Staring at her brightly lit reflection, Sapphire fiddled with her earrings.
A white moon dripping with stars, it was a great find. Each star had a little blue gem. She didn't know if the gems were real or fake, though, she hoped that for thirty five dollars, the artist she had bought them from hadn't sold themselves short.
The light from her vanity mirror twinkled playfully off of the tiny moon and star earrings as she turned her head about to admire her purchase. She knew just the outfit that the earrings would match with, and hoped she would have a chance to wear it soon.
There was a knock at the door. "Miss Sapphire?"
"I'm almost ready." Sapphire replied. She took the earrings out and tucked them away in her jewelry box. Although its finish showed signs of age - an antique - the carved floral design was ageless. It was a box that she had bought herself, and it was teaming with all her precious purchases. Free trade jewelry, carefully sorted polished gemstones, and her favorite, a white gold Libra charm necklace.
"Do you need anything?"
"No, thank you, Blue." Sapphire smiled even though, from behind the door, Blue couldn't see her. She hoped that Blue could at least hear the smile.
Sapphire locked her jewelry box with the key she wore around her neck. She then replaced that jewelry box with the collection her mother had been adding to each birthday. This box had a beautiful, glossy finish. From this box, twinkling music when Sapphire opened it, Sapphire selected a modest pair of pearl earrings.
Once the earrings were in place, she looked back in the mirror, and fussed with her dark, wavy hair a bit more to make sure it was all presentable. Then, she stood and exited her room, finding Blue waiting for her.
The two made their way downstairs to the car that was already waiting for them in the driveway.
"How was your class last night?" Sapphire asked Blue on the way down the curved, polished hardwood stairs.
Blue had started working as Sapphire's mother's attendant a year ago, in order to pay her way through dance school. She was studying international ballroom and advanced ballet. Sapphire's mother had taken a liking to the young girl for her demure appearance and grace. The girl was just shy of nineteen, with fair, unblemished skin and startling icy blue eyes. It was a blessed find for Blue, as she received lodging along with her pay. In turn, Sapphire's mother was able to keep up appearances as a philanthropist by taking the opportunity to become a regular donator to Blue's school and patron to performances.
Blue smiled, gently, her eyes hidden behind her bangs. "It went very well, thank you."
When they reached the car, Blue opened the door for Sapphire, who joined her mother in the backseat. Blue went to sit in the front, with their chauffeur.
"Good morning, mother." Sapphire greeted.
Her mother replied in turn, and studied Sapphire's choice of clothes. Even though she found suits rather stiff and constrictive, Sapphire had dressed herself in a decent steel gray business jacket and skirt. She had taken the liberty of choosing a sky blue blouse that she liked. It might have hung too loose on her for her mother's liking, but with the car already pulling out, it was too late to change.
At the very least, her mother recognized and approved her choice of earrings.
Neela Heerak, co-founder of Diamond Reliable Energy Company, turned her attention back to all the emails pinging on her phone. She was in her usual power dress of choice, a deep indigo colored satin sari. The two of them were quite contrasting. Even if Ms. Heerak and Miss Heerak both had cool, dark skin, that was where their physical similarities ended. Sapphire Heerak had a short, flat nose, round face, and wide eyes. Neela Heerak had a long, straight nose, and an expression so somber, that her smile never quite reached her tired, drawn eyes. Still, she was adept at staying on top of business, as needed.
As such, Ms. Heerak spoke aloud as she sorted through the emails, primarily for Sapphire's benefit. She sent off an email to her secretary, Holly, to let her know that they were on their way to the interview. In an almost immediate and impressively punctual reply, Holly informed her that the invite to the upcoming fundraiser banquet had been confirmed.
Sapphire listened, but most of her attention was spent gazing out the window. When her mother concluded checking all her emails, and had opened her news app, Sapphire began to chat idly with Blue and the chauffeur. Her mother interrupted every so often to inform her of which company was doing what and how the governor's election was going.
It was a twenty minute drive before they were pulling into the gated off parking lot of one of Diamond Reliable many energy plants. They didn't arrive too late, to the pleasure of Sapphire's aunt, Peela Heerak. Neela's sister, older than her by a year, was the other co-founder and CEO of Diamond Reliable.
