Mutual Dis-Interest

Ugh. The smells are overwhelmingly strong in here.

Kai leaned against the wall, out of the way of the busybodies and cheerful party goers. The music, while it was soft on human ears, blared away in his sensitive eardrums. Scents that were generally mild or hardly noticeable, clogged up his sinuses and churned his stomach. It took all of Kai's self-control to not plug his nose or cover his ears with both hands in order to make the migraine he was harvesting disappear.

Glamorously dressed people swayed to and fro on the dance floor. Women in elegant and expensive dresses giggled and blushed as well dressed men gently led them in repetitive patterns. Waiters and waitresses slid in and out of the groups, visible ninjas of the socialites as they collected used glasses while offering full ones without the guest batting an eyelash. In the corner, a live quartet graced the room with soft music, the notes dancing through the air and around the several glass chandeliers.

It was boring as hell.

He pushed himself away from the wall and headed for the open doors that led to the "outside". The gardens were a much quieter place by far and much less empty. It wasn't as loud in here as it was "inside" but there was still a barrage of unusual scents. These however were less brutal on his nose and he was grateful for that.

Arthur, one of the newest citi, was lounging on a bench, looking rather bored. Not exactly wanting to wander off further into the garden (he could hear the whispers from secluded corners already) he sat down next to him with a simple "Hey."

Neither of them spoke, which was fine. Kai took in the unusual scents from the flora surrounding them, enjoying the brief moment of tranquility. While the plants were genetically engineered and probably nothing like their ancestors, they were still a nice change to the harsh chemical smells Kai usually was surrounded with.

Dallas came and collected Arthur, dragging him off towards the bar, no doubt to force him into a drinking game. Kai watched from afar as Arthur complained and moaned about what the senior citee was doing but succumbed to her demands in the end.

He's going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow. Kai thought.

"Is this seat taken?"

Kai glanced upwards. A young woman, possibly early twenties was standing there. Her chestnut brown hair was done up in one of the latest fashions but wisps of curly brown hair had escaped and now framed her face. Her green eyes matched her green evening gown which Kai had to admit, complimented her body.

Kai scooted over. "It's not mine. Do what you want." He told her. He wasn't particularly interested in chatting; he'd endured enough of that inside.

"Thank you." She sat down and to Kai's surprise, hiked up her skirts to strip her feet of the heels she'd been wearing. "These things are bloody unbearable." She said. Her accent was familiar Kai noticed. Was she from that Britannica place everybody kept mentioning.

"Much better." She sighed, once her feet were free. She stretched out in a rather un-lady like stretch. "I swear these events are just to remind us young people that we're not in charge of evil social torture just yet." She said as she covered a yawn.

Kai snorted.  Social torture? "That's a good way to call this." He agreed before his could shut his trap.

The girl blinked in surprise. "You're from England?' She asked. Her face lit up. "I thought I recognized a hint of the old homeland in your voice!"

"What's England?" Kai asked.

"It's Britannica's maiden name before the war." The girl explained. "We had to change when most of Europe entered the war and several countries united into one." She stood up to peer at Kai closely. He leaned back, not liking her getting in his space. Her eyes were a bit unnerving and he disliked the probing gaze they held. "You've got a proper English face at least." She finally said leaning back.

What does that mean? Kai wondered. Instead he said dryly, "It's rude to stare at somebody without at least telling them who are you." He ignored the fact that he'd been stared at by most of the base's lab coats for nearly four months now.

"Ah. You're right." The girl straightened up suddenly and offered Kai a curtsey, starling him. "Elizabeth Royal if it pleases you good sir. It's wonderful to make your acquaintance." She recited. "May I have the honor of knowing who I am pleasantly sharing a bench with?"

Kai blinked. He had honestly this style of greeting had died after the Second World War. "Kaiser Holmes."

She sat back down next to him. "Any relation to Sherlock Holmes?" She asked with a smile. When Kai gave her an irritated look she rolled her eyes. "Lighten up. I was only kidding." She told him. "So, you came in with the citi. Are you one of them or are you just an observer?"

Kai shrugged. He often got away with passing off as a rebellious teenager as he had no obvious animal like qualities displayed like the others did. There were a few people who were honestly surprised when he mentioned he was from Frostlorn. "What do you think?" He wanted to know.

"Well…" Elizabeth tapped a perfectly manicured nail to her lips as she thought. "I'd say you're one of them but you don't resemble them so it's something of a toss-up." She thought out loud. "However, I've noticed you've kept an eye on some of the other citi, particularly that Squirrel one when the ambassador spoke to her. Your eyes changed color so I have to assume you were displeased with the way he was treating her. Also, I've noticed you've placed yourself in prime locations to keep an eye on the doors and where you can hear everything. You keep counting heads and eyeing emergency exits as well." She grinned at him. "So my theory is that you're their bodyguard."

