A Day in Giganta
"That concludes this recording of
Ecstasy in Purple
by Adelard Cantacuzene. We at the Pania Federation of Jazz Musicians would like to thank you fo--"
Click.
A wet finger flicked the ruin-carved switch of the phonogram, shutting the music off.
Quintus stepped out of the shower, his finger flicking in a circle as a spool of mana twisted the knob shut and the shower went to a trickle and died down. He gave his neck a couple of cricks as he dried his long black hair and stepped in front of the mirror.
"Mmm, looking good there, Quint. Nothing like a hot shower and a little bit of that new jazz to set me straight." Quintus dragged his hand over the smooth surface of his brown chin--it was supple, soft, a little feminine, but with that masculine charm.
Ding...
The soft sound of a chiming bell echoed from the hallway clock before the steady tick of the second hand came along.
"Shit... It's 5! I better wake Snakes. Amé ain't gonna wait all day for me, especially if she skipped lunch today."
Quintus pressed his thick wool towel over his long, wet black hair and rushed out of the bathroom into his flat. He got to the carved wooden armoire and briefly split his focus, his eyes glowing blue as he imagined clothing flicking out from the cabinet and onto the bed.
A second later, a few hangers laden with some silk trousers, a double-breasted coat, and a tasseled blouse came flying out and landed on the bed. The hangers lifted through the air and flew back into the armoire as Quintus hurriedly slipped the outfit on.
He walked through his flat over the cool oak floors, narrowly dodging around his leather chesterfield as he made his way to the door. He reached for the handle and opened it, then shut it quickly as a hit of cool air struck his bare neck.
"Nuts! She's gonna bite my head off if I don't at least look half sane at the Blades." He stopped himself and grabbed a silk ascot from the hat rack, tied it around his neck in a cravat style, then fetched a bowler. He stopped himself again.
"Eh... naw. No hat tonight. It'd probably get lost anyway if she or one of the folks there got frisky tonight." Then he decided to toss it back on the rack.
He popped on a pair of black wingtips and made his way out the door. Warm sunlight bathed him and muddled with the cool spring air as he stepped out into the marble doorway of his apartment.
Quintus started to make his way down the steps in a hustle. They were a long spiral--a full 150 feet down--and about every 10 feet he passed a new platform leading to another marble archway like his own.
This whole set of human-sized apartments was carved into the bannisters of the larger frame of his neighbor's doorway. He was a proper arch giant, about 200 feet tall, and his door was even taller. Plenty of space for city planning to squeeze in a few dozen human and ley giant apartments in this block of the red-light district.
Quintus kept hustling till he hit the bottom step, walking out onto the massive platform that was his neighbor's archway. The floor and the door had a custom-carved pattern--a belly dancer, second grade--just like Quintus.
He made a mental note to send the neighbor a letter asking if the union had any new dances they'd come up with, but he shook his head. He was running late, and he sprinted for the carved set of human-sized stairs that ran along the middle of the massive doorway's stoop.
As he got to the townhouse's walkway, he looked out at the street: a set of high fences--one side 50 feet tall and the other only 10 feet--with rich green lawns and flower beds behind them that framed the way to the sidewalk and the bustling city street.
He started walking down the way.
"Hey Quint! Hold up, honey." Quint paused on his walk and looked up at the 50-foot-high fence to see an even taller figure behind it. She was a bodacious figure--lush caramel curves contained in a long pleated skirt and vest-and-blouse combo, with a suspiciously low-cut chest revealing an ample valley behind it.
His neighbor, Mrs. Psella, walked up to the fence, her watering can in hand as she waved down to him with a smile brighter than the sun, letting her ample chest wave to him too, as well. His cheeks reddened a bit at the sight of the 80-foot-tall lady.
"Quint, dear, it's been too long. You need to get out the house, honey!" she said, leaning on the iron-spiked fence, her hand letting go of the watering can as it floated away on a mana current and went about sprinkling the rose garden behind her.
"Hehe, fair enough, Mrs. Psella. Listen, I need to run. I'm in a rush right now, and that trolley could get here anytime."
"Oh ho, someone got a hot date this late in the afternoon? I bet it's Ms. Amédée, ain't it?" She leaned down low into that fence, her large, pretty face raising an eyebrow.
"Hehe, eh, maybe I do and maybe you're right."
"Oh, I just knew it. She's a real looker, Quinty-dear. You know I saw her on those train union ads down by the station. You're a lucky little devil, Quint--cute too." She gave him a wink, and he blushed back. Mrs. Psella's pink lips spread into a Cheshire grin at that.
"Anyway, honey, enough of me teasing. You gotta run, and I got a gift for you for your date."
"Oh really now? What's that? Something new from the university?" he asked as she reached into her pocket.
"Good guess, Quinty. Our friend Epi cooked up a little trinket. It's a sexy little number--I think she'll get her master's for this." Mrs. Psella had a tiny steel canister pinched between her fingers. She let go of it, and it floated down into Quintus's hands.
It looked like a cocktail shaker, and with a brief shake, it sounded like it was full of ice. "Uh, okay... what is it? Booze?"
"Nope, it's ice!"
"Really?"
"Yes! Epi said it's an adaptation or something from her witchcraft research--some ancient old spell or something for icy sensation play. Apparently, you pump mana into it and toss your favorite ingredients--and people--into it and make a delicious cocktail."
Quintus looked down at it, honestly surprised, and shrugged. "Okay... and how are you supposed to get someone in it?" The thing fit in his hand, after all.
"That's the best part. It and the ice are engraved. Fill it with mana--it'll grow to the right size and do the rest once everything and everyone is in there! No need to worry about the ice melting either."
"Huh, well that's convenient. Should be fun down at Green Blades," Quintus said as he tucked the cylinder into his breast pocket.
"Mmhmm. Pass it to Tassi--she'll figure it out. Anyway, you should have a date coming up, right?" Mrs. Psella asked as she laid her head into her hand and relaxed on the fence.
Quintus practically jumped at the realization and looked at his watch. "Nuts! I need to get a shine on! See you, Mrs. Psella." He started running down the walkway toward the street.