Levana Blackburn, queen of Luna, sovereign of the entire moon and soon-to-be monarch of Earth, was not happy.
No, that was an understatement. She was not just unhappy. She was displeased. Enraged. Definitely not in a state anyone would want to cross her in.
She hadn't been this livid since that Cinder girl had barged in just under two decades ago. She didn't think it was possible to be this ill at ease, not after she'd secured her kingdom and Earth in one fell swoop.
But now she was sick with her own moodiness.
Standing beside her vanity table, Levana silently cursed the Selected. She cursed the star-forsaken planet, the people she was forced to deal with. Crafting an impressive glamour, she cursed those Earthens that were too stuck-up for their own good, the subjects that just wouldn't cooperate. Yelling at her seamstress to sew an especially pretty dress - "and by the stars, make it unforgettable!" - she cursed Venus, the genius that had found this idea in the first place.
And it was a good idea. That was what Levana fumed about. It was a show-stopping idea, and Levana hated that she hadn't thought of it herself.
But she also hated that she had to deal with the side effects, the Earthens that actually had the nerve to bring mirrors into a Lunar palace. The dim-witted, ungrateful sector girls. Even the Artemisians were getting on her nerves.
If they had decided to enter, to test her will, then they'd certainly get what they'd come for. If these Selected dared to try and steal her crown, they would suffer in the name of the queen.
Levana knew she wouldn't last forever. She knew that Obsidian would make a mockery of the entire Lunar legacy if he took that throne alone. She knew that this process was probably the best way to find someone suitable. But to let go of the crown, to give it to a joke of a son and some girl that might not be trustworthy...
Levana often imagined her rule as a grand catwalk; the view was lovely and she had power over the entire world from her vantage point, but the glass was so thin she felt it might snap at any moment. And having this Selection, placing her entire faith in an amateur would be testing that glass to its limits. She and her power would plunge into oblivion, to be replaced with someone far less skilled at the careful dance of royalty.
Once the seamstress had left, Levana sat on her throne-like chair meant for lounging, retiring to her office for a brief moment. Not that she lounged much of late, since she was always on her toes. But she liked feeling queenly and insurmountable atop her seat of power, even if no one was there to cower before her.
Her node chimed from inside a cupboard. Huffing, Levana stood and snatched it, wondering who would be comming her at a time like this. "Incoming comm from Head Thaumaturge Venus Castillo," said the disembodied voice inside the node. "Accept?"
Levana sighed. What could she possibly want? Why would she disturb Levana after the fiasco at dinner the night before? "Yes, accept," she said, alighting on her chair once more and throwing on the veil lying in wait.
The screen filled with Venus's manicured face, her dark skin providing a nice background to her flowing blonde hair and sparkling eyes. She looked superior, almost languid, entirely candid and natural residing in her own office.
Natural...
Levana gasped, realizing something in that quick intake of breath. The girl was not wearing any kind of disguise. That was her real appearance, staring her right in the face, unclouded by the usual glamour. Her features were much realer, granted, her skin marked with moles and imperfections, the tiny circles beneath her dark eyes betraying her fatigue. But she... she was naturally beautiful. She didn't utilize or even need her glamour in the way Levana did.
Many thought the young thaumaturge exotic, deducing from the mutterings Levana had picked up in the palace hallways. These conversations, or any conversations about another's looks, were always hurriedly followed by a compliment about the queen's 'goddess-like grace' or her 'ethereal radience.' The citizens were scared. They were scared, and rightfully so - she was always watching.
But Levana resented them anyway, despite their constant flattery, because she knew it was not genuine. They were always talking about the guards' looks, or the appearance of a particularly famous noble, or even Kai's dashing smiles. They favored an Earthen more than they praised their queen.
"Something the matter, Your Grace?"
"Venus," Levana said, the greeting coming out as a hiss through clenched teeth. "What is it?"
"Ah, Your Majesty, how is your day?"
"Spare the pleasantries," said Levana. "What is it?"
Venus's eyes narrowed over the netlink and her lips pursed together, but she didn't comment. Had she spoken out against Levana's sour mood, she would be executed quicker than she could stutter out an apology.
"I've found a potential candidate for a coordinator," she said, her voice unnecessarily bright. "There was only one, so I just-"
"One moment, Venus," said Levana coolly. "Are you assuming that you still hold a position as head thaumaturge, after your absence at the dinner yesterday? Not to mention the display last week?"
