooled her features into a look of haughty derision.

“About time!” Zhalem snapped, even as she pressed five hundred credits on each of the waiters. “We were expecting you five minutes ago!”

And just as quickly as they entered, Zhalem hustled the waiters out and slammed the door behind them.

“Answering the door dressed in a towel?” Rixie asked archly.

“Well, I was in the bath…”

“Uh huh.” Rixie sighed. “Again. You keep pulling stunts like this there’s gonna be a rumor that you’re not my assistant, you’re my girlfriend!”

“Would that be so bad?” Zhalem responded, leering suggestively. “Maybe a sex scandal could help legitimize your cover a bit more.”

“You’re terrible.” Rixie muttered, rolling her eyes, though her tone was mostly amused. “You know we already went down that road once.”

“Yes, we did. And it was nice, and we both agreed that as nice as it was, it wasn’t right for either of us.” Zhalem said, as she began to lift the covers from all the trays. “That doesn’t mean I’m not going to nick you about it occasionally. I mean you blush so nicely.”

“Shut up.” Rixie muttered, rolling her eyes. “And, to change the topic slightly… it’s nice to see you’re so free with my money!”

Zhalem snorted derisively while dishing up some food. “Hey… I pay taxes, same as you, therefore by my reckoning, that money is as much mine as it is yours.”

Rixie opened her mouth to retort… but she couldn’t really find fault with the logic.

“Yes, well, all the same go easy on it. This isn’t exactly an approved mission I’m on. Vanser can make an expense report disappear pretty easily, but not if it’s of a ludicrous amount.”

“All right. All right.” Zhalem conceded, putting her hands up in surrender. “I’ll try to limit myself.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, having said that… you want some of this?”

“…Yes. I do.” Rixie admitted, making her way over to the massive meal.

“So…” Zahlem began again, once her plate was full. “Whatever happened with you and the human?”

“Sam.” Rixie corrected, taking a bite of the extremely well prepared cut of meat on her plate. “And, unfortunately, nothing. I mean… he chose to go back to… well, everything.”

“Hence, why we’re still here.” Zhalem observed. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”

“Of course not. And yes, that’s why we’re still here. I may be willing to respect Sam’s decision, as unfathomable as I find it, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to find another way to end this so the decision is no longer necessary.”

“Can’t you just pay the girl’s debt?”

“Maybe. That sort of depends on how deep she’s in. I’m going to need to contact her, regardless, but that’s a potential solution. If that proves to be a problem, I’m going to need a second avenue.” Rixie shook her head and took another bite.

“This lead of Vanser’s?”

“Yeah. I’m still wondering how he managed to connect those particular dots. I mean he’s a good investigator… but that’s almost Pryvani Tarsuss level good.”

“Maybe that’s how he did it.” Zhalem chuckled.

Rixie shrugged. “Possibly. But Pryvani’s bogged down with issues of her own at the moment. I doubt she’d have time to arrange anything.”

“I think you’d be surprised what Pryvani has time to arrange…” Zhalem muttered, low enough that Rixie didn’t hear her.

“I suppose I should probably follow up on what Vanser sent me.” Rixie sighed, putting her plate down on the small table in front of them.

“No time like the present.” Zhalem agreed.

Rixie walked back to the kitchenette and picked up her pad. She dialed in a communications link and waited for the signal to finish bouncing around the cosmos.

After a moment, the titan at the other end of the line picked up. Rixie was greeted by a woman with pale skin and long brown hair, who seemed to have a perpetually bored expression on her face.

“Reevah here.” The young woman answered, a second before her face showed confusion at whom she was being contacted by.

“Hello, Cousin.” Rixie greeted. “I was wondering if you could help me with something…”

*.*.*.*

Renna clutched her betting slip to her chest, fingers wrinkling the printed cardstock as her heart thumped nervously in her chest. She hadn’t risked everything on Sam, she’d learned her lesson on that point, but she’d risked enough that losing would set her back a bit.

It’ll be okay. She reminded herself, staring up at the marquis that listed all the matchups that were currently playing out. Sam told you to trust him. That’s what you’ll just have to do.

Sam was considered the favorite to win, as he’d been on a hot streak since he’d made his promise to Renna. And Renna had been capitalizing on it, much to her own relief.

She wasn’t anywhere near to paying off her debt, but at least she’d managed to wipe the smug condescending look off of the hotel accountant’s face when she’d made a decent sized payment.

There was a click and the Marquis shifted to show the result of Sam’s matchup.

He’d won. Again.

Feeling extremely lighthearted, Renna smoothed out her betting slip and stepped forward to collect her winnings.

If this kept up… she might even be able to actually dig herself out of the infernal hole she’d dug for herself.

And then? Who could say? Maybe she’d buy Sam from whoever owned him and move to somewhere a bit friendlier than Grelau.

*.*.*.*

Daz closed the door behind her as she stepped into the dorm house she and six other women, and two humans, shared. She was in a surprisingly good mood. She’d scored the highest on a particularly difficult flight simulator, which had also upped her ranking in the class. She wasn’t quite at the very top of the leader board, but she was much closer than she had been previously.

She carelessly threw her book bag onto the couch, vowing to deal with it later- though in the back of her mind she knew it would likely sit there until time for her next class, or until Fara moved it- and kicked off her shoes, storing them in the front closet with the rest of the jackets and boots.

The young titan yawned and cracked her neck, and then her back, before tromping up the stairs, keeping a careful lookout for any humans underfoot.

Or rather human- singular- as she remembered that Myona and Shaar had left on some mysterious errand.

Well, that was fine. She kept a lookout for Pierce anyway.

She reached the landing and made her way towards the middle door that led to her bedroom.

She reached the door and was surprised to find that the light was already on inside.

Daz’s brow furrowed. She was pretty sure she’d remembered to turn it off when she’d left for class that morning. She leaned against the door and slowly pushed it open.

The sight of the young woman sitting on her bed almost made her cry out in surprise, but Daz managed to clamp down on the impulse before she could embarrass herself.

“Reevah…?” Daz was more confused than angry at finding Rhionne’s hoplite bodyguard in her room. “What are you doing here…?”

Reevah Tam’s hard brown eyes scrutinized Daz for a moment. Daz had the distinct impression she was being scanned for possible weaknesses.

“Sit down Daz.” She finally spoke. Her voice was quiet, but held the kind of authority that few found hard to disobey.

Forgetting that it was her own room she was being called into, Daz sat down wordlessly on her own desk chair.

“You and I need to have a little chat…” Reevah continued. “About your sister.”