Peela was waiting for them, her own attendant, Hazel, beside her. The two were quite a pair, and they contrasted Sapphire's mother and Blue. Neela also had a long face, like Peela, but her features were sharper. More so, while Neela wouldn't let the West intimidate her out her dress of choice, Peela preferred to do the intimidating. She wore a pressed and sharp business suit, and shiny black heels that added three inches to her already impressive height of 5'10. Aunt Peela liked to stand at the same level as the stuffy white men she interacted with a lot, if not over them.
More so, while Blue was poised and quiet, Hazel was poised and still unapologetically sarcastic. Aunt Peela, nevertheless, liked Hazel because the young lady never talked back or sassed her employer.
Also already there, and standing a bit off to the side, were the journalist and Diamond Reliable's chief engineer, Peri Aiza. The journalist, Old East Time's writer Lapis Roberta, was chatting with Peri. From the snippet of the conversation that Sapphire overheard, the two had discovered that they liked the same TV show.
"Ah, you're here." Peela announced as Neela and Sapphire stepped out of the car. Blue closed the car doors behind them and took her place beside Peela's attendant. Peri and Lapis looked up from their conversation.
"You two, go make the tea and coffee. We'll be in the West Sun meeting room." Peela instructed Blue and Hazel.
"Yes, mam." Blue and Hazel chorused, before going in ahead of the others.
Neela went to Lapis and shook the journalist's hand.
"Neela Heerak," she introduced herself. "Pleased to meet you. Thank you for coming to interview us."
"Likewise." Lapis nodded.
Sapphire also stepped forward to introduce herself. She added that she was Neela Heerak's daughter as an afterthought. Lapis' brow rose in slight interest at that. Sapphire also found Lapis quite interesting. Whereas everyone else there was dressed like they were attending a formal meeting – even Peri had on her bowtie, a Camp Pining Hearts bowtie upon closer inspection – Lapis wore faded jeans, a loose white button up, and a sweater with the sleeves rolled up. Her lightly streaked dark hair wasn't done up perfectly like Sapphire and her mother were used to doing for themselves, but the disheveled look wasn't unattractive.
It certainly didn't escape Sapphire's notice how Peri saddled up close to the journalist. Of course, having known Peri through her seven years working for the company, Sapphire knew that anyone who took interest in anything important to Peri was an immediate friend.
"I was thinking that I would first interview the two of you," Lapis then said as she gestured to the Heerak sisters, "on the inspiration and funding behind this project, and then Ms. Aiza on the engineering aspects."
"That would work just fine." Neela said.
"Shall we head inside?" Aunt Peela asked.
Instead of taking the direct route, Aunt Peela took the time to point out the main areas of operation. There was the area for the oil tank (which was not visible from the entrance, set on the other side of the grounds as the administrative building), the combustion chambers, the generators, and the main attraction of the event, the newly constructed carbon capture and storage center.
This new addition was to capture up to 90% of the carbon output of burning fossil fuels, and store it instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.
Shortly after sitting down in the West Sun meeting room – one usually not used because it faced the rest of the plant instead of the entrance – Blue and Hazel came with the coffee and tea.
"Coffee or tea?" Aunt Peela asked Lapis, as Blue was automatically serving the Heerak sisters and Sapphire their spiced milk tea. Peri received her coffee, and put four sugars in it, as usual.
Lapis studied the tea. Each glass teacup had a stick of cinnamon, as garnish.
"It's very sweet," Sapphire said.
"Coffee, please." Lapis sat back in her chair. "One sugar, no cream."
Blue and Hazel served her as requested, she thanked them curtly, and then the two attendants went to stand off to the side.
"So," Lapis started out, pulling out a tape recorder and pressing play. "Let's start with the basics. What inspired you two to start using carbon capture and storage?"
Aunt Peela went into her readied speech, with Neela occasionally chiming in, about how efforts to reduce carbon emissions were a long time coming to America. They spoke of how Indian engineers were already pioneering the next generation of technology in carbon capture and storage, and how they wished to not only replicate that, but surpass it in America. They stressed that they were doing this not just because of the tax benefits offered by the government, at which Sapphire smirked behind her tea glass. Her mother and aunt were pleased if they could help the environment in some way, but they were businesswomen, first and foremost. Their primary goal was to stand out from the competition.
In that effect, Aunt Peela proudly pointed out that previous usage of carbon capture in America was primarily with coal based energy plants, and they were leading the technology to oil based energy plants. Lapis asked about the difference, and by that point, the conversation started delving into technical matters. Peri was just about vibrating in her seat, but that may have been because she was on her second cup of coffee. She kept having to push her glasses back up her little nose.