"I don't know what you mean," said Venus, equally cool. "And I should think so, seeing as I'm the only one that knows enough about this Selection. I do apologize, however, for the absence. I was fulfilling your last request; you do seem to ask a lot of me, My Queen."
Levana was boiling. Her skin threatened to melt off in her anger. Her eyes threatened to blaze through the node and right into Venus. She knew she was overreacting. She had been overreacting when she lost it last night, lashing out at Miss Astair.
But things just weren't going as planned, and she couldn't sit and smile anymore. The people needed to remember that she was in power. It was not pleasant, not heroic or civil. But it was necessary.
"Mind your tongue, or you won't have anything left of it to mind," she snapped.
"My Queen, I wouldn't think that wise. I just found your coordinator, and you won't be able to find anyone else. In turning me down, you are turning her down as well. This girl is your one chance. I am your one chance."
"I don't need you for this Selection to succeed, and I don't need your desperate pleas either. You hold no power, especially after I discovered your... distaste toward me," spat Levana. "I want a thaumaturge that will respect me, Venus, and you have done nothing of the kind."
Venus clicked her tongue, apparently disappointed. "What a shame. I'm so sorry to hear that, as it appears I am the only one who knows the identity of your only hopeful coordinator. She is not at the palace, so you will have to find one on your own, and I don't think you'll have much luck. I won't be telling you her identity anytime soon, after the callous way you've conducted yourself. But I wish you the best." Her index finger went to end the comm.
"Venus," said Levana, her voice low in its seriousness. "I can easily get that information out of you. You are not superior in this situation, or in any situation, for that matter. So if I were you, I'd stop pretending and start steeling yourself for a very unpleasant day."
Venus sighed, an exhausted sigh that suggested she was a mother reigning in a difficult child. Levana didn't like it at all.
"Am I of no value to you, Your Majesty? Do you not owe me for giving you the best chance in nineteen years?"
"I owe no one," said Levana darkly. "I am the-"
"Yes, I know, you're the queen, and that gives you power over every single living soul on Earth and Luna and any other place you can find," she said, flailing her hands in an erratic gesture. "But I know some other things about you, besides that insatiable need for power you can't seem to satisfy."
Despite herself, Levana's blood ran cold, though her face didn't betray so much as a degree of the sudden change. "That won't matter once we have your trial," she said.
"Won't it? You would not think of killing me. And even if you did, I, technically, can plead my case in the trial, and I will spill your secrets to the world if it means my very untimely death." Venus's voice, usually so even and calm, was dripping with pent-up anger.
Levana shivered. Venus couldn't know that much. How could she have figured anything out? And what could she use against her? Levana didn't have that much to hide.
All the same... wounds were still healing. Revolutions were still stirring. If her restless citizens found anything, they'd use it against her.
She was perfectly capable of defeating them, and she'd proved it, but even so - it would be best to stay safe. She needed to be much more careful. Things might be a lot more grave than she'd perceived.
Whatever it was, she'd be able to handle it, obviously. But she was not about to have another episode of rebellion. She was not about to lose her throne.
A thought made its way to the forefront of her mind. She could just skip the formalities and kill Venus privately. She could make up an excuse for her death.
Then again, she needed to make an example. Holding a trial could be the perfect chance. Besides, she was rather fond of them.
But if Venus really did know the things she'd so carefully guarded...
Levana huffed. "Venus, what you have said and done is unforgivable. I don't care if my throne or my name is jeopardized, you will get what you deserve. These secrets you claim to know about me are merely lies you've spun to spare your skin."
"Oh really?" said Venus, leaning forward. "I don't think I'm invented the secrets about your lost sister, or that little princess who tragically passed away by the hands of a supposed guard. And I could tell you a thing or two about what lurks beneath that glamour of yours that is certainly not a fantasy." Venus's voice had become dangerous, her eyes fiercer than Levana had ever seen. This woman was crazed.
Rumors. She'd only heard rumors. That had to be all.
Levana scoffed. "You're bluffing."
"I can prove it, here and now. Would you like to know what I know?"
Levana clenched her hands against the arms of the chair. "I don't care what you know."
"Then you wouldn't mind me telling the entirety of Luna at my trial?"
"You won't do anything of the kind. I am stronger than any one of my subjects. Not only that, but who's to say I won't just deal with you in secret?"
