enough. Even when washed.” Xandree was definitely right. As usual.
Daniel drank some tea. “I was afraid you were going to say that.” It was well known all over the ship how he felt about suits, so there was some laughter and a careful pat on the shoulder for encouragement.
Daniel spent some more time talking to Ulaman, Xandree and Draiky, and then he went on deck again to spend some quality time with his sailor friends. They all were very curious, so he took the time to tell them about the events in hospital as far as he could and listened to their stories. Time flew, so he joined the crew for a meal on board. After that he wished them all good luck in getting the ship in shape again and left the harbour, in search of a clothing shop. For the appropriate attire that would be appreciated…
“No, sir. I must strongly disagree, with your permission. You should put on the blue suit again.” The face of the man in the clothes shop made it clear that ‘no’ was not an option. “It suits you, the colour looks perfect on you as well.”
Daniel did not like blue. The fact that his skin was still slightly blue was bad enough, but this man, who insisted on selling him a sky-blue suit, was driving him mad. The worst thing was that the other two shops where he had been had also suggested blue suits. “I think that more blue is not a good idea, sir, considering the present colour of my skin,” he tried. The brown one he had on now was good.
“Oh, really sir, if that is the whole problem, we can simply arrange for a light toning powder to make your skin look more its natural complexion again.” He rushed off, leaving Daniel behind. In a blue suit, in full view of a large mirror.
The man returned with a young woman who carried a large box. Daniel recognised the thing as a beauty case and shivered. “Look, dear sir,” he started, “this is just for a soiree, a one time affair.”
“Oh, but I do understand, Mr. Zacharias,” the clothes addict responded, “and especially if that is the case, you should not do less than the utmost to make a perfect impression on your hosts. Now if you would please take off your coat…”
Daniel was relieved from the suit, planted in a seat, and the young woman got to work on his arms, face and neck. He tried to object only one more time, but that did not seem to reach any ears, so he gave up and in.
After an hour of being brushed, painted, powdered and rubbed, the young woman was satisfied. The clothes man invited him to put on the blue suit again. He complied and looked into the mirror.
Daniel got up and looked. “Wow.”
“Excuse me, sir?” the woman asked. “Is something not to your liking?”
“Oh, no. I do apologise, miss. I am surprised, you did an outstanding job,” Daniel had to admit. Even the blue suit did not look so bad now. The procedure had been more than the ‘light toning powder’, but it was worth it.
The clothes advisor smiled. “I am glad you approve, sir. I do have an idea now. If you would excuse me…” Again he rushed off.
“Will you be needing me, sir, Arvin will know where I am,” the painter lady said. “The colour will stay for several days, and it will hold in a bath. Do refrain from one today, please, though.” She smiled, curtsied and left, her box in her hands.
Arvin the clothes man returned, another suit in his hands. “This, sir, might be more to your liking.”
The suit he brought was dark blue. Daniel put it on. And he liked it. The pants and sleeves were too short, but Arvin promised that their tailor would be able to correct that without a trace.
Daniel left the store, a small business card tucked in his pocket as well as the address coordinates of the shop in his hydger. The suit, the new shirt and the tie to match would be waiting for him the next morning.
22. Soiree (1)
Daniel came into his apartment again. He carried a large package. The trip to the clothes shop had gone well, the final fitting of the new clothes was swift, and Arvin had also sold him a pair of new shoes.
“Do wear them today, sir, and take them off a few hours before you will be going to the soiree tonight.”
Daniel had no idea how much this purchase had set him back financially. He still had not figured out how much he had to spend. As long as nobody complained, he assumed things would be fine.
After hanging up the new suit he stripped and stepped into the small bathroom. Carefully he rubbed his forearm. Very good, he thought, the painter lady knew what she was doing: the colour did not yield. Carefully despite that, he showered. The colour held.
He spent most of the day walking around his apartment in his new shoes, reading a few newspapers he had picked up earlier, and chatting to Tomlin for a few minutes. The hydger surprised him: he was using it many times and there was no indication it needed to be recharged. Hooray for puzzling technology.
As he had not the faintest idea until what time the soiree would go on, he took a nap for a while. After waking up from a disturbing Rhonda-filled dream, he took another shower, as most of the day had already gone by.
Putting on the suit, Daniel wondered what he was going to encounter that evening. The princess of course, he thought with a snort. And the mouse was probably going to be there. “Do not use that word, stupid ass,” he scolded himself. It would be too easy to let that slip out in a conversation. If he had to go through this, he would do it as well as he could.
Daniel looked himself over best he could, using the small mirror in the room. It would have to do. He locked the door, unlocked it, went to fetch the invitation, and then went out to the street.
He opened the hydger and switched it on. It spluttered and crackled at him. “Oh no. Not now.” He closed the cover and slapped it. Then it worked. “Percussive maintenance,” Daniel grinned, remembering the expression from a star base mechanic from so long ago.
The carriage came to pick him up. He used his revived box and the vehicle got in motion. As it left the Skarak city limit it suddenly picked up its pace. Daniel had never thought these things could go so fast, and he admitted to himself that the velocity worried him. The carriages did not exactly strike him as being built for speed.
The need for it became clear however, as the trip took some twenty minutes. Clelem’s house was located in the Zoroon Community, where the high society of this area lived. The houses that the carriage took him by proved that, and after slowing down upon entering Zoroon city itself, the houses became mansions. Daniel was amazed by the size of the homes.
The carriage stopped and the door swung open. Daniel left the cart and was greeted by two men in red uniforms. They stood near a small platform that was circled by many torches. He handed them the invitation.
“Ah, Mr. Zacharias. Welcome to the house of Seigner Dandra ko Galem,” one of the men said. “If you would please wait a moment, the floater will return soon.”
Floater? Daniel looked upwards as there was no house where he stood. He saw an oversized football come down. The thing was about fifteen foot long, and as it was almost over the platform Daniel saw that the yellow blot beneath it was a basket. They were going to bring him up in what looked like a hot air balloon! He fought an upcoming grin and lost.
Another carriage arrived, and two people stepped from it. They were greeted as Seigner and the lady Porval ko Winkui. They looked magnificent, Daniel thought. Not his style or taste, but still.
The two uniformed men held open a hatch in the basket. Daniel let the Seigner and his lady step in first, then he followed. He’d trail behind and see what happened.
The floater slowly moved up again. No one had pushed anything, it just went. The ride was only forty-five seconds, but it allowed for a truly amazing view of the bay that was coloured by the setting sun. The floater stopped its ascent at a wide bridge that led into a small building. Daniel grinned again; he had seen this in Tomlin’s house.
The people left their basket, and the floater went downwards again to pick up more visitors. Daniel followed the couple inside, where three ladies in black gowns welcomed the guests, relieved people from their overcoats and beckoned them to walk on.
As Daniel had expected, there was a transparent tunnel which led to the main house. It was considerably longer than the one he had seen before.
Daniel stood to the side of the tunnel and took some time to take in the place of his boss. It was huge and
