Chauncey arrived at six to announce that the guests were arriving. Veronica had emerged from the bathroom shortly before Chauncey's arrival, clearly enjoying the luxury of a hot bath. Valeria hadn't rushed her, instead spending the time trying to walk in the high heels provided by the Ultra-Luxe.
"Are you ready to make our début?" Veronica asked as she cocked her head with a grin and rested a hand on her hip.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Valeria replied with a nervous smile.
"Then lead the way Chauncey!" Veronica said gaily as she turned toward the door. Chauncey nodded and led the two women into the hall. As they walked toward the stairs to the lobby, Veronica looked over her shoulder at Valeria.
"Wow, you sure walk quietly in those shoes." She whispered with a grin.
"I…I'm not wearing them." Valeria replied with a flush of embarrassment.
"You're barefoot?" Veronica exclaimed incredulously as she looked at the hem of Valeria's dress. Accustomed to wearing boots, Valeria had found the shoes uncomfortable. She also discovered that her center of mass was in her upper body making balancing difficult. Already self-conscious, Valeria decided to take advantage of the floor length hem and go without the shoes.
"Oh well." Veronica declared with a grin. "Given what you're showing off in that dress, I bet nobody will be looking at your feet anyway. Who knows, maybe you'll start a trend."
Valeria smiled gratefully at Veronica's attempt to cheer her up as they entered the lobby and approached a set of doors separated by red velvet ropes from the rest of the casino. Chauncey unhooked one of the ropes than pushed the doors open. Still holding the rope, he stepped aside and nodded to Veronica and Valeria to go ahead. Veronica turned and smiled at Valeria, but now there was a hint of fear in her eyes. Valeria squared her shoulders and strode into the room with Veronica following several steps behind her.
The hall of the White Glove Society was a lofty chamber with a sunken floor dominated by a long banquet table. The far side of the room was a stage covered by green velvet curtains decorated with the masks of comedy and tragedy, and to the right a bar and podium. The strains of the song "Something's Gotta Give" played in the background over the murmur of conversation. The members of the Society were wearing formal attire with gilded facemasks and stood clustered in small groups. As Valeria approached conversation began to die as one by one the society members looked up. Soon the entire gathering was silent as they stared at the two women.
Valeria stoically surveyed the crowd listening to gasps and muted whispers until a woman in a white dress approached with a tray holding tapered glasses filled with pale yellow wine. Valeria looked down at the woman who visibly steeled herself as she held the silver tray. Valeria nodded and offered a tight-lipped smile to hide her fangs before taking two glasses from the tray. The ritual completed, the woman quickly retreated and Valeria turned to hand a glass to Veronica.
"We paid the piper." Veronica quipped as she took the wine. "Now let's dance."
As if a signal had been given, the murmur began again as the Society Members returned to their conversations. Valeria stood looking about uncertain about what to do. Veronica took a large drink from her glass and smiled at Valeria.
"Maybe they have a buffet table or something." She said.
"The White Glove Society offers only the finest delicacies for the truly discerning palate." A member in a dark suit announced loftily as a group of society members approached them. "Dining at the Ultra-Luxe is far more than satisfying base hunger. It is a celebration only for those of culture and breeding who can appreciate it."
Valeria stared at the man, recognizing the insult in his tone. The other members had drifted toward them and now waited to see the reactions of the barbarians in their midst. Valeria never knew how to reply to insults, and usually ignored them. However, she was unable to walk away this time and her awkward silence began to elicit smiles and discreet snickers behind raised hands.
"I'm Veronica, and this is Valeria." Veronica said stepping to Valeria's side. "You have to excuse my friend and I. We're just off the wastes and aren't familiar with social etiquette, so we're a bit confused. Are you trying to be insulting or are you just a fucking idiot?"
Veronica grinned as her comment elicited gasps and a few chuckles from the members.
"Clearly the standards of the Society have lowered greatly if wasteland savages are allowed." The White Glove replied with a sneer.
"They let you in didn't they?"
The White Glove's face darkened with rage, then he glanced up at Valeria who had crossed her arms and was glaring down at him. He opened his mouth to speak, then his eyes widened as he saw the look in Valeria's eyes. He glared at Veronica, then spun on his heel and strode stiffly away.
"You know Val, this could be fun." Veronica said with some of her old confidence restored. "Let's mingle."