Kai smirked. "Nice theory but wrong." He informed her. "I keep an eye on them because they're my comrades." He paused though. "You picked up on all those habits?" He questioned. He hadn't realized he was doing those things till she mentioned them.

"You remind me of my bodyguard at home." Elizabeth told him. "He taught me what to look for in case…" She trailed off. Her gaze went past Kai's and to the man heading towards them. "Oh bugger." She muttered. Kai raised an eyebrow. With a groan Elizabeth began pulling her shoes on again. "My tutor." She muttered out of the corner of her mouth. "Probably came to take me home for the evening."

"Lucky you." Kai said as she tugged the last of the straps over her feet.

"Hardly. I was just starting to have fun. He wants me to prepare for the trip back home to Britannica tonight." Suddenly a wicked glint entered her vision and Kai felt his instincts groan. She was up to something and his gut didn't like it. She grabbed his arm, pulling him from the bench. "Of course, I can't leave just yet~"

"Miss Royal," The man approaching them looked rather stuffy and stiff in his fine tailored suit. "It is time for us to take our leave for the evening."

"I can't leave just yet." Elizabeth said clutching Kai around the arm. He raised an eyebrow as her nails dug into his jacket. What was she up to? "I was just asked to dance by this wonderful young gentlemen and it would be rude to refuse." She was lying and they both knew it.

"I did not-" Kai began but she already began pulling him back towards the noisy and glittering ballroom despite her tutor's protests. Kai winced as the noise entered his already throbbing head and the smells churned his stomach. "I'm not dancing with you." He informed her.

"Shut up and let me have my fun." Elizabeth told him. She was smiling and humming, no doubt pleased with her actions. "I didn't get to really talk with any of the guys from this country since I was in a Young Woman's Academy. Let me at least have a decent conversation with you." She said as she dragged Kai onto the dance floor. "Please?" She asked looking up with Kai.

Kai hesitated. The last time he'd danced was when he taught Noelle. Afterwards the lab coats had popped out of nowhere and dragged him off for a "physical" examination despite the fact that he'd had one only a few days ago. However, if he did, he might get to learn about this Britannica country a bit more.

He sighed and Elizabeth grinned. "Thank you Mister Holmes." She said as one song ended and another began. "I do appreciate it." As they began to move across the floor, stepping in memorized patterns, she added, "I do hope you visit Britannica someday. I'm sure you'd find our history much more fascinating than this lot."

Unbeknownst to most of the citi, The Director was standing nearest to the windows overlooking the city. Like Kai, he had been observing his subjects for the past few hours. He was more than pleased to see some of them mingling well while others were not. Angie looked exhausted and Noelle had hidden herself in the garden after encountering the Ambassador from Palforna.

Of course he hadn't come here to merely observe the citi. No, he'd been in at least four private meetings with various individuals and had renewed at least one contract from another. The only thing that hadn't gotten been accomplished was a meeting with Lowell Ferris. Not that it couldn't be arranged, he was his nature to sweep everything up in one hand basket and be done with it.

"Sir?"

The Director looked over his shoulder to see a waiter standing before him.

"There's a call from Frostlorn Base for you sir. If you'll follow me to the office you can take it there." The man reported.

The Director sighed but followed the waiter around the edges of the ballroom. He couldn't help but notice that the tutor of the illustrious Elizabeth Royal was clearly displeased with her choice of dancing partner. The man was growling under his breath about "indecent behavior and no concepts of time". Curious as to whom it was, The Director took a quick look.

It was the young wolf citee. Narrowing his eyes, he didn't exactly have a problem with his citee dancing with others but Holmes dancing with that girl in particular gave him a nasty feeling in his mouth. He did not want her to say anything that would trigger memories.

Unfortunately there was nothing he could currently do about it and went into the office that was off to the side. There the waiter handed him a phone and left to give him some privacy. "This had better be important." He told whoever was at the other end of the line.

"Is that any way to talk on the phone?" A familiar voice drawled. "Didn't your mother teach you telephone etiquette?"

The Director smiled thinly and leaned against the desk. "Where I learned my phone etiquette is my little secret Seth." He informed him. "However I'm very interested in learning how you tapped Frostlorn's lines."

He heard Seth chuckle. "It's no secret how I did it. I walked into your Director of Science's office and picked up the phone. Speaking of Secrets," Seth paused and the Director in his mind's eyes saw the former citee smile sinisterly. "I happen to know some of yours. Two of them to be exact."