Chapter 28 - The Night Before
Diego tugged awkwardly at the heavy golden collar around his neck, until finally it sat a little more comfortably. He played with the collar of his shirt then, thick and white with a delicate golden trimming that clung tightly against his body, trying his best to conceal the metal choker. His sleeves were currently rolled up above his elbows; he'd been hard at work for the last few hours, and didn't want to scuff or stain the cuffs. Over his shirt he wore a dark, satin black waistcoat that had an almost stormy undertone to it, matching his smart black trousers and smart black shoes, that clacked irritatingly against the floor with every step he took. A tail covering completed his ensemble, draped over the top of his tail and strapped around its width, to keep it in place. The covering itself only went about halfway down, as was the fashion, and sported the same stormy satin and golden finish as the rest of his suit. With a dark and moody attire to match both his skin tone and his tired facial expression, he might have looked a little too broody for a party, if not for the golden trimming. It brought out the soft golden glow of the rings that surrounded his purple irises perfectly, and pulled the entire outfit together. He had been allowed to keep his swept back, chaotic hair, but it had been trimmed and tidied up. It was still very much Diego, just a little neater than usual.
He was standing at the front door before a golden hosting stand, his gaze flitting down the impeccably printed guest list resting atop it. There was not an imperfection to be seen, not a stray speck of ink, not a character out of place. Everything was to be perfect tonight.
Although Diego was already having some doubts. He had come to a halt at the very first name on the guest list. "D'Boris..? Duh-Boris?" He said out loud, trying to figure out if the name sounded as stupid as it was spelt. Then his ears twitched; behind him, a pair of footsteps were slowly approaching down the great staircase that resided in the mansion's main foyer, interrupting his thoughts.
"So... how do I look?" Karen asked, clearing her throat. Diego turned slowly to face her as her hands patted against her hips, smoothing non-existent wrinkles out of the length of her dress.. She was smiling at him, albeit nervously, the slightest hint of cherry pink visible in her cheeks. Diego found himself smiling back at her.
"You look... fantastic!" She was wearing a long, sleek emerald dress. It ran the entire length of her body, the bottom of the dress sweeping gracefully along the floor. Above her waist, the dress allowed for just a tease of the dragoness' golden cleavage, enough to catch the eye, but allow the wearer to maintain that element of grace and class, essential if a host was to succeed at an event such as this. Her chest had not been left bare either; she wore a shimmering storm-grey necklace, contrasting nicely against her shimmering golden scales beneath it, held by a tiny delicate chain around her neck. Her outfit was completed with a set of ear and horn jewellery, just a couple of small pendants on either side of the same material, and a dark silver pair of heels.
Karen was blushing gently under Diego's gaze and approval. He turned back towards the hosting stand, feeling a little warm behind his ears himself, but continued to smile. "I just hope the guests will be worth all the effort. I can't help but feel that all this grandeur will be wasted on the likes of Duh- Boris." He gestured to the guest list and chuckled.
"The 'D' is silent. And that's Fairylin's husband by the way, so be nice."
Diego snorted and smirked. "I will not be silencing the 'D' for him."
"Behave, you." Karen replied, stifling a giggle. She glanced up at the grandfather clock on the landing. "Speaking of, they should be here shortly. And then, it'll be time for the rest of the guests to arrive. Are we all set?"
"Yep!" Diego replied warmly. Fairylin had graciously allowed Karen the use of Darin and Katie to help Diego prep for the party, but even so it felt like he'd been working non-stop for hours, setting up chairs, laying tables, polishing pointless baubles and preparing various different entrees to suit both the most basic and exotic of palettes. "I have a good feeling about tonight, Karen. I think everything will go... exactly as planned." The plan, Diego thought to himself, of course being the Solar Seraphim. They would be touching down in a matter of mere hours now, silently, in the dead of night, and finally, finally he would be on his way back to Seeth and Plasia... and the others, of course. The anticipation was starting to get to him, butterflies danced inside his stomach and excitement bubbled in his chest. Although he couldn't quite shake the gnawing feeling at his stomach, the guilt of leaving Karen behind.
Just then, there was a noise at the front door; their first guests had arrived. "Shoot, that's Fairylin!" Karen whispered, her voice a little panicked. "I'm going to do one final sweep of the house and the garden, once I'm out of sight, let them in!" And with that, Karen ducked quickly out of the foyer.
Diego waited just a moment. He sucked in the silence and savoured it; he wasn't going to get much - if any - respite from the draconic upper classes now for the next several hours. We're almost there, just a little longer... He sighed deeply through his nose, then marched up to the front doors, and pulled them open.
*
Two days ago, the dreadnought's bridge had been a cold, empty shell, untouched for decades upon decades, save by Darkpaw's engineers, who then had engaged with it with great caution and care. But now, the bridge was swarming with the Rewritten's Nodes, at least on the lower decks. The Rewritten didn't actually have the numbers to actually fill the bridge as it was so large, but the bottom deck was packed to the brim.
As per Moltezz's demand, there were several caskets of drink and tables of food placed directly outside the blast door to the heat chamber. The deck above was carefully monitoring the situation. Every Node clung to their chairs, claws and nails digging into the rests as they felt the dreadnought warm and swell with energy.
They all stared at the number on their screens.
85% heat intensity.
It had steadily risen over the last two days, and although progress had slowed...
The blast doors suddenly creaked open and a wave of heat filled from the room. Moltezz. The Molten Mistress' rippling muscles glistened in thick, dripping sweat, running down her ruby skin. Her body was clad only in her psyonic amplifier armour, trapped heavily over her shoulders and back.
She stomped up towards the suppliers laid out, snatched an entire keg off the floor, hauled it above her head and twisted the metal sharply. The keg sheared in half and water poured over Moltezz's glowing frame, splashing into her open mouth and over her sweat-soaked body. The air filled with a violent hiss as the water boiled away. She snatched up a second keg, opting to drink from this one's tap instead.