With that, Lapis' interview with the founders of Diamond Reliable concluded. Lapis snapped a few photos of the sisters standing by the wide window overlooking the facility. They all shook hands again. Peri excitedly cut in and offered a tour.
Peri was quite the image beside the Heerak sisters. They towered over Peri's small 5'2 frame. The sisters were also composed and their outfits faultless, while the only things neat about Peri's usual appearance were her bowtie and hijab. Her outfits were primarily for comfort, such as the olive green button up that had clearly been worn for an all-nighter.
The image made a little more sense when Peri and Lapis stepped off to the side.
Sapphire's mother and aunt preferred to stay back, but Sapphire had put on sensible walking shoes in the hopes that she would get a chance to look around. Pleased with the addition, Peri fetched Sapphire and Lapis both hard hats and orange vests.
As they walked around the facility, it was nice to watch Peri open up so quickly to someone new. The fact that she got to babble on about her life's work was also a plus. But Sapphire remembered that when she first met Peri, the woman seemed almost disinterested in her. Because of Sapphire's more enigmatic nature, and Peri's inability to make effective small talk, it took a while for them to warm up to each other.
Here, Lapis kept the recorder going, and dutifully took pictures of whatever Peri pointed out as being important. Lapis took a lot of pictures.
Besides just looking at whatever Peri told them to pay attention to, Sapphire observed all the employees going about their business. Some of them recognized her, and these workers would whisper to whoever was next to them about who she was, and then they as a group would start putting in extra effort to appear like they were hard at work. They likely wanted nothing but good words about their work. Not wanting to intimidate them, she smiled and greeted anyone who looked her way in recognition.
When she noticed that any employee she greeted lit up with the acknowledgment, she began to nod to everyone she saw. She even stepped off to the side to chat with two men, not wanting the conversation to disturb Lapis' recording of Peri's tour. Sapphire asked what they were working on and how they were doing, and was momentarily distracted from her guide.
"Sapphire, we're almost done with the tour, so we'll be heading back soon." Peri called out to her.
Sapphire thanked the men for their work and turned around to return to Peri and Lapis, when someone barreled into her.
The two of them were nearly knocked to the ground, if it weren't for one of the men being right there to catch Sapphire from tumbling over.
Once they were all righted, Sapphire looked up to see who had run into her.
"I'm so sorry!" The person blurted out. The first thing that Sapphire noticed about them was that they were a young woman who looked about Sapphire's age. Her dense, coily hair pulled back into a low, short ponytail, but the hair looked like it was struggling to break free of both the hairband and hardhat. The poor girl was so embarrassed that a bright red had lit up her face.
"Are you alright? I'm so sorry, I didn't see where I was going!"
Sapphire glanced behind the woman to see two other women staring wide eyed and doing their best to look innocent. Ah. So they had been the distraction.
"I'm alright." Sapphire assured the woman before her. "It happens. Just be more careful next time."
"Of course!"
Sapphire nodded again to the men she was speaking with, and to the woman whose face was still heated red with embarrassment.
When she went back to Peri and Lapis, Sapphire heard whispering behind her, and then a sharp, quiet "What? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"Oh, Miss, have a good day!" The woman then yelled out to Sapphire.
"You have a good day as well." Sapphire called back.
Both Peri and Lapis were watching everything with bemused expressions. As they were walking back to the administrative building, Peri made a comment about how the woman was probably new. She asked if Sapphire wanted to report the clumsy incident, but Sapphire declined.
Maybe it was just for her own gratification, but Sapphire was quite enchanted by the way the woman's deep, dark brown eyes stood out more with her flushed tawny skin.
She didn't want such a person to get in trouble. Maybe she even wanted to see her again.
(Long) Author's Note:
So this whole thing started with my Geosystems class. While my professor was lecturing about climate change, I had doodled human Sapphire in a business suit. The drawing and the idea of Sapphire being the heiress of a company got set to the side for a long while, until I returned to it - climate change in mind. This story involves two things I have very little knowledge of: business management and engineering. If you happen to have expertise in either of these fields, I welcome critiques and advice.
Also, I am super creative with names. Neela Heerak means 'Blue Diamond' in Hindu. So guess what Peela means! That's right, yellow. Amaze.
Poor Peridot will be the Moon Moon of the story. Her surname is Spanish for rock or cliff. She's Rock Rock.
Lapis is the only one with a normal name because my friend requested her surname to be Roberta. Both her and Peri are Filipina. Because I said so.