Alex stared at the mirror in front of him. The massive silvery surface was roughly size of the broad side of a barn, but he only needed a part of the lower edge.

He’d been left stranded on the vanity of his and Rixie’s bedroom while the woman in question had gone off to shower and then change. Alex had been confused by this sudden bought of modesty- after all, it wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen in great detail before- but decided that Rixie must have had a reason.

He adjusted the shoulders of his tunic. Pryvani had decided that, though he was posing as her pet during the night’s event, there was no need for him to be naked. After all, Pryvani’s public persona was eccentric enough that no one would think twice about her dressing her human in clothing.

So that was why Alex was dressed in Atlantean fashion. A grey silk shirt that was open to reveal his chest and long pants made from a cloth similar to khaki. His feet were bare, and his only other adornment was a pair of leather bracers on his wrists.

It wasn’t exactly something he would have worn on Earth, but it didn’t look too bad.

The door to the bathroom opened and Rixie stepped back into the room.

“About time you finished Rix.” Alex joked as he turned towards the opening door, “I was starting to think you’d be…in there… wow…”

She was wearing a crimson floor length dress, with a slit on the left side that rose hallway up her thigh. The fabric then wrapped around her torso and over her right shoulder, leaving her left shoulder bare.

On her feet were a pair of what would, on Earth, be called Gladiator sandals, the black leather straps crisscrossed over her feet and up her leg to roughly the middle of her shins.

She wore little jewelry, but what she had on was simple and elegant. A single silver bracelet around her left wrist, a pair of diamond studs in her ears (which surprised Alex- he hadn’t even been aware her ears were pierced in the first place) and a silver chain with a dark turquoise pendant that nestled onto her breasts in a way that made Alex slightly jealous.

Most shocking of all, however, was Rixie’s hair. Her multitude of braids were nowhere to be seen, and in their place was a mass of curled black and dark brown ringlets that framed her face and cascaded down her back, falling just shy of her waist.

The Titaness looked around for a moment, before meeting his eyes and, (as if Alex hadn’t been stunned enough by her dramatic change in appearance,) she actually blushed and bit her lip.

“So…” She said after clearing her throat nervously. “What do you think?”

“I… I, uh….” Alex tried to swallow the lump in his throat and tried again. His tongue didn’t seem to want to work properly. “You… you look incredible.”

“So you like it?” Rixie asked, a grin splitting her face.

“Well, you always look amazing.” Alex replied earnestly. “It’s just that this is so different from what you usually wear… and your hair!”

“I know.” Rixie muttered, shaking her head experimentally and running her fingers through her hair. “It feels weird. I haven’t had my hair loose since Basic Training.”

“But why did you take your braids out in the first place?” Alex asked.

“That’s a complicated question to answer.” Rixie sighed and stepped across the room towards the vanity where Alex was standing. She pulled out the chain and sat in front of it. Alex found himself face-to-face with her turquoise pendant.

“My braids are a cultural indicator of my being Jotnar.”

Alex nodded. “You’ve told me. It made me like them even more.”

Rixie chuckled and stroked Alex fondly with her finger before continuing. “Well, the short version is that soon we’re going to be interacting with members of the upper-class. Mostly people descended from Tannhauser and Aementi colonists. There’s a lot of bad blood between them and the Jotunn; even after Jutuneim’s reunification with the Empire proper. Having a Jotunn among them might be… distracting, and I want to keep a low profile tonight; as much as possible anyway.”

“So Pryvani suggested this?”

“No.” Rixie responded adamantly. “I decided to do this. This isn’t the first time I’ve used a cover identity, Alex.”

“Okay.” Alex nodded. “But I like your braids too, Rixie.”

The Titaness smiled and lowered her hand to the tabletop in a clear invitation. “Come on, Pryvani is waiting for us.”

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

As Sam sat in the corner of his cage, he felt his thoughts turn once again to the strange cleaning lady who’d managed to spare him a bit of kindness.

Part of him marveled at the idea that he could be so grateful that she’d treated him like a pet hamster and given him what was, essentially, a peanut.