"My Queen," Venus's use of the title had become something of a mockery, the two words laced with so much hatred that it was painful, "you chose me as head thaumaturge for a reason. I'm one of the only people that can resist you. I'm always the one that handles the trials. So it looks like we're faced with two choices."
She smiled and counted them on her fingers. "Number one: we put this whole conversation behind us, forget everything that has transpired and continue as partners without so much as a hitch, or number two: you hold a trial and I expose you to Luna."
"They can't dethrone me," said Levana. "Whatever leverage you claim to have over me is not that scandalous, as I don't have many secrets. The ones I do have are entirely unrelated to my throne."
"So you admit it?"
Levana's lips moved soundlessly. She was entirely off-kilter today, and she'd managed to get herself into very tight bonds.
Venus took in a deep breath. "This conversation is pointless. Make your decision, Your Royal Majesty."
Levana leaned into her chair, thoughts swirling in her head. She always gave punishments to those that crossed her. Venus should've been punished at least five times now for her lack of respect and her manipulative methods. Then again, she'd just given Levana an ultimatum. If she didn't follow through...
She would not lose her crown.
"I will go with your first decision for now," said Levana, her voice returning to its usual dreamy cadence. "But, in contrary to what you said, I will not forget this exchange. You will continue as my thaumaturge, and you will do everything I say, lest I change my mind. Is that to your liking, dear?"
Venus smiled. "I'm glad we have come to an agreement. I will bring in the coordinator so you may question her." They shared a smile most saccharine and Venus ended the comm.
Levana stood and turned to the door, laughing at the small blunder Venus had made in saying that the coordinator was not at the palace. That piece of knowledge, at least, was a fabrication. As for Venus's knowledge of her secrets... well, Levana was still undecided on that matter.
She checked her glamour one last time, ensuring that the image in her mind was firm. She was oozing power. She could feel it sizzling off her like rays from a grand celestial body. It was a corona, an aura. She was the queen of Luna, and that was how it would be until her death in fifty or so years.
As Levana approached the door, it swung open to reveal a figure, entirely cloaked with a long dress, gloves and a veil not unlike Levana's. The person - a woman, judging from her build and attire - swept into a graceful curtsy, her gloved hand clutching her skirt. Levana immediately noticed her lack of energy and turned up her nose.
"A shell?" she spluttered. She was not dealing with a shell today, on top of everything.
"That's right, Your Majesty!" said the figure, her voice pitched high. "I'm Andrina Bleu, at your service, and may I say, you're looking positively uncanny today! I wondered if I could speak to the king consort?"
Levana pinched her lips into a frown. "Remove your veil."
Andrina fell back a step. "I'm sorry, but that's one thing I won't be doing today."
Levana narrowed her eyes. "What did you say?"
"I said no," said Andrina, her voice now carrying a humble undercurrent. "You see, I don't have glamour at my disposal, and I couldn't imagine showing my face to you, seeing as I'm hideous and insignificant, and I don't even have a gift! And look at you, so beautiful with your fabulous dress and your terrifying eyes and your unbelievably perfect skin... Not that I've ever seen you in person, but that portrait looks gorgeous."
She gestured to a painting on the wall of Levana leaning against the rail, her dress a royal blue and her eyes like onyxes, her ruby lips shaped in a serene expression. There were many portraits of herself on the wall, and she did indeed look wonderful in the depictions. But this girl was a shell. What did she know about Levana's looks?
Levana shivered, pulling her veil tighter. Shells could see past all glamours, which meant that if Levana hired Andrina, she'd have to be constantly on guard.
"I just feel like... a shell, if you will, next to you. I'm sure you understand," she continued.
Levana huffed. "I am queen, Miss Bleu, and I am smarter than you realize. Remove your disguise."
"Oh, it's not a disguise, just some protective layering, like yours. Why don't we make a deal?" She clapped her hands. "If I take off my veil, you can take off yours. Then we can forget our differences and really be honest with each other."
Levana chuckled incredulously. "I will not be doing that."
"Oh?" Andrina sounded genuinely surprised. "Why not?"
Levana felt trapped, suddenly; encased in ice, the walls closing in. How dangerously near Cinder had come to unmasking her. She remembered the faces of everyone on that team; the soldier and the redhead Earthen and that cursed little shell. One more day, and they'd have had her dethroned.
Levana was struck witless. "Nothing you would ever be able to understand, seeing as you're a shell."
Levana saw Andrina's fingers twitch inside her gloves, saw her mouth open and close. "Well, I'm very confused, then," she said, sounding very much confused. "I've heard that you're the fairest queen of all. But you aren't being fair, not even a little. And I know that's not my place, since I'm a lowly shell and all, but I just wanted you to know. You're giving off the wrong impression."
Levana ground her teeth. What was it with these people today? Everyone in the world was beneath her, and yet two were managing to outwit her.
If she continued refusing to unveil herself and reveal her true appearance, she would seem paranoid. Not only that, this girl was stubborn. She wasn't going to give her much of a choice.
"You will uncloak yourself eventually," said Levana firmly.
"Oh, for sure!" said Andrina. "Next time I see you, I'll do that. I just don't feel like we're at a point in our relationship where I can let my walls down, you know? And if you're not letting yours down, I just feel super vulnerable dropping mine. It's nothing personal, but if you can't share your feelings, I'm afraid we'll just have to stay like this until - I don't know - you hire me, or something?"
Levana clenched her teeth. She was at a crossroads, that was for sure. For one thing, she needed a coordinator. She wasn't about to trouble herself or her thaumaturges with the task; they had better things to do than babysit and plan silly parties.
She could always ask someone from the sectors. They made easy puppets, but she wanted someone truly dedicated to the task. She didn't want to be controlling a person twenty-four-seven.
For another, this young woman was extremely suspicious. She wore a veil and hid her appearance as well as her identity - but she was a Lunar. They were insecure by nature, especially the shells. She certainly didn't have it as bad as Levana, no one did, but maybe it was something worth covering.
Still, Andrina had been sassy throughout their entire conversation. She wasn't going to deal with that for however long the Selection lasted. Then again, she wouldn't have to see her often, and maybe the Selected needed a critic...
"If you can't think of something right now, that's okay!" said Andrina. "I'll give you time to mull it over in that superior head of yours. But while you do that, could I speak to King Consort Kai? I was hoping to ask him something."
Levana shook her head. "His Majesty does not receive petitioners. What did you plan to ask him?"
"Oh, nothing," said Andrina breezily. "But if we are done here, I have very important things to do with my time, and if I was in your most illustrious presence any longer, my wir - my soul might melt into a puddle of humiliation."
Levana scoffed. "Well, I'm not surprised. I am the queen."
"I know," said Andrina, a hint of exasperation entering her tone.
"What did you say?" said Levana coldly.
"I... I know... about that fact, because I've been... researching. In your database. Because you're so cool and I wanted to learn more about you. And when I did I felt sufficiently humbled and... Enlightened!" She ended her warbling explanation with a satisfied smile.
Levana scowled, unimpressed. "Let's end this discussion. I'm getting very tired of your company."
Though Levana couldn't see her subject's face, she could practically feel her unease. "Right. So, do I have the job?"
"On one condition," said Levana sharply.
"Name it, Your Majesty!" said Andrina, sounding overjoyed, such a sharp contrast from her previous embarrassment.
"You will provide evidence of your identity. If not to me, you will do it to a thaumaturge or guard."
"Oh... no problem!" she said, her voice lowering in her dread. "Of course."
"Ensure it is someone who serves me. Can't have you lying about it, can we?"
Levana noted, with some pleasure, that Andrina was trembling, hands bunching her skirt, which Levana noticed was threadbare and a very faded blue. If this girl had some hidden secret, it would be revealed soon enough. And if she didn't, she would be a suitable coordinator, albeit a barely tolerable one.
"Nope, we sure can't!" said Andrina, reinvigorated. "I'll get verification of my identity and then I'll start with the Selected. See you soon, Your Majesty."
"I'm looking forward to it, Miss Bleu."
There was something familiar about the girl's walk as she bounced out of the office, something about her perpetually perky nature that rang a bell. Even her feisty undertone made Levana's mind reel.
Andrina was probably just a shell, enchanted by the queen's power and terrified of her own reflection. But it never hurt to be careful. Careful was all Levana needed to be at this point. Something was happening. Something that could very well end with Levana's throne in the hands of someone far less experienced.
And that was not going to happen on her watch.
...
She'd done it.
After three failed attempts involving a very perceptive street vendor (despite Scarlet's skepticism, people did remember Selene's companions), an unimpressive effort at cheap street performing (Thorne could smile, but he couldn't juggle), and a surprisingly tactful rich girl, she'd succeeded in getting into the palace uninhibited and convincing the queen, even if she hadn't been able to see Kai again. This option - coming into the palace in disguise and finding a new model after she was hired - had been a last resort, a last sputtering hope that was bound to diffuse.
But here she was. Despite the odds - 29.4%, as her calculating system had informed her - Iko had done it. She'd actually spoken to Levana without getting her head severed! It took all her will not to do a happy dance right there in the immaculate hallway.
But there was still a very crucial part of the plan to carry out. Iko - or Andrina, she reminded herself - needed to find a way to get verification. Good thing she could switch bodies at a moment's notice.
The problem: she had no body to upgrade to, much as it pained her to be behind in the fashion industry. The other problem: Luna had recently adopted an Earthen custom - ID chips. And she didn't have one. She had a bunch of other ones, including her unique personality chip, but none of them were for her identification. She didn't need it; she was an android, a tool that belonged to someone.
A servant, a toy, and for some very desperate people, a fake friend or significant other to show off. Usually an escort running away was not a problem, because they had no souls or minds or free will. Well, the joke was on them. She was now a shell, not exactly her preferred species, but human nonetheless. No one would know that she was an android beneath the new, incredibly convincing escort model.
She would no longer be classified as a mindless piece of technology, but a living, breathing organism.
Human.
But not yet. She needed to find a whole lot of univs and a trustworthy Lunar, two rarities in this world. And after that, she needed a body and a fake identity. She'd also have to quell all her quirky android habits for the few months that the Selection lasted. A very long to-do list that scrawled across her vision in annoyingly bold text.
But there was one thing working in her favor. Levana had slipped up in their short interview. She'd said that Iko could show evidence of her legitimacy to someone that served the queen; her processor had saved their entire interview, like it did every conversation. That meant she could ask help from the kinder people on Luna - guards and servants, people from the outer sectors who might sympathize with a poor revolutionary.
She just needed to find someone.
Iko hurried down the hallway, bouncing with all the grace of a butterfly. Her scanner noted each passing stare, some confused, some suspicious. A few of the servants and guards who could not sense her lack of life force bowed to her, and she accepted it like an actress, playing her part. People probably mistook her as some grand aristocrat, some prestigious noble, and she was sucking up all the attention like an eager vacuum cleaner.
Iko pinpointed a random guard in passing, hoping and pleading he was a nicer one. She could only see the back of his head; he hadn't glanced her way once. "Hey! Mr. Guard?"
The guard turned around and... holy spades. He was absolutely beautiful. She'd thought the handsomest people in this world were Kai, Sid, Thorne and that guard who'd helped her back when Cinder was still alive. But no. This boy must've been sculpted from clay, probably inspired by some perfect angel, because he was the most lovely human specimen her scanner had ever detected.
"My Queen?" The guard's greeting came out as more of a question, his hand raising in an uncertain salute.
Iko's processor whirred double-time in her surprise, and she hoped the offending Lunar wasn't hearing it. She'd worn the veil as a ploy for sympathy to the queen, it was a key part of her plan, but... she hadn't realized people might think she was actual royalty. She readied her most diplomatic voice nonetheless, still gazing star-eyed at the guard.
"Hello! Don't worry, I'm just a harmless shell. I'd actually love your help, if you have a second..."
The guard was slimmer than many of the guards, though it was still clear he'd gone through training, with light brown hair, olive skin and surprisingly lively blue eyes. She was starstruck.
"A... shell? You're impersonating the queen." He laughed incredulously, though it didn't show on his face. "That's a really stupid thing to do. Who are you?"
"That's the question of the day!" she said brightly, trying not to feel offended. This guard could not be a jerk. He was too gorgeous. He was probably just playing hard to get, as Cress had once told her people did. "I'm Andrina Bleu, the new Selection coordinator - hopefully. I just need help with verification, because Her Majesty is worried about my identity. You have the authority, right?"
Iko was actually proud of the name she'd made up for herself. Andrina sounded like android, and that was wordplay. That was sure to prove Thorne and his cynicism wrong. She could be punny if she wanted to be, and she did.
"Uh... probably." He cleared his throat. "Take off your veil. It's unnerving."
"Could I do that somewhere more private, like in a deserted staff room or something? It's just that..." Iko winced, looking down at her 'borrowed' dress. It wasn't hard to feign insecurity, especially since she was such an old model, given the accelerating rate of technology advancement. "I don't want to be seen."
The guard pursed his lips, seeming to be at a total loss for words. Then he shrugged. "If you want."
"Perfect! Do you know somewhere we could go, or should I just wander aimlessly for awhile-"
The guard gestured, still looking dazed. The place he was pointing to was... a holograph. Of Princess Winter.
Iko's fan stuttered. She fell back a step. "Stars," she murmured. Red splotches, desperate breaths, crazed chattering and tears that wouldn't come because Iko wasn't normal, because she was an android, and she hadn't been able to save Winter... she'd failed.
"Never seen her before?"
Iko shuddered, suddenly feeling as though some wire in her programming had overheated. "No, I have. What, is there a secret passage or some - oh. That's convenient."
The guard had slipped past her and sliced through the holograph, pulling open a metal door beyond.
"These are for the guards, so we can get to each other or the queen quicker. If you're really that insecure about your looks, this is the place."
Iko nodded. That would've been incredibly nice to know back when they'd been infiltrating the palace. She noted it on her mental map, realizing that if she was employed, she could get here any time.
This guard was either very inexperienced or very kind or very trusting... or very stupid. She was hoping the second or third one. Kindness and trust would help her immensely.
The guard led the way as they stepped inside. It was much as Iko had expected, a lot like the tunnels under Kai's palace on Earth. A blank hallway, devoid of decoration with branching corridors and stairwells. A crossroads for meeting spots and shortcuts.
A wonderful hiding place.
The door closed behind him and Iko smiled beneath her veil, but her inner workings were humming. Now was the moment of truth.
Would he tell on her, or would he keep his mouth shut? Would he help her, or could she possibly be executed for treason, ruining her only chance to avenge Cinder and stop this endless game? Odds were being calculated, hasty percentages and numbers and proportions flashing through her brain as it all connected into a maze of what-ifs.
"What's your name?" said Iko.
"Sir Stellar," said the guard, voice barely above a whisper.
"Mmm. Well, it's nice to meet you! And I'm..." She grimaced, touching her waist where she kept a tranquilizer gun, just in case. Then she lifted the veil. "not Andrina."
Sir Stellar's features seemed to still as his bright eyes took her in. Then, recognition. And a slight smile.
"I knew it."
Silence stretched like a spider web between them before Iko ventured to snap it. "I don't compute."
A real smile, for the first time, if not a closed one. "Are you really the..." He thought about it for a moment before shrugging. "What are they called?"
"Revolutionaries? Criminal masterminds? Anti-Levana-ists..."
He stared blankly. "Anti-Levana-ists? No. The... computers that they have on Earth. The ones that look like humans but they're actually just-"
"Androids," said Iko, smirking. "We're called androids, and I no longer belong to that species, thank you very much, because I'm changing into a shell, and you're going to help me."
He eyed her. "...What?"
"Oh, come on, I thought you guards were smart! Okay, first of all: how do you know me?"
He shrugged. "Stories. Some people sing songs about the revolutionaries in the outer sectors, although they always have to do it quietly." An edge of bitterness sharpened his tone.
"They... sing songs about me?" Iko asked, her voice coming in an awed whisper. She was famous on Luna? Well, it was no surprise, given her exceptional taste in fashion and her charismatic brilliance.
Sir Stellar continued staring at her. "Yep... though not so much about you. It's usually Princess Selene and Princess Winter they sing about. But I heard about you because you helped the princess escape." A touch of sadness entered his gaze, and Iko felt her fan slow in her despair.
Winter.
She hadn't done it. She hadn't saved Cinder or Winter or Jacin or Cress or Wolf or-
The guard coughed. "So what do you need from me? To lie about your identity?"
"Yes, that would be great, actually. I'm a shell, so I wouldn't possibly be able to manipulate you, and you serve the queen-"
"Reluctantly."
"-so no way would you lie to her, right? That's the case you plead. She'll believe you!"
He pressed his lips together. "I don't think she'll be that easily swayed."
"You'll just have to take a chance. You'd be great at the whole 'oh, you are fairer than all in the cosmos, and I'll give you my firstborn child if it would please you' thing."
He chuckled. "You think I'm an actor?"
She threw up her hands. "Let's hope so. Will you help, because you're technically a witness now, and this is technically a crime, so-"
He nodded quickly. "I'll help you. But..." A touch of uncertainty crossed his features. "How do I know you're not glamouring me right now?"
Iko glared. "Excuse me, I'm an upstanding citizen with no gift, and I wouldn't do that, even though sometimes I wish I could. But if you want, I could show you my inner workings-" Iko reached for the latch at the back of her head, pushing an azure braid out of the way.
"No," he said, his voice holding conviction for the first time in their conversation. "And even if I wanted you to show me, that could still be glamour."
"Hmmm." Iko knew there wasn't an answer for this predicament stored in her brain or waiting to be found on the net. "You might just have to trust me for the time being."
He scoffed. "I just met you ten minutes ago."
"Actually, it was nine and three-quarters of a minute ago," she corrected.
He stared at her, apparently still confused by the fact that he was essentially talking to a glorified computer. Iko was hoping that, eventually, the idea that she was programmed would just vanish from his brain, and he'd think of her as an equal human being. But these were Lunars. They were stingy.
"Okay... well, it's been however many minutes, and you could be an impersonator."
"I'm not catching your logic," said Iko. "Why would I want to do that? What possible trick could I be pulling? Why would Levana or anyone want to impersonate me? Not to say that I don't have an impeccable fashion sense and beautiful hair, but there's no strategic gain. You don't know me, so I wouldn't be bait or someone you could spill your secrets to. Besides that, I couldn't exactly be used as a weapon. I do know Karate, I looked it up the other day, but you have a whole lot more training than me."
Stellar blew out a breath. "You've really thought this through."
She grinned. "You're talking to a genius. In the flesh. Er... synthetic tissue..."
He winced. "I definitely didn't ask to know what your skin was made of."
"It's nothing gross! But back to the topic at hand. Do you honestly think I could be a bratty Lunar? I mean, think about it."
"Great question."
"Speaking of great questions," said Iko, leaning forward, "do you want the queen overthrown?"
He held her gaze for 4.9 seconds before sighing. "That would be nice, yes."
"Okay! Well, that's the plan. I happen to know a few other people who would like that as well, and we've figured out a way to make it happen." They hadn't, but that was beside the point. "If I can get up close with the Selected as an inside spy, it would benefit us all."
He raised an eyebrow, still perplexed. "All I need from you is a signature. Then I can handle it from there, unless you happen to have enough univs for an escort-droid on hand?"
He smirked, another breach in his cool composure. "Don't I wish."
"I didn't think so. But I can get that money if I use my wages. Coordinators probably get paid more than guards... I'm hoping. I don't think Levana will be patient, and I told her I'd show her my identity the next time I saw her, so I'll just have to avoid her until then."
Sir Stellar had no apparent reaction to her unending explanation.
"So...?" She wiggled an eyebrow and he dipped his head, hopefully to hide a blush at her outright gorgeousness. She just wished she had the univs, then she could get an up-to-date model with fifty different hairstyles and-
"I'll help you."
"I don't comp-"
Sir Stellar pulled out a node. "I'll give my signature." His gaze dropped to the device in his hand. "Best of luck."
Iko threw out her hands in an airy twirl, a ballerina at her big debut. She felt her spirits lift and her braids billow and her skirt unfurl as she gained momentum... and bumped into the cool stone wall of the passageway, the tight confines restricting her from the dance. But it did nothing to lessen her euphoria.
"I knew you had it in you! Thanks so much." She grinned and kissed him on the cheek, and the expression on his face made it all the sweeter. "I'd better go see the Selected, then." Iko turned on her heel and started for the metal door.
"Wait."
Iko turned her head. "Yes?"
"Are you gonna put your veil on, or..."
"Oh, yes, that." Iko sighed, lifting the veil. "It's so boring. How am I supposed to be fabulous with a veil?" The guard didn't comment, though she hadn't expected him to, and she covered herself without further complaint.
It was time. Iko grinned as she skipped out into the hallways, excitement leaping through her in a giddy burst of energy like a recharge.
This Selection was going to be the biggest, most exciting thing since the revolution. And it started with giving the Selected some excellent fashion advice.
...
Bada boom bada bing. Iko's still broke, but she got the position for now. And we get to see Remi again, woo! Reviews are loved and wholely appreciated. I'm sorry this chapter didn't have any Selected, but for the next good while, they'll be the main event. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and that it didn't seem like a filler, because it's important in the grand scheme of things. Everything will be picking up soon and the intros are tentatively set for Chapter 11/12, so that should be fun.
My perception is often different than that of my readers, and I love seeing responses from y'all. :) And thank you thank you to those that have reviewed, submitted, supported and all that jazz. I'm deliriously happy whenever I get a character or a kind word in my inbox, as well as reviews, of course. Love you all! See you soon!