Although the tension in the air had eased a bit, it was still clear that they were not welcome in any conversations. However the white gloves were finding it difficult to actively snub Valeria when they kept sneaking looks at her. With their masks it was difficult to read their expressions, but the women would look then whisper to one another, falling silent when Valeria wandered near. Valeria quickly had enough "mingling" and walked to the bar. Veronica followed her looked back at the gathering while drinking her wine.
"It's almost eight." Veronica observed. "It looks like Domino's fashionably late."
Valeria sighed in weary resignation as she leaned on the counter.
"It may not look like it." Veroncia said as she gestured with her glass toward the gathering. "But you've really given them something to talk about."
"No more than you did Ronnie." Valeria replied with a smile. "Thanks."
"I saw that put-down on an old holotape." Veronica admitted. "I couldn't believe I had a chance to actually use it."
"Member of the Society, honored guests." Chauncey suddenly announced from the bottom of the stairs leading to the banquet table. "If you would please take your assigned seats, dinner is about to be served."
The society members began to approach the table while Chauncey stepped aside and waited. When Valeria and Veronica descended the steps, he stepped forward and indicated their seats near the end of the table. Once he saw they were seated he left for the head of the table to assist the Society members.
Veronica scowled at her plate in frustration. She had hoped to approach Domino discreetly to increase the likelihood he would be receptive to her offer to work for him. Given the location of the chair at the head of the table, that was going to be difficult.
"Good evening." A cultured voice with a noticeable English accent announced. Valeria looked up and her eyes widened in astonishment as she saw a ghoul in a black tuxedo and dark glasses standing behind the podium.
"Once again we have gathered to sample the finest cuisine and most unique experiences the Mojave has to offer. For your dining pleasure, Philippe has prepared for us the most humble of dishes, the ubiquitous meat pie."
There were murmurs about the table as the ghoul who had to be Dean Domino smiled and surveyed the room. He then raised his hand for silence and continued speaking.
"Don't let their appearance fool you. Philippe assures me that this recipe is a culinary breakthrough, and that you will be treated to a truly singular dining experience. He calls this dish "Sweet Veal", and I challenge you to identify its subtle flavor."
As Domino spoke, waiters in black tails and masks began to file through a door near the bar carrying trays filled with steaming pies.
"Members of the White Glove Society." Domino said as he stepped back from the podium. "Bon Appetit."
Valeria looked at the pie on her plate, then about the table where she noticed all the Society members openly or not so openly watching her. Clearly they expected the savage mutant to tear into the meal like an animal. Valeria picked up a knife and fork, carefully cut a piece and deliberately began chewing it. Immediately her mouth was flooded with a delicious combination of savory juices and spices, but also another flavor she recognized immediately. Her eyes wide with shock, Valeria stopped chewing and shot a look at Domino who had just taken his place at the head of the table. The ghoul still wore his dark glasses, but she could tell he was looking at her. He saw her look of shock and smiled before cutting a piece of pie and slowly chewing it as he watched her.
Valeria couldn't ruin Veronica's slim opportunity by spitting her mouthful out, so she quickly swallowed and set her knife and fork down. Veronica looked up from her pie and seeing Valeria's reaction slowly put her utensils down as well. Valeria gave her head a small shake in answer to Veronica's questioning look and the two women sat and waited as Domino finished eating.
"Superb." Domino said as he leaned back and sipped his wine. "Philippe truly outdid himself this time." There was murmured assent from the other members as Domino looked down the table toward Valeria and Veronica. "It appears the dish was not to everyone's liking?"
"I'm not used to the…spice." Valeria replied.
"Ah yes." Domino replied with smirk on his scarred lips. "Dining in the wasteland can be a bland affair. As for myself this repast brings back…memories. Perhaps it did for you as well?"
"Have you spent a lot of time in the Wasteland Mr. Domino?" Veronica interrupted as Valeria struggled to find a reply.
"My dear girl, I played Vegas before the world blew itself to hell. My orchestra performed at the finest venues, and I've dined on every delicacy it had to offer. I've seen more in my long existence than someone with a thousand lifetimes could. It takes a hell of a lot to surprise me, and you…" Domino turned to look at Valeria. "…Just did."
There were murmurs about the table as the White Glove's realized that something unusual was about to happen.
"When I invited you." Domino said to Valeria. "I didn't expect you to resemble someone I knew two centuries ago."
"You knew Vera Keyes?" Veronica interrupted.
"Ah, you've seen the posters I presume." Domino replied with a nod. "She was my protégé' before she left for a shot at Hollywood. She didn't seem like much at the time. Nice pair of legs, easy on the eyes, good voice. Nothing dozens of other girls didn't have. Yet she had a quality about her…" Domino's voice trailed off into the silence as the Society members waited and listened intently.