He’d been worried when Syon Fand had seen the small bit of food still in his cage, he’d feared a backlash from the woman who controlled every aspect of his fate.

He needn’t have worried. Her only reaction to the discovery of the contraband had been wry amusement. She’d taken the food away and that was as far as it had gone.

Sam hoped that really would be the end of it. He feared what Fand was capable of if she got it into her head to truly punish him.

Then again, Fand was almost as contemptuous of ‘the help’ as she was of Sam himself, it was likely she would never conceive of a maid being any kind of a problem.

Sam sighed and held his head in his hands. Was this what his life had come to? He used to attend star-studded premiers and went everywhere in a limo. It used to be he couldn’t even get his mail in the morning without being mobbed by fans.

But it had been the first ounce of real warmth and kindness that he’d experienced in this hell. So the reality was that, yes, this was exactly what his life had come to. Still, he couldn’t feel anything less than grateful that there was at least one Titan with the potential for compassion. He hoped that if there was one, there might be more.

And that maybe there would someday be an end to his torment.

Sam had long suspected that what was happening to him might be illegal. He’d found it odd that he was moved from his cage to the Arena in such a discrete manner, and that the spectators he knew were beyond the black dome didn’t view the spectacle in person.

The whole thing screamed ‘criminal behavior’ to him. If he could just get that cleaning lady, or anybody, to see what was going on. Maybe…

He tamped down on the flame of hope that was rising in his chest. Not enough to extinguish it; he didn’t want that. Just enough that he wouldn’t be completely broken if nothing came from the hotel maid’s strange visit.

The door at the front of the room hissed open and Sam was completely unsurprised to see Syon Fand’s robotic lackey enter, carrying his familiar transport case.

With a groan, Sam rose to his feet, his entire body sagging with resignation. While he might someday manage to escape the hellish prison he’d found himself in, today was not going to be that day.

So he was to fight another battle.

Yvenna crossed the room and stood before the cage. The enigmatic Titaness bent slightly and stared into the cage, her icy blue eyes seeming to size Sam up the way a predator watches her prey before striking.

“No token resistance today Isamu?” The giantess asked, arching her eyebrow. “Have you possibly come to see the futility of railing against your fate?”

“No.” Sam replied, stretching his shoulders as Yvenna wrapped her fingers around his body. “I’ve just decided to pick my battles more carefully.”

Yvenna’s face showed no reaction to the statement. “Interesting.”

She lowered Sam into the carrier and snapped the lid shut behind him. She made note of his comments, and tried to decide if his new attitude was anything that needed to be brought to Syon Fand’s attention.

No. Yvenna eventually decided. It wasn’t.

And with that, she left the office and made her way towards the reception room where Vasha’s gala event was being hosted.

*.*.*.*.*.*

Pryvani ran a hairbrush through her multicolored mane one final time and checked her reflection in the mirror before deciding she was ready to go.

“Is there anything you need before I go, Zhan?” She said turning to the little man curled into a miserable ball on one of the pillows of her bed.

“No…” Zhan groaned, still suffering from space sickness. “I think I just need to sleep it off.”

“Okay.” Pryvani smiled softly and leaned down to gently brush her lips against his small form. “Get some rest. You’ll feel better soon.”

Pryvani turned and grabbed her purse from where it lay by the door. She stepped out onto the landing and made her way down the steps to the main room of her suite. Her high-heels made staccato tapping noises on the tiled stairs with each step.

She’d decided to eschew the long trains and large hats she normally wore to events like this. But, her public persona demanded eye-catching clothing, so she’d opted to go for a silver sequined sheath dress and sparkly platform heels. Her finger and toenails were painted bright metallic silver, her lips were a rich purple, and her eye shadow done in dark blue. She’d kept her hair loose, but dangling from each ear was a short chain made from diamond encrusted silver. Around her neck were several pendants of various colored gems.

She threw strap of her purse over her shoulder and waited. A moment later, the door to the other bedroom opened and Rixie quickly descended the stairs.

“Rixie, darling, you look amazing.” Pryvani complimented sincerely.

“Thank you.” Rixie replied with a smile. “You look ostentatious as ever.”

