[b]Solarel[/b]

She gives herself a bump on the forehead with her own palm, which makes her hair bounce. “Ah right, ugh I’m dumb, so dumb, most of you don’t speak, I learned about that. Ugh, that was…yes, that was a yes, right? You look excited!” 

She runs through a whole emotional train here in the span of a couple seconds as she grapples with beating herself up and then realizing you’re enthusiastic all at once. Her face lights up when she reaches the end. “Okay, okay, can you uh…Terenians usually nod for yes and shake their heads side to side for no, like this.” She bounces and shakes her whole body as she moves her head, her long pink hair and her cape bouncing with her. “So uh, if you can nod then I’ll, uh, I can call my guys and we can do a thing. And, oh my gosh I haven’t even. My name’s Anna Maria Alvarez. I’m a film student, I’m making documentaries and I’m so excited to get to include a Zaldarian. Oh I’ll need to get an interpreter, I bet Pietro knows someone. Okay, so, well, can you nod first and then I’ll tell show the set and everything. And um, I’ll cover your lunch too, for giving me the time of day and everything. Thank you!”

***

[b]Isabelle[/b]

Asil, now sitting and working on her own ice cream, gives you a long, considered look. “You have had a lot of trauma” she says after a moment. She takes a considered bite of ice cream, very slowly, lowering her spoon and carving out a nice round piece. The smell of coffee rises from it as she works at it and she enjoys that while she’s thinking of what to say.

“What you’ve said is very bad, but what you’ve described is not a person, not even a very powerful and wealthy business owner, but some kind of monster shadow who reaches all around the galaxy.”

She chews again, considering. “You should meet my bisabuela sometime while she’s still around. She’s 105, did you know? Do you know what she’d do to your mother if she got kicked out of her apartment? It wouldn’t be a lawsuit or some dumb plan to make the system work for her. No, she’d come find your mother and set fire to her room with her locked in it.”

Asil stares you in the eyes. She’s grinning, but she is entirely serious. “Do you think bisabuela cares about getting hurt too, or dying? Or going to jail? She’s 105, she could fall over anytime. She would be delighted to go out spiting anyone who touches a hair on the head of one of her family members. Don’t think for a second that only the reach get to have family, Lozano.” She emphasizes the name, a reminder of the importance of who you are while also denying that importance. A dare, a challenge, and also a protector, someone who’d fight and die for you if you become hers. 

“Now, you’ll tell me that your mother would never let anyone get that close. That she’s perfect and monitors everyone and everything. That she’d be entirely comprehensive across the galaxy, right?” She stops and flicks your forehead all of a sudden. “Trauma! This galaxy takes weeks to get news from one end to the other. Even in TC space, you have to be somewhere and news only comes as fast as people move. She literally cannot get word of such a stupid plan any faster than it’s put into motion. But more important than all that. Than any of that is this. If your mother were really so powerful, so confident, so utterly in control, would she really be putting so much on YOU Isabelle? No. I know, trust me. You do that because you’re afraid. She is afraid that she can lose everything she has, that it’s really possible and she can’t do anything about it.”

And then she stares at you. She’s worried. Worried maybe she pushed too hard, but also worried about you, about how much hurt is inside you. She’s looking to see if she needs to stand back up and hold you. 

***

[b]Mirror[/b]

Whenever you return and have the time to check there are some notes for Mayze Serpaws. Some new orders from various nobles, including a member of the Hybrasilian military who had attended the party. Her name is Shiva Teuru Nine Dishai, she’s the leader of one of the largest huntress lodges on Hybrasil, an imposing lioness. She apparently found your designs intriguing. Though that one isn’t a rush, she wants it for use back home, not for a specific upcoming event, and will gladly take whatever timeline you offer.

Perhaps the most notable is a letter from Adriana Teresio. 

[i]To Mayze Serpaws,

You are a rare person. When offered an opportunity to curry favor from someone powerful and of vast wealth, you took a bold risk and delivered me something that could have made me very angry. Or perhaps something I might have refused and even sought to ruin your reputation for making. Many wealthy Terenians would have declared a vendetta against you for delivering a dress that drugged them for an evening. 

I am thus forced to conclude that you are either extremely analytical to have correctly understood that I am not such a person. Or that you are willing to humble those in power regardless of what consequences may accrue to you. In either circumstance, you have my deepest respect. People of your nature are extraordinarily difficult to find in my position. 

As a result, I will not sully your motivations with an offer of money or power. Nor promises that I cannot truly promise to keep given my political position. Rather, I simply offer you my personal contact. The enclosed comms channel can be used to contact me personally and directly at nearly any time (save perhaps if I am in a summit that prohibits any communication device while present). I trust you will either use it wisely or for an appropriate laugh before forcing me to replace it.[/i] 

There are, of course, many more orders if you’re willing to open things to them, Mayze has no shortage of customers that would simply offer money, but these two stand out from the others. 

***

[b]Jade and Dolly[/b]

When the party is over, the crews dispersed, and everyone rested (with appropriate blackmail saved for Six Stones), the question now is what comes next.

Mirror’s request is outstanding, and you wouldn't want to miss the finals anyway, so nobody is permanently leaving Akar for the moment. On top of that, Jade needs maintenance anyway after Mirror had to carry her out of the Arena. The entire connection from the central core to the idol’s legs is completely severed and the crew is going to have to rebuild that from scratch, sourcing all new components. 

Jade is also not the most patient mistress. She would like to be able to fly freely at any time, and so even though there is no match approaching, the crew are all working as fast as they can to get the idol fixed. In fact, there’s simply no technical staff to spare right now.
And that is why, Dolly and Angela, you find yourselves together in the bustling Akar port with shopping lists in hand and a long list of specialized electronics and neural mesh wiring to obtain. 

“...do Hybrasilians always press-gang their highest-ranked pilots into menial labor?” Angela asks, eyeing you in a way that suggests she’s seriously considering whether to lift you up and carry you over her shoulder to better navigate the crowd, Dolly.