"The last time I saw her was at the Sierra Madre the night the bombs started dropping." Veronica started and opened her mouth to speak when another woman further down the table interrupted.
"But the Sierra Madre is just a myth!"
"Oh it's quite real." Domino replied cheerfully. "A glittering monument to one man's hubris tucked away in a corner of Death Valley."
"Then why hasn't anyone claimed its fabled treasures?" Another society member asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Have you ever been to Death Valley?" Domino asked with a sneer. "It has winds that can strip the flesh from your bones and pockets of radiation that will kill you in seconds. Even if you make it past those and the feral mutants living there, you face the defenses built by Frederick Sinclair meant to protect the Sierra Madre from an atomic holocaust."
The table was silent as Sinclair rose from his seat and growled. "There were over five hundred guests and workers at the Sierra Madre Gala event. After the bombs dropped and the world went mad, I was the…only…one who escaped." He straightened and lit a cigarette, as the room was silent. He exhaled a cloud of smoke and continued with his pleasant demeanor restored.
"Of course I didn't leave right away. I hung around for a few years trying to find a way in before I finally…let go."
Suddenly Chauncey approached Domino and whispered in his ear. The ghoul nodded and turned to face the table.
"It appears the next spectacle for the evening has begun." He announced. "Perhaps you have all been aware of the recent troop movements of the Legion? It appears that Caesar has decided to take care of unfinished business and has attacked Nellis Air Force Base."
An excited babble of voices greeted Domino's announcement and Veronica's expression changed to shocked astonishment.
"If the Boomers are true to their reputation, this should be quite a show. Chauncey will show you to the roof where drinks will be provided and you should have a clear view of the battle." Domino nodded at Chauncey who had taken a station at the top of the steps leading from the banquet hall. The White Glove members rose from their seats and filed from the hall as quickly as decorum allowed, leaving only Veronica and Valeria as Domino began to walk around the table.
"I've heard you've been hiring mercenaries and sending them to Death Valley." Veronica said as she stepped in front of Domino.
"Yes, that has been a persistent rumor." Domino replied as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Do you have a reason for such repeating such…dangerous slander?"
"Whatever you told the Society." Veronica said earnestly. "I think you still want the treasure and Val and I can get it for you."
"Aside from…Val's surprising resemblance to a long dead starlet, why do you think you would succeed where so many others failed?"
"I was a scribe with the Brotherhood and protégé of Elder Elijah. He left me a message that he found the Sierra Madre after my chapter was wiped out at Helios One." Valeria stared at Veronica, as she breathlessly revealed more about her secretive connection to the ancient casino. "Elijah left me some clues in case he didn't come back, but he was one of the best scribes the Brotherhood had. If anyone could find a way in, he could."
"I see." Domino replied, his face unreadable. "And you hope I would finance an expedition to follow your mentor. Hypothetically speaking of course."
"I'm the one you're looking …" Veronica started to say when Domino raised a hand to silence her.
"I'm missing a war, so I'll be brief." He snapped. "I invited your large associate to this party to liven up an otherwise stupefying event. I allowed you to go with her on a whim, not to listen to your resume'. Yes Val has a passing resemblance to Vera, but that's as far as my interest extends. Her reaction to dinner was also as amusing as I had hoped."
"What were those pies made of?" Valeria demanded.
"Have no fear, it only contained Brahmin. However Philippe has managed to give it a distinct flavor. I always find it amusing to see who reacts to it."
Veronica stared in confusion at Valeria, than turned back to Domino who had returned his attention to her.
"My dear, all you are offering is a connection to a dying organization not known for sharing. You provided an entertaining diversion until Caesar completed this evening's entertainment, and that is all I desired of you. Now if that's all…"
Veronica glared at Domino, then stepped aside. "Cheerio." The ghoul said with a smile as he strode between the two women and climbed the stairs.
"It was a long shot Ronnie." Valeria said as she rested her hand on Veronica's shoulder.
"This isn't over Val!" Veronica declared angrily as she shrugged Valeria's hand off. I'm going back to our room, and I'm keeping this dress!"
"There's still the Thorn…" Valeria began but Veronica whirled, her eyes shining.
"Don't say it!" Veronica snapped with a catch in her voice. "You're not going back to that pit to get killed if there's anything I can do about it!"
Valeria looked into Veronica's eyes then nodded wearily.
"Okay Ronnie, let's go."