Pryvani grinned. “All part of the act, dear.” She held out her hand. Alex was transferred, and not without some reluctance, from Rixie’s hand to hers.

Pryvani smiled reassuringly as she allowed Alex to clamber onto her shoulder.

“Shall we go?”

“Yeah.” Rixie sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”

*.*.*.*.*

Sam brushed the sand off his arms as he rose to his feet after being dropped into the arena. The familiar black dome sat above, the white sand beneath his feet and his opponent du jour was waiting across the pit.

With a sigh, Sam stepped towards his latest adversary, hoping to get this over with.

*.*.*.*.*

As they stepped into the reception area, Rixie, Pryvani and Alex were immediately assaulted by the music and the lights inside the party.

To the titans, the music was soft background noise. To Alex, who was sitting on Pryvani’s shoulder, it was like a KISS concert. Fortunately for the human’s sanity, Alex’s ears were able to adjust after a few minutes and the noise didn’t sound quite as painful.

“I’m going to take a quick circuit around the room and see what the lay of the land is.” Rixie muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

“Very well, dear.” Pryvani replied. “I need to go and greet our host.”

Alex watched Rixie walk away from them and instantly felt a deep pit forming in his stomach. He knew it was irrational, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something very bad was going to happen while she was away from him.

Pryvani suddenly turned her body and Rixie was lost from sight. Instead, Alex beheld a titaness in a lurid magenta dress. Her hair was long and brown, with highlights that were almost the same color as her dress. Her eyes were a reddish brown that Alex had never seen on a human or a titan.

“Pryvani!” Her face lit up with a brilliant smile, and she walked towards Pryvani with her arms open for a hug. “How amazing to see you!”

She was quite a bit taller than Pryvani, so when the two women embraced, Alex found himself almost dislodged from his perch by the other woman’s incoming bust. He managed to hang on, somehow, despite being squashed by her flesh.

When she pulled away, Alex could still smell her perfume lingering in the air, he mused that she probably wasn’t wearing a lot according to Titan sensibilities, but to Alex it almost made him choke.

“It’s lovely to see you as well, Vasha.” Pryvani replied with a charming smile. “I don’t think we’ve gotten together since Graduation.”

“And such a shame.” Vasha cooed regretfully. “I can’t believe I see your mother more than I do you.”

“Yes well.” Pryvani’s voice never faltered. “Mother and I don’t exactly get along.”

Vasha linked her arm through Pryvani’’s and led her further into the room.

“Oh I know, this legal business…” Vasha waved airily, as if shooing a fly away.

“Well, I can’t say I really know much about it.” Pryvani mused. “My lawyers and the wonderful people who manage my affairs have tried to explain it to me, but I’m afraid none of it makes any sense. I just let them handle things, frankly.”

“Quite right.” Vasha agreed. “It’s what you’re paying them for. Will you excuse me dear? More guests to greet.”

“Of course.” Pryvani smiled. “We’ll talk again soon.”

“Naturally.” Vasha waved airily and disappeared in a cloud of perfume.

Pryvani watched the woman disappear with a roll of her eyes.

“Well, my dear Alexander,” She muttered to the little man on her shoulder. “Shall we mingle?”

*.*.*.*.*.*

Several hours passed and Rixie found herself moving along the perimeter of the room, quietly scanning for anything unusual.

In the beginning she’d been social, playing the part of one of Pryvani’s hangers-on… but that quickly grew tiresome.

Now, she drifted past other party goers in order to eavesdrop and hopefully pick up something useful. She came to the center of the room where a small platform was resting. On top of this platform was a white box structure with a top made of what looked like black glass.

Above this was projected the image of a pair of men fighting. At first Rixie paid them no mind, until her mind registered something familiar and she was forced to take a closer look.

“Oh gods…It can’t be”

She quickly turned and rushed back over to where Pryvani was chatting with some other guests.

“Excuse me, Pryvani?”

“Rixie dear, allow me to introduce you to-”

“Yes hello, nice to meet you,” Rixie plastered on a fake smile. “Pryvani do you have a moment? There’s something I need to speak to you about.”

“Oh. Certainly dear.” Pryvani replied, her brow knit with confusion. “Please excuse us.” She spoke to the crowd around her, and then allowed Rixie to lead her away.

“Actually, I really just needed to talk to Alex.” The taller woman muttered and gently plucked the human from his perch on Pryvani’s shoulder. In a moment they were in front of the box structure.

Rixie held Alex up so he could clearly see the projected image. “Alex, is that who I think it is?”

Alex blinked in confusion and watched the projection of the two men fighting. Rixie was right; there was something awfully familiar about one of-

“Oh my god!” Alex exclaimed. “Is that Isamu Rodriguez? What is this? Is this one of his movies? I don’t remember him ever playing a gladiator or whatever…”

“No.” Rixie replied grimly. “This isn’t a movie. This is real.” Rixie flinched as she watched Rodriguez take a devastating blow to the jaw that knocked him flat on his back.

“Oh.” Alex’s eyes got wide as the implication hit him. “Oh… oh no… They wouldn’t…”

“What’s going on?” Pryvani wondered. In the image, Rodriguez rammed into his opponent with his shoulder and then kicked him in the chest when he toppled over.

Rixie turned towards her. “That man right there?” She pointed to the tanner of the two combatants. “His name is Sam Rodriguez. He’s an actor. From Earth.”

Pryvani gasped. “So this is real… She’s making humans… oh Emperor… I knew Vasha was a piece of work but this is horrifying.”

“And the worst part is, without actual evidence we have no way to stop this.” Rixie growled. “She could just claim this is a created hologram.”

“We’ll find a way.” Pryvani replied resolutely. “I promise you that.”

“I can’t watch this anymore.” Rixie handed Alex back to Pryvani, and then quickly walked away.

Pryvani waited a moment longer, then turned and headed back into the crowd around them. Her fingers softly caressed the small form in her palm.

“Are you all right dear?” She asked Alex, whispering gently.

“Y-yeah.” The small man replied, trying to keep his body from shaking. “I just… I never thought…”

“I know,” Pryvani shushed. “It’s not right. It’s sick and horrible and we will find a way to put a stop to it. I promise.”

She unzipped her purse and gently lowered Alex inside. “Why don’t you have a little rest in here, okay? We’ve been here nearly six hours.”

“Yeah… that’s probably a good idea.” Alex mumbled distractedly, as Pryvani zipped her purse shut most of the way.

Pryvani took a deep breath and took a moment to steady herself. When she was sure she’d regained her composure, she plastered her best smile on her face and went to rejoin the rest of the guests.

Across the room, Vasha’s assistant Meeyli stepped over to the corner where he boss was standing against the wall.

“Did you bring it?” Vasha asked out of the corner of her mouth.

“Right here.” Meeyli responded, discreetly showing Vasha what she held in her hand

“Excellent. Get it done.”

Without another word, the hotel heiress’s young assistant stepped away from the wall and towards the semi-circle of couches where Pryvani was sitting. She spied her target sitting on the small end table next to where Pryvani sat.

Right on cue, Vasha stepped over to the group and ‘accidentally’ spilled her drink on one of the guests near Pryvani, predictably causing a scene.

With everyone distracted, it was an easy matter for Meeyli to snatch Pryvani’s purse and leave the identical one she was carrying in its place.

And then she quietly slipped away.

*.*.*.*.*.*

A sudden commotion caused Alex to awaken from the light doze he’d fallen into. The world around him was shaking uncontrollably and he wondered where Pryvani was off to in such a hurry.

“Pryvani?” He called out uncertainly. “Is everything okay?” There was no response however.

Several more minutes past and Alex was still unsure of what was going on. Then everything became still.

The zipper above him suddenly flew open and the sides of the purse were pulled open. Alex looked up to see a giant face looking down at him.

It wasn’t Pryvani.

It wasn’t Rixie.

The face had long brown hair and magenta highlights. Reddish brown eyes widened in surprise at seeing him there, and her mouth split into a grin.

“Well…” Vasha murmured. “Who do we have